Napoleon's son's legacy still sadder

 I lived for some years in Rambouillet when I first lived in France and soon learned of the town's connection to Napoleon via the Chateau and the Palais du Roi de Rome. 

In Rambouillet, Napoleon I^er, wishing to have a small palace for his son near his occasional residence at the Chateau de Rambouillet, had the former Hotel of the Governor of Rambouillet transformed, built between 1784 and 1785 by order of Louis XVI.  This small palace was for the use of the King of Rome (a title afforded to Napoleon's infant son), pending the construction of the immense and grandiose palace on the hill of Chaillot, Paris. This later palace never evenuated due to Napoleon's fall from grace.

 I had known of the sad life and tragic end of Napoleon Bonaparte's son (nicknamed l'Aiglon or little eagle) and had visited the garden of the little palace where the child grew up several times in my life in France. I always found it peaceful and pretty but sad. Recently I revisited it and was horrified to see the state of such an historic monument which is supposed to be looked after by the mayor and councillors of Rambouillet, a town I used to call home. The mayor is (still) the head of the French Senate so looking after this historic property is well within his abilites. He and the local council clearly don't seem to care much for this tourist attraction. 

Its state is deplorable, the garden full of weeds, the plaque with a message for l'Aiglon is missing or covered in weeds, the fountain inoperable, garish modern toys for children to play on are set in part of the lawn - so ghastly given the context. The interior of the house is painted in such  a way as to not detract from any art exhibitions but it contains no soul and not a trace of its former tragic inhabitant. The house houses a 'museum' of board games most of the time. No real info on l'Aiglon. Sad, sad, shameful. My daughter, who has

spent time in the garden would also be disappointed. You can see two photos of the same location here, just a few years apart to illustrate the sad decline and neglect.

I enjoyed looking at various artworks promoting art of the Chevreuse area but felt there was a lack of history and soul about the place. Parts of the stairs were crumbling. The building opposite, which had once been part of the complex, seems empty and abandoned with broken windows and pigeons flying in and out. Horrifying. Monsieur Larcher should be ashamed. I wrote in the visitors' book of

my disappointment. 

 

Why does this property matter? It's not flashy, it's not furnished but it is a relic from a specific time in history, a rather momentous time and it illustrates a story that most people (including the French) don't seem to know. Doesn't anyone wonder why Napoleon Bonaparte's nephew took the title of Napoleon III? Where was number II? Well here's that sorry story...

On 4 April 1814, Napoleon wrote a conditional abdication, reserving the succession rights of his infant son. On 6 April 1814, Napoleon finally relinquished the crown for him and his descendants,  but the Senate refused to keep the imperial regime in favour of a restoration of the Bourbons (Louis 18th). The young Napoleon II did not become emperor in April 1814, between the conditional abdication of 4 April 1814 and the unconditional abdication of 6 April 1814. Napoleon bid farewell to his troops on 20 April 1814 at Fontainebleau and left for the Island of Elba, off the Italian coast, refusing to allow his wife and son to join him. A convoy taking Empress Marie-Louise and her son to Vienna sailed on 23 April 1814.  Napoleon never saw his wife and son again. 

As we know, Napoleon returned to France after a short time in exile and ex-military rallied to his cause. The Bourbons were unpopular, but the world was tired of all the wars. He was defeated at Waterloo when he and his marshall made tactical errors. This time abdication was permanent and he lived the rest of his life on a stony outcrop island off the coast of Africa: Saint Helena. There were no visits from his wife and son who were now living in Marie-Louise's home country of Austria. The boy was disappearing from history.

I suppose this is one reason why I have written this particular blogpost. You may say "poor little rich boy'' and you would be right. However, I still feel sad about any child who showed promise but whose circumstances wrecked it all. I find this particular aspect of the life of Napoleon sad and disappointing that neither he nor his wife made much effort to truly parent this little boy who was ripped away from his country and made to feel ashamed of his father.

