In this excerpt from Louise Murat's memoirs, Louise reminisces about the idyllic moments when her parents, in between the endless stresses of ruling a kingdom, found relief by spending time with their children. She also recounts the antics of her older brothers, Achille and Lucien, whose rowdiness occasionally necessitated her father's intervention. *** Aside from …
Tag: Naples
“His very hairstyle… for which he has often been reproached”
Murat--possessed, it must be said, of considerable vanity--relished standing out in a crowd, and went to great effort to do so, tailoring every feature of his appearance in such a way as to distinguish himself among others. Both his contemporaries and modern historians alike have written extensively on the subject of his eye-catching, custom-made uniforms, …
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“Everything was spent on Naples…
Living in exile in Trieste during the years immediately after her husband's execution, Caroline Murat was frequently hounded to repay debts owed (or claimed to be owed) by Joachim. Not wanting his name to be tarnished any further, Caroline did her best to pay those whose claims she considered credible, while simultaneously scraping to pay …
Forty letters to Letitia–Part Four (XXXI-XL)
The final portion of Murat's letters to his eldest daughter Letitia, spanning from August 1813 to April 1814.
“After swearing roundly in the French fashion…”
Neapolitan General Pépé, who served Murat during his reign in Naples, relates the following anecdote of the King: One day he was returning from the Campo di Morte, when a woman in tears, and holding a petition in her hand, stood forward to present it to him. His horse, frightened at the sight of the …
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Murat as Joachim Napoleon, King of Naples, painted by François Pascal Simon Gérard between 1811-1812. And a close-up of the above.
Caroline Murat & children. Painted by François Gérard, around 1809/1810.(Left to right: Louise Murat, Achille Murat, Caroline Murat, Lucien Murat, and Letitia Murat.) Mount Vesuvius is featured in the background.
Project Murat 