rhyssain – Page 18 – French Travel Boutique

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Queen of Belgium

Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amelie had ten children including a daughter Louise who married the King of Belgium. When Louise visited her family in France, she had a bedroom set up in the Trianon Palace. The bed she used had formerly belonged to the Empress Josephine at the Tuileries Palace Josephine’s salon furniture was also used in the room. Louis-Philippe had decreed that no money be spent on furnishing the Grand Trianon for his family which is why the Empire style furniture from the time of Napoleon was reused.

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Louis Philippe

Louis-Philippe, known as the “citizen king” or “bourgeois king” was a direct descendant of both Louis XIV and his brother Philippe. (His great great grandfather, son of Philippe married one of Louis XIV’s daughters by his mistress Madame de Montespan). Louis-Philippe’s father, the Duke of Orleans, had joined the French Revolution and voted in favour of executing Louis XVI. Louis-Philippe was exiled by the revolutionaries and travelled around Europe and America before settling in England where he worked as a teacher. He married Princess Marie-Amelie, daughter of the King of Naples. Her mother was initially opposed to the idea, given that she was Marie-Antoinette’s sister and Louis-Philippe’s father was regarded as having a role in her death. Louis-Philippe managed to win her over. The couple settled into a palace in Palermo in Sicily where the first three of their ten children were born. When Napoleon was defeated and the Bourbon kings reinstated, Louis-Philippe returned to Paris. His family’s properties, including Palais Royal, were all returned to him. Louis-Philippe was more in touch with the middle classes than the returned Bourbon monarchs. Charles X introduced repressive measures, including censorship of the press and altering the election system. When Charles was forced to abdicate Louis-Philippe was made King of the French (as opposed to “King of France” as all the Kings had been known). Louis-Philippe moved into the Tuileries Palace. He slept in Charles X’s bed, which he had enlarged. Unlike previous kings, and as could be expected of a “bourgeois” king, he actually shared a bed with his wife. He mostly reused the existing beds in the royal residences. Louis-Philippe undertook extensive work on the former royal residences. It was his decision to turn the Chateau of Versailles into a museum dedicated to the history of France. He regularly visited to oversee the works. The former kitchens of the Grand Trianon were converted into an apartment for him to stay and work in. He had a day bed in his cabinet which overlooked the Grand Canal. An important feature of the initial makeover was a bathroom and separate toilet (the first of four he included in that section). An apartment in the same section was prepared for Louis-Philippe’s sister Madame Adelaide. When he had prepared the rest of he Grand Trianon for the family stays, he shared a bed with Marie-Amelie in her apartment (the former Empress’ apartment—see “A Shared Bed”). Apartments for his children were mostly set up with furniture left over from Napoleon. His youngest daughter Clementine used a section of Napoleon’s private apartments. The other section was given to her sister Marie, whose marriage took place at the Grand Trianon. Later Louis-Philippe furnished a bedroom for his eldest daughter Louise who had married the King of the Belgians.

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Charles X

Charles X was the youngest brother of Louis XVI. He escaped being beheaded by emigrating. He returned to Paris after the defeat of Napoleon. His brother ruled as Louis XVIII for ten years. Louis XVIII suffered from gout and was seriously overweight. He had to walk with crutches or more often was transported in a wheelchair. When he died in the Tuileries Palace his body lay in state in his bed – the one formerly used by Napoleon which he had enlarged (opposite). Charles X did not want to use the bed his brother had been displayed in after death so he had another made the same size so he could reuse all the very expensive silk decoration. It was a return to royal blue in contrast to the red used by Napoleon and lavishly decorated with symbols of the French monarchy including the fleur-de-lys. When Charles X was forced to abdicate, Louis Philippe used the same bed. It was enlarged because unlike all his predecessors, Louis-Philippe was a bourgeois king who slept with his wife.