L'Aiglon grew up never really knowing his father. His mother was not a good mother and was absent for most of his life as he reminded her of a past she wanted to forget. Instead he was brought up in the court of Francis I of Austria as a prince of the court, as Duke of Reichstadt. 

The name of Bonaparte was hated and feared throughout Europe.

 "Little Napoleon is an object of disorder and fear for most European cabinets. We must have heard the conversations of recent years, to know to what extent the name of this child was angering and frightened even the most skilful ministers and to be aware of everything they invented and proposed to at least make one forget his existence. "

 Napoleon II, renowned Duke of Reichstadt, nevertheless obtained permission to consult the great imperial library of Vienna so that he could re-learn French by reading the Letters of Madame de Sévigné. During this time he discovered his father by browsing works on the Napoleonic era and especially Memoires from Sainte Helene in which Napoleon would have featured.

Like his father he pursued a military career, but it occured in Austria, being estranged from the country of his birth. This handsome young man grew up not knowing his father and hardly seeing his mother, brought up as an Austrian prince "Franz" at court by his grandfather Francis I of Austria, thus hiding his identity but it was probable that he lead a rather lonely life where he didn't quite fit in.

 His official army career began at age 12, in 1823, when he was made a cadet in the Austrian Army. Accounts from his tutors describe the son of Napoleon as intelligent, serious, and focused. Additionally, he was very tall, having grown to nearly 6 feet (1.8m) by the time he was 17. 

Not long after rejoining his army post  in 1832 he fell ill.

On April 15, doctors admitted they could do no more, which is why Napoleon II bitterly said, "My birth and my death, that's my whole story. Between my cradle and my grave, there's a big zero." His mother, who was alerted, did not join him in Vienna until Sunday, 24 June. He died on 22 July 1832 of tuberculosis at the age of 21. 

 The destiny of a young man who was proclaimed King of Rome at birth and whose father was Napoleon I might have included a vaste empire if his name had not become so poisonous. He died a simple Austrian prince, someone mysterious and touching who fascinated poets and whose name has maintained to this day a type of culte which saw in particular the return of his remains (l'Aiglon) to Paris as a Nazi public relations event. He is buried at Les Invalides now just below the sarcophagus of his famous father. His heart and intestines remain in Vienna to this day, which is traditional for members of the Habsburg family.

In an effort to improve his image in the eyes of the French in 1940, Adolf Hitler decided to repatriate the remains of the Aiglon to France. A funeral and nocturnal ceremony were held in Les Invalides in Paris on the night of the 14th to 15th December 1940, in front of a handpicked audience.  It coincided with one hundred years to the day after the return of the body of his father Napoleon I to Paris.

Napoleon II was technically "Emperor of the French" for two weeks, when he was not in France. It was because of this short reign of Napoleon II that Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon I,  proclaimed himself emperor of the French under the name of Napoleon III.  

During my most recent visit to this historic site in Rambouillet I enjoyed looking at an art display and also examples of ancient board games (note that New Zealand doesn't feature on the world map). This building is an official museum for old board games. The decor is just bland paint and gives no hint of its colourful past.

This sad story was made into a play: L'Aiglon is a play in six acts by Edmond Rostand based on the life of Napoleon II, who was the son of Emperor Napoleon I and his second wife, Empress Marie Louise. 

Sources for images: 

Heraldry Par Katepanomegas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10525411 

Photo of Franz Par Leopold Bucher — Malmaison, Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7494834

Death bed Par Franz Xaver Stöber / D’après Johann Ender — Dorotheum, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19168817  

 

Inside renovated Notre Dame de Paris

It was the 16th of April and I had tears streaming down my face as I watched live coverage of the conflagration consuming the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. In Paris, 12 hours behind, it was the 15th of April. The horrified gasp as onlookers lined along the Seine saw the spire with its gilded brass rooster collapse into the transcript. President Macron swore to local residents, citizens of France, tourists and the world watching that the cathedral would be restored, in just five years. And it was!

On my recent trip to France in blazing 37 degree heat I was determined to get to Paris to see the restored cathedral. I'm an atheist but I can appreciate such a monument to the skill and labour of thousands of artisans who, over the many centuries, built this amazing cathedral. I recognise it has played a part in so many historical moments.

