Prince Imperial
When Napoleon III came to power, like his uncle Napoleon, he was conscious of the need for an heir. He
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Valtesse de la Bigne
From 1850 until the early twentieth century, the great courtesans played a major role in society. They were called “lionesses”.
Napoleon III
Napoleon’s nephew became President of France following the revolution in 1848 which ousted King Louis-Philippe. Ineligible to stand for a
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
A shared bed
At the Grand Trianon, the Empress’ bedroom is part of the Empress Marie-Louise apartment. This had originally been two rooms.
Marechal Lannes
Jean Lannes was an outstanding military man who was highly respected by Napoleon who described him as “the bravest of
Talleyrand
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand was the eldest son of a noble couple. He was arguably the most successful diplomat in French
Empire Bed
A typical Empire bed minus its original baldequin is displayed at Arts Decoratifs in a room with the contemporary “grisailles”
Eugène de Beauharnais
Josephine’s eldest child was Eugène de Beauharnais. He was less than 18 months older than his sister Hortense and they
Hortense de Beauharnais
When Napoleon married Josephine she was a widow with a 14 year old son Eugène and 12 year old daughter