Empress' Bed Chamber at the Grand Trianon

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A shared bed

At the Grand Trianon, the Empress’ bedroom is part of the Empress Marie-Louise apartment. This had originally been two rooms. The grand gilded bed which dominates the space had first belonged to Napoleon. It was his main bed and situated in the Tuileries Palace in Paris. Interestingly, it was not an Empire style bed but a “Lit à la Duchesse” and a return to the style of Louis XIV. When Napoleon was exiled, the bed was used by the new Bourbon king. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette had both been beheaded during the Revolution and their one surviving son had died in prison. The heir to the throne was therefore Louis’ brother who reigned as Louis XVIII. He was extremely fat and had Napoleon’s bed enlarged. When Louis Philippe became King in 1831 he decided to convert Versailles to a museum. He and his family occupied the Grand Trianon when they went there to visit and the bed was used by his wife Marie-Amelie (a niece of Marie-Antoinette). Today it is on display in the style of Napoleon’s wife Marie-Louise.

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Marechal Lannes

Jean Lannes was an outstanding military man who was highly respected by Napoleon who described him as “the bravest of all men”. His military exploits read like a movie script. He distinguished himself in Italy and accompanied Napoleon to Egypt where he was given a house in Cairo. Returning to Italy, he again performed brilliantly at Montebello and Marengo. When Napoleon became Emperor he made Lannes a “Maréchal” of the Empire at the age of 35. Lannes bought the Chateau de Maisons which had been constructed by François Mansart. He settled there with his wife and five children. He decorated it in Empire style, with his wife occupying what had been the Queen’s apartment. Four years later he was given the title of Duke of Montebello in recognition of that early battle. The following year he died from wounds received in battle against Austria. Napoleon had him interred at the Pantheon. Napoleon made the Duchess of Montebello first Lady in Waiting for his new wife Marie-Louise and they were both regular visitors to the Chateau. Ten years later the widow sold it to the banker Jacques Laffitte and it has been since known as Maisons Laffitte.