 The construction of the cathedral began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and was largely completed by 1260 so it is close to 900 years old. It's a magnificent collaboration of stone masons, carpenters and metalworkers, artists having done such a massive job together over so many years, and the financial contributions of ordinary people. 

Notre Dame is a prime example of French Gothic architecture, known for its soaring height, stained glass windows, and intricate detail. It contains relics such as the (supposed) crown of thorns and a splinter from Christ's cross. Hmm.

By the time Victor Hugo published his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1831 the cathedral was starting to crumble  and no-one seemed to care but V. Hugo did. His book was such a success it brought international attention to the cathedral and highlighted its architectural beauty. Parisians started to appreciate the old monument and funds were raised to restore it, between 1844 and 1864, supervised by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc who is famous for designing the metal spire.

The last time I was inside this cathedral I couldn't help but notice how dark and grimy it was after centuries of soot and pollution had attached themselves to everything. Entering the monument now was so very different; so light, so sparkling and so colourful, as it would have been originally and which no other generations will have seen. The folks who have worked to restore the building have done an incredible job. Led initially by a retired general, old and traditional ways of doing things,  and even an ancient oak stand (2,400 trees) cut down to restore the 'forest' inside the roof have all contributed to a very authentic restoration.

250 different companies and 2000 workers worked and collaborated in sequence over the span of the project because everyone was happy and proud to be contributing. 

The day I visited there was a gregorian mass in progress which did limit how we could move about. However, with a bit of patience you could stay as long as you liked and see most things up front. 

Of special note are the restored wooden sculptured freizes; they are gleaming with gilt and all telling part of a much larger story, the new chandeliers certainly caught my eye; the bronze absolutely sparkles, and what was particularly interesting were the side chapels with the painted columns and freshly cleaned stained glass. There were statues and artworks galore. The famous rose windows have survived, with careful cleaning and repair.

 

 A few amazing renovation statistics to share:

2000 statues and decorative features were restored or re-created, 43,000 square feet of lead was shaped to cover the roof, all stained glass taken out, cleaned and restored. There are 1,500 new seats of solid oak. There's a programmable array of 1,550 LED spotlights that can vary in intensity and colour accordin to the event. The great organ survived the fire but had to be completely dismantled and cleaned and each of  the 8000 pipes had to recalibrated, one by one.

The only section I didn't like was the garish stuff in the open souvenir shop, not even off to the side but right there in the middle near one end. Ghastly products, trinkets for the most part, in a circular desk design so once you entered it was hard to get out. I didn't bother and I think Jesus might not have been happy with tacky commerce in the middle of the cathedral. Oh well!

One thing I hadn't paid much attention to in the past was the massive door(s) which were opened flat so I could marvel at the beautifully intricate carving on them. And that's all worth noting because everywhere you look you can see surprising details, so much painting, sculpture and ironwork.

Through the centuries there have been a number of historic happenings at the cathedral, Here are some...

1239: Relics

Louis IV delivered what is perported to be the crown of thorns to the cathedral 

1431: Coronation of Henry VI:

Henry VI of England was crowned King of France here, a significant event during the Hundred Years War. 

 

1558 & 1572:

Several royal weddings took place at Notre Dame, including those of Mary, Queen of Scots to the Dauphin Francis, and Henry of Navarre to Margaret of Valois

 

1789: Revolution

The cathedral became state property during the French Revolution and was later transformed into a Temple of Reason. A lot of its bronze and iron was melted down.

 

1804: Napoleon's Coronation:

Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of France within Notre Dame, a symbolic act that demonstrated his power and authority. The pope was present.

 

1853: 

Eugénie de Montijo and Emperor Napoleon III were married there. 

 

1871 – In final days of the Paris Commune revolution the Communards prepared to burn the cathedral, but abandoned their plan since it would end up burning the crowded neighboring hospital for the elderly. They went on to burn down the Tuileries Palace.

