wrote almost daily. From every bivouac, from every field of battle,
came one of his letters--not burning and delirious as nine years
before, but full of tenderness and loving thought.
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
ETTLINGEN, 2 October 1805
I am still here and in good health. The grand manœuvres have
begun; the army of Würtemberg and Baden is now united with mine.
I am in a good position, and I love thee.
NAPOLEON
LUDWIGSBURG, 4 October
I leave to-night. There is nothing new. The Bavarians have
united with my army. I am well. In a few days I hope to have
something interesting to tell you. Take care of yourself, and
believe me ever yours....
NAPOLEON
LUDWIGSBURG, 5 October
I leave at once to continue my march. You will be five or six
days without news of me: do not be anxious, for that is due to
the operations which are about to take place. All goes well, and
as I had expected. Adieu, mon amie, I love and embrace thee.
NAPOLEON
On the 6 October the Emperor surveyed the passage of the Danube at
Donauwörth, and passed the night at Nördlingen, where on the following
day he issued the first of the famous bulletins of the Grand Army. He
remained in this vicinity for four days, directing the passage of the
river by the troops of Murat, and the operations which followed. He
reached Augsbourg on the night of the tenth, and lodged with the former
Elector of Trèves.
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
AUGSBOURG, 10 October
I have been on the move for a week. The campaign has opened
favorably. I am very well although it has rained nearly every
day. Events have moved rapidly. I am sending to France 4000
prisoners and eight flags, and have fourteen cannon taken from
the enemy. Adieu, mon amie, I embrace thee.
NAPOLEON
Two days later the French Army entered Munich in triumph, and the
Emperor continued his correspondence:
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
AUGSBOURG, 12 October
The enemy is lost: everything presages the most fortunate
campaign, the shortest and the most brilliant that I have ever
made. I leave in an hour for Burgau. I am well, although the
weather is frightful; I change my clothes twice a day. I love
and embrace thee.
NAPOLEON
On the eve of the capitulation of Ulm, from his headquarters Napoleon
sent the good news to Joséphine:
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
ELCHINGEN, 18 October
I have accomplished my purpose: I have destroyed the Austrian
army by simple marches. I have made 60,000 prisoners, taken 120
cannon, more than 90 flags, and more than 30 generals. I am
going to move on the Russians: they are lost. I am content with
my army. I have lost only 1500 men, of whom two-thirds are but
slightly wounded. Adieu, my Joséphine. A thousand good wishes
for everybody....
NAPOLEON
ELCHINGEN, 21 October
I am quite well, ma bonne amie. I am just starting for
Augsbourg. Here 33,000 men have laid down their arms. I have
from 60 to 70,000 prisoners, more than 90 flags, and 200 cannon.
Never such a catastrophe in the annals of war! Take care of
thyself. I am rather tired out. The weather for three days has
been fine....
NAPOLEON
AUGSBOURG, 23 October
The last two nights have rested me, and I leave to-morrow for
Munich.... I long to see thee, but do not count upon my sending
for thee unless there is an armistice or we go into winter
quarters. Adieu, mon amie. A thousand kisses....
NAPOLEON
MUNICH, 27 October
I have your letter, and see with regret that you were
over-anxious. I have received reports which show all the
tenderness you feel for me, but you must have more strength and
confidence.... My health is quite good. You must not think of
crossing the Rhine under two or three weeks. You must be gay;
enjoy yourself, and hope that we shall see each other before the
end of the month (Brumaire).... Adieu, ma bonne amie. A thousand
best wishes for Hortense, Eugène, and the two Napoleons....