5 Mins Read

Talleyrand

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand was the eldest son of a noble couple. He was arguably the most successful diplomat in French history, with a career spanning all the regimes from before Napoleon to Louis-Philippe. Both of his parents were part of the court of Versailles. His mother was lady-in-waiting to Louis XVI’s mother and he was present at Louis XVI’s coronation. As eldest son, he should have been in the military but his club foot prevented that. He was forced to take the role of a second son and join the church, becoming a bishop the same year the French Revolution started. He joined the revolutionaries in their confiscation of church property (it helped that he had been Agent General of the clergy when he was 25 and had made an inventory of the church’s properties in France). Naturally the Pope excommunicated him. Under the Directory Talleyrand was Foreign Minister and quickly recognised Napoleon’s potential and began corresponding with him. When Napoleon became Premier Consul after the coup d’état, he made Talleyrand Foreign Minister. The Pope reversed Talleyrand’s excommunication when he was involved in Napoleon’s decision to allow the Church to resume its place and the return of the aristocracy to France. Even as a member of the clergy, Talleyrand had a very active personal life. He had been living with his mistress, divorcee Catherine Grand for four years when Napoleon, who did not like messy personal lives, forced them to marry. The following year (1803), at Napoleon’s direction (and with his financial aid), Talleyrand bought the Chateau of Valencay. Napoleon wanted him to have a property where he could, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, lavishly receive the diplomatic corps and important foreign statesmen. Between 1809 and 1813, Talleyrand’s chateau of Valencay became the gilded cage for the exiled princes of Spain. Ferdinand, future King of Spain, occupied the largest bedroom in the Chateau. They returned to Spain after the Treaty of Valençay was signed. A room is set aside to commemorate the imprisonment of the King of Spain with the Empire period furniture. Talleyrand was a brilliant politician but a very slippery individual. Napoleon described him as a shit in a silk stocking. They disagreed over many issues and Talleyrand resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He remained in the Council of State and took bribes from European leaders and secretly advised the Tsar on dealing with Napoleon. When Napoleon was defeated, Talleyrand represented France in the negotiations at the Congress of Vienna, where his good relationships with the European leaders resulted in remarkably lenient terms for France. He recommended the return of the Bourbon monarchy under Louis XVI’s brother, who became Louis XVIII*. When Talleyrand attended the Congress of Vienna, he was accompanied by his nephew’s German wife, Princess Dorothea. *Louis XVI’s son and heir had died during the Revolution. From the viewpoint of the monarchists, he was Louis XVII after his father was guillotined. Having no legitimate heirs, Talleyrand set about finding a wealthy, prestigious wife for his nephew Edmond. He asked the Tsar to convince the very wealthy German Duchess of Courland to agree to the marriage of her youngest daughter Dorothea to Edmond. The wedding took place when Dorothea was 16 and she and her mother moved to Paris where the mother became one of many mistresses of Talleyrand. Dorothea was 21 when she accompanied Talleyrand to the Congress of Vienna to negotiate on behalf of France after the defeat of Napoleon. She was a major hit and her intelligence was in sharp contrast to Talleyrand’s wife Catherine who was regarded by many as “the most stupid woman in Paris”. Catherine and Talleyrand separated shortly after.* *Before we feel sorry for Catherine it should be noted she had an affair with the Spanish diplomat in charge of the entourage at Valencay, about which Napoleon took delight in teasing Talleyrand. She was left home after that. With Napoleon out of the picture, Louis XVIII became king with the support of Talleyrand, who was made a Duke of France. He was also honoured with the title of the Duke of Dino (by the King of Two Sicilies). He gave this title to his nephew, making Dorothea the Duchess of Dino. A few months later Dorothea and Edmond separated, although this didn’t become official for another seven years. Dorothea moved in with Talleyrand and lived with him for the rest of his life. The guest bedroom at Valencay is also known as Germaine de Stael’s bedroom. Talleyrand bought her Directory style bed as a souvenir after her death. She had been a close friend of Talleyrand (and one of his many lovers) until she fell out of favour with Napoleon. Talleyrand ordered a state bed for Valencay. It is unlikely he would have slept in it, thanks to his disability. The bed was purchased and restored by the Legion of Honour museum in San Francisco and is displayed there. In 1812 Talleyrand purchased the Hotel Saint FlorentinHotel Saint Florentin in Paris.* He died there in 1838 at the age of 84 after a visit from King Louis-Philippe. The Duchesse de Dino was at his side. The bed he died in is now displayed at Valencay. *Hotel Saint-Florentin was designed by the architect Gabriel and is situated on the north east corner of Place de la Concorde in Paris. Talleyrand entertained all the major political players there including the Russian Tsar, the Austrian Emperor and the Duke of Wellington. Due to the negotiations that took place there, Talleyrand described it to the Tsar as a “temple of peace”. Two months after his death, The Duchesse de Dino sold it to Baron James de Rothschild. The Rothschild family sold Hotel Saint-Florentin to the US government in 1950. They had rented it since the end of the Second World War where it housed the George C Marshall Centre working on the Marshall

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Germaine de Stael

Germaine de Stael had a particularly tumultuous love life including a crush on Napoleon in the early stages of his power when she imagined she could be an advisor (much in the same way Mme de Pompadour had been with Louis XV). She was the daughter of the Swiss banker Necker who had played a major role before the French Revolution. Napoleon couldn’t stand her. She was far too outspoken and masculine for him and he found her messy love life and political views unacceptable. When Napoleon banished her from Paris, her good friend Juliette Recamier (who was far more to Napoleon’s taste) stayed loyal to Germaine and suffered the consequences. Germaine’s original bed is still in place in Coppet, her family’s private chateau (still owned by the descendants) just over the French border.

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Empire Bed

A typical Empire bed minus its original baldequin is displayed at Arts Decoratifs in a room with the contemporary “grisailles” telling the story of Psyche and Cupid. This theme remained popular for bedroom décor and the muted walls in shades of grey were regarded as ideal for relaxation. The typical accompanying furniture is shown including the “Psyche” mirror which had become the “must have” item for fashionable women because for the first time they could see a full length reflection of themselves. On display is a night table known as a “sonno”. These were only placed next to the bed at night and removed during the day (everyone knew they contained the potty).