 

1944:

The bells of Notre Dame rang out to celebrate the liberation of Paris from the Nazis near the end of World War II.

 

New precautions have been taken to protect Notre Dame from future fires. There are detecting systems and misting valves. Suction systems analyse the air and detect smoke and thermal cameras detect changes in temperature. Modernity has required advanced water, heating, electrical and communications systems be installed, discretely.

 

Accessing the cathedral is easier than I expected. One is supposed to book a slot online but I could never get through so I just turned up and hoped for the best. The zigzagging queues moved along quite well in the heat of the morning.

 

As I emerged from my visit I noticed public toilets (a rarity in Paris) just next to the square in front of Notre Dame so I made use of that for 2 euros. There's a woman on duty making sure things stay clean and tidy for toilet cusotmers. I did NOT see trinket-sellers, that was good and everyone was well-behaved.

 

The metro station to get out for the cathedral is Cite. 

 

 

 

Look at all those lovely colours in the chapels. I did notice that only eight months after reopening there is wear and tear visible on some of the painted columns accessible to the public. Those protected by grills are fine. There is still a lot of work to be done on the exterior of the cathedral, including the gardens. These works are expected to be completed some time in 2027.  

 

Do check out the video links below; they are well worth watching. 

Tour through the new cathedral https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-e7PUIrxE

Explanations  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8p2hKnu-C0

Sources:

National Geographic 12.24 vol 246. pp 90-111

Attribution of fire photo By GodefroyParis - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78090147  

 

 

 

 

 

NZ's Liberation of Le Quesnoy, France

Some New Zealanders know about the liberation of the village of Le Quesnoy in the North of France, but most don't, and this is a real shame. Any time I had the opportunity to teach classes in France about this I went for it.

So let's dive in and see what this wonderful story is all about...

It's the 4th of November 1918 and the residents of Le Quesnoy have been suffering under German occupation for four years. The New Zealand troops are determined to capture the town.

It's an old fortress town occupying a strategic position in northeastern France.  Settlement dates back to the 12th century and its fortifications to 1536, constructed to defend what was then the Spanish Netherlands.

 After the region is captured by France in 1654 under King Louis XIV, he orders his famous military engineer Vauban to build a series of forts to protect the new north-east borders. One of these results in the town's ramparts.

After four years of occupation during WW1 there are still around 1,600 civilians in the town out of a previous population of 3000.

 Instead of bombarding the town ramparts which are protecting the Germans from assault, the NZers decide to risk their lives in order to preserve the lives of the villagers and also their homes. This would mean scaling the ramparts to get at the Germans. However, this would be very dangerous as the only way to do this would be by ladders which are too short to get to the top, leaving the kiwis sitting ducks on those ladders, where they are held back by machine-gun fire. 

Many kiwis died trying but eventually the only access is discovered;  the riflemen could position a ladder on a single, narrow ledge. It is a medieval-like assault only achievable with persistent courage.

 Led by Lieutenant Leslie Averill, the battalion's intelligence officer, this small group of men quickly climbs up the wall. After exchanging shots with fleeing Germans, the New Zealander riflemen enter Le Quesnoy and the German garrison soon surrenders. 711 Germans surrendered in Le Quesnoy.

 This was the last major action by NZers in the Great War, just a week before the armistice on 11 November. About 80 soldiers from the NZ Rifle Brigade died in the assault. 

 At Le Quesnoy, in the park, a monument commemorating the town's liberation by the New Zealand Division is set into the rampart walls, near where Averill scaled them.

Le Quesnoy is twinned with Cambridge in the North Island and St. Andrew's Church there has a memorial window depicting New Zealand soldiers scaling Le Quesnoy's ramparts. 

The town really appreciates its liberation even to this day and school children learn the haka and the story, streets have Kiwi names. ANZAC day is observed every year. 

