Napoleon – Four stages
Napoleon was born in Corsica three months after it officially becoming part of France. His father Carlo was a lawyer, who managed to have his descent from minor Genoese aristocracy recognised by France.
Apart from opening the doors to Carlo’s own political career, it meant that Napoleon was eligible to attend an elite military school. He was nine years old when he arrived in mainland France.
Napoleon spent the first three months at a school where he learnt French (people in Corsica still spoke Italian) before joining the military academy in Champagne. It was one of 12 preparatory schools for the Military Academy in Paris.
His five years there were not easy. He was surrounded by the sons of French nobility most of whom were older than him and who considered him a country bumpkin. His thick Corsican accent didn’t help. He concentrated on his studies, proving to be a good student. Mathematics were his strong point and he developed a keen interest in history, particularly ancient Rome.
Napoleon finished his studies at the École Militaire in Paris where he completed a two year course in one year and graduated at 16 as a second lieutenant in the artillery regiment.
While he was there his father died of stomach cancer at the age of 38. Napoleon spent some time going backwards and forwards to Corsica to see his family. The French Revolution occurred during this time. In 1793 the family left Corsica and settled in mainland France.
Napoleon was 24 when his military career unexpectedly brought him recognition with his successful tactics against an English attack at Toulon. During the fighting his horse was shot out from under him and he was wounded in the leg by a bayonet (the most serious battle wound he would receive). Five days later he was made a Brigadier General.
Napoleon meets Josephine
Shortly after he turned 26 Napoleon met Josephine de Beauharnais, a 32 year old widow with two children. They were married less than 6 months later, two days before Napoleon left Paris to take over command of the French army in Italy.
Napoleon’s unexpected success in Italy made him a national hero. The street where he and Josephine lived in Paris was renamed “rue de la Victoire”. Napoleon was made a member of the Institute of France.
The question was what would happen next. The “Directory” (French government of the time) wanted him to lead an invasion of England. After checking out the options, he suggested they should take Egypt instead, which would cut off the route between England and the Indes. He assembled a troop of 30,000 soldiers as well as 167 scientists—the “Rosetta Stone” was discovered while they were there.
Napoleon’s army was successful and they took over the Egyptian capital. However the following month, the English Admiral Nelson sank six French ships and captured five others. Napoleon and his troops were stranded in Egypt.
While Napoleon was stranded, he learnt that Josephine had been unfaithful to him. When he returned to Paris he was determined to divorce her.
When he returned Napoleon also learnt that during his absence, Josephine had purchased Malmaison, a country chateau they had looked at buying before his departure to Egypt, but Napoleon had decided it was too expensive.
Happily Josephine’s tears and the pleas of her children softened his resolve. He decided to buy Malmaison (Josephine had borrowed the money for a down payment only). He sent the young architects Percier and Fontaine to renovate the old chateau and it became their “weekender”.
Emperor Napoleon restores the Former Royal Residences
Less than a month after returning to Paris from Egypt, Napoleon was involved in a coup d’état which overthrew the government of the Directory and set up the “Consulate”, run by three Consuls. Napoleon was named “Premier consul”, with his Paris residence at the Luxembourg Palace.
In a very short time he decided he preferred to live in the Tuileries Palace and took over the former Kings’ apartment, sleeping in the same room as Louis XIV, XV and XVI.
Malmaison had to share him as an out of Paris getaway. He decided to use Marie-Antoinette’s former chateau at Saint Cloud as another residence. He spent 3 million francs on repairs and decorating it.
When Napoleon made himself Emperor in 1804 he decided to adopt many of the former French monarchy’s traditions. The Tuileries Palace remained his official residence and he had already restored Saint Cloud. He turned his attention to the other former residences of the kings, intending to re-establish all the former royal chateaux as imperial palaces.
Originally Napoleon used the furniture remaining from the royal collection and aristocrats who had emigrated. Later he started ordering new furniture for all the former royal residences.
Although he personally had simple tastes, like Louis XIV he understood the economic, political and social power associated with appearances. To revive the Lyon silk industry , Napoleon ordered silk by the kilometre to refurbish the former royal residences. The “Empire” style, both in dress and décor was a return to the antique Roman inspiration and the furniture he favoured was noble, rigid and cold.