3 Mins Read

Eugène de Beauharnais

Josephine’s eldest child was Eugène de Beauharnais. He was less than 18 months older than his sister Hortense and they were very close all their lives. When his mother married Napoleon, Eugène was, like his sister, at a boarding school in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. When he finished there, he joined Napoleon in Italy as an aide-de-camp. He was 16. He accompanied Napoleon to Egypt and impressed his step-father when he distinguished himself as a soldier and was wounded in battle. Eugène remained at Napoleon’s side and continued to be respected in the military field. At 22 he was made a Brigadier General and commander of the Legion of Honour. The bed displayed in Napoleon’s bedchamber at Malmaison is actually Eugène’s original bed from the Tuileries Palace. It is currently being restored. When he was 21, Eugène bought his own Paris residence across the Seine from the Tuileries Palace. Josephine and Hortense became involved in the renovation of the grand residence which had been built in 1713. The popular decorating style was “à l’égyptienne” thanks to Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt The portico featuring Isis and Osiris carved into the columns was added after Eugène purchased the residence. The former Hôtel de Beauharnais is now the Paris residence of the German Embassy Eugène had paid 200,000 francs for the residence. By the time his mother and sister had finished the renovations, they had spent 1,500,000 francs, which needless to say did not impress Napoleon. Two years after purchasing the residence, Eugène left France for a new assignment in Italy. The house was used by Napoleon to accommodate important guests. The year after becoming Emperor, Napoleon proclaimed himself King of Italy, with the coronation ceremony taking place in Milan in May 1805. To commemorate the event, Napoleon’s official Italian court painter Andrea Appiani painted several versions of him as King of Italy. Napoleon made Eugène his Viceroy of Italy. Six months after making Eugène Viceroy of Italy, Napoleon organised his marriage. As usual, Napoleon’s matchmaking was all about politics. He wanted to form a closer alliance with the German princes. Princess Augusta, the daughter of Maximilien of Bavaria was already engaged to her cousin, the heir of the Prince of Baden. Napoleon decided he would marry Eugène to Augusta and her fiancé would marry Stephanie de Beauharnais*, Eugène’s second cousin. On becoming Emperor, Napoleon had already declared his stepson an Imperial Prince. Now he officially adopted Eugène two days before he married the Bavarian princess. The marriage was surprisingly happy and after Napoleon was exiled Eugène and Augusta went to live in Munich. Augusta’s father made Eugène the Duke of Leuchtenberg. They had six children who survived and married—the eldest daughter, called Josephine, became Queen of Sweden. Another daughter became Empress of Brazil and the other two married a German Count and a German Prince. The elder son married the Queen of Portugal and the younger son moved to Russia and married the eldest daughter of Tsar Nicolas I. The current heads of the royal families of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg are all direct descendants of Eugène’s daughter Josephine. *Stephanie called Napoleon and Josephine “uncle” and “aunt”. Napoleon adopted her before the marriage and she became an imperial princess. L’Hôtel de Beauharnais is now the Paris residence of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany. This image of the garden side was courtesy of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany on a website organising specialist private tours on 2020 (www.eliaswessel.com). In addition to private tours arranged through the Embassy, like all such buildings, it is open to the public during the Journées du Patrimoine each year.) After the defeat of Napoleon, the King of Prussia rented the Hôtel de Beauharnais from Eugène. Eugène moved to Munich where his father-in-law was King of Bavaria. The King of Prussia bought the residence in 1818. (He paid 570,000 francs for the mansion, which was a steal after all the money that had been spent on it.) It welcomed guests such as Bismarck and Wagner when they were in Paris. In1871 after the defeat of Napoleon III and the formation of the German Empire, the residence became the German Embassy. It was confiscated at the end of the Second World War and classified as an official historical monument. The French government gave it back to Germany in 1962. It was restored and is now the official residence of the German Ambassador to France.

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