In 2023 the New Zealand Liberation Museum-Te Arawhata was opened in Le Quesnoy to commemorate and share the stories of New Zealand's role in the liberation of Le Quesnoy and New Zealand's wider involvement in the First World War. It contains an excellent portrayal of issues the Kiwis faced in their assault and the ongoing links with NZ to this day. However, I did notice a glaring omission in their chronology of contacts between the two countries; that of the visit of General Paul to Akaroa in 1919, to say thank you to NZers for their help during the war. He then went on to visit Australia. The museum was unaware of this but I doubt this important connection will be added to their displays. 

 Weta Workshop were involved in part of the displays with an over-sized Kiwi soldier, much like what is in the Gallipoli display at Te Papa, Wellington. I'd like to have seen more of those.

 Visits to the museum cost 15 euros, or 12 euros for a senior.  

 It takes 8 hours to scroll through all the names of kiwis killed in the first World War.

The museum closes Mondays and Tuesdays. Check summer and winter hours. 

https://nzliberationmuseum.com/        03 74 58 01 85

18 Rue Achille Carlier, 59530 Le Quesnoy, France. 

Please check out the following links for more technical, military and human details relating to the town liberation. 

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/le-quesnoy/new-zealand-and-le-quesnoy 

 https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/europe/france/new-zealand-embassy/anzac-day-commemorations/le-quesnoy 

There is a lovely children's book that tells this story. It's available online, at the museum at Le Quesnoy (English and French versions) or from the Wigram Air base Museum in Christchurch, NZ. I have a copy of it and can thoroughly recommend it.

Scarecrow world capital

 What an oddity! There is a scarecrow capital of the world and I'm living in it.

  Béville-le-Comte is a small village in the middle of La Beauce, a wheat-growing region of France located around the cathedral city of Chartres. This area is mostly flat for growing cereals, and stretches for many kilometres. So as soon as I was told this was the capital of the world for scarecrows I immediately looked at the fields expecting to see some. There were none. Not a one. Not even the black kites shaped liked crow that move in the wind. How disappointing! Even the village website does not explain how they could designate themselves as the scarecrow capital if I couldn't see them.  

But wait... There are metallic sculptures in parts of the village but what they could possibly scare away beats me. In 1990 the village decided it was the world capital for scarecrows. I have no idea why. 

In 2007 the scarecrow competition was held and the entries placed in the Parc du Jeu de Paume and at the entrances to the village. Competition entries still remain. I can find no explanation. This village barely registers on the internet. Some of the scarecrows are starting to look the worse for wear. These are not your traditional scarerows. 

The village has had a few name changes over the past 1000 years but has been known as Béville-le-Comte since 1795 after name changes during the Revolution. The village church dates partly from the 12th century but the other part is from the 15th century following a fire. The roof of the bell tower was renewed in 2019.

   

The town hall was constructed in 1889 to celebrate one hundred years after the Revolution (though let's keep in mind there have been several revolutions since 1789).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving to and from this village has been a hairy experience because the roads are sometimes only wide enough for one vehicle. If vehicles need to pass they are both obliged to drive in their respective ditches and some drivers like to play 'chicken' to see who will move to the ditch first. Well, I'm not arguing with them, they win!

The other problem with these windy, narrow roads is that the crops grow so high that you can't see past all the bends. Wheat and sunflowers can grow really high, the speed limit is 80kms/hr and the locals like to exceed it. Timid little me is terrified I will meet a car racing towards me and I could flip in the ditch. Nerves of steel needed here. Maybe that's why most of the scarecrows here are steel. 

 

Let's take a look at a few more of them... I think I have all the exits covered, so to speak.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Beville le Comte, as I said, is in one of the main cereal-producing areas of France. It has been a very hot summer so far and the harvesters are out harvesting crops and the subsequent hay. It's dry and dusty work here where all you can see are brown fields and wind turbines. The harvesters have to be careful as just one spark from their machines can start a serious fire in such dry and dusty conditions. 

Scraps of straw are accumulating around the sliding doors and blow in whenever one of the cats wants to come in the house. Yet, despite it's lack of exciting scenery, I still enjoy driving through the country roads, reliving parts of my past life in this area and imagining that, perhaps, I might, in the near future, be calling this region home, again.