Royals and Celebs
How Napoleon Controlled His Image
It is interesting how Napoleon controlled his image to become a “master of spin.” He realized that to gain power and to stay in power, his popularity depended not only on his ability to achieve military success but also on his ability to ensure that he was politically popular with French citizens too. One way…
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Fans Related to Napoleon Bonaparte
The popularity of fans coincided with Napoleon Bonaparte’s popularity of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. In fact, there were numerous fans related to Napoleon, and in France, “of the two hundred engravings deposited in the Biblothéque Nationale in … [1796] a hundred and fourteen were fan-designs mostly in praise of Napoleon.”[1] These fans…
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The Importance of Bees to Napoleon Bonaparte
The importance of bees to Napoleon Bonaparte became obvious when he decided to adopt this ancient symbol older than the fleur-de-lys. Supposedly, when Napoleon thought about wearing the imperial purple, he decided to adopt the bee based on the following story:
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Napoleon’s Coronation Held on 2 December 1804
Napoleon’s coronation happened because there were so many attempts on his life. It was decided there needed to be an institution that would survive him, and, thus, the idea of a monarchy was re-born and Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed “Emperor of the French” by his hand-picked Senate, known as the Sénat conservator. The hereditary title…
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Jerome Bonaparte: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Youngest Brother
Jerome Bonaparte was Napoleon‘s youngest sibling. He was born on the island of Corsica on 15 November 1784 and was barely three months old when his father died. Napoleon soon became responsible for his education, something that Jerome was unwilling to apply himself to as everything other than his studies was of more interest to…
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Betsy Balcombe: Napoleon’s 13-year-old Friend
Napoleon Bonaparte’s voyage into exile ended on 15 October 1815 at half past ten when the Northumberland anchored at St. Helena. That night he slept aboard the ship and on the morning of the 17th, he traveled to Longwood House, the residence of the lieutenant-governor that was designated as Napoleon’s future residence. He seemed satisfied…
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The House Napoleon Owned as a Private Citizen
The house Napoleon owned as a private citizen was situated at no. 6 rue Chantereine, which is also the place where some people say he met his future wife Josephine. The story is that after Parisians were ordered to give up their swords, Josephine’s son Eugene went to Napoleon and appealed to keep his father’s…
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Napoleon’s Brother: Lucien Bonaparte
Napoleon’s brother Lucien Bonaparte was the third son of Carlo Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. He was six years younger than Napoleon and born on 21 May 1775 in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. Lucien, like Napoleon, was educated on France’s mainland. He was educated at the College of Auton (in eastern France), a military…
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Pauline Bonaparte: Napoleon’s Pleasure-loving Sister
Napoleon’s pleasure-loving sister Pauline Bonaparte had always been considered somewhat shallow. Perhaps, it was because she had been spoiled as a child and received no formal education. Nothing intellectual ever interested her. In fact, her interests were frivolous and mainly involved her appearance, which generated much excitement with the public each time she appeared: “Whenever…
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Napoleon’s Favorite Actor François-Joseph Talma
Napoleon‘s favorite actor was François-Joseph Talma and because Napoleon was an avid theatre goer he went to the theatre weekly and sometimes saw plays more than once. For instance, he saw the tragedy Cinna twelve times. The two men met while Napoleon was a general and forged a friendship. However, initially, their friendship consisted of…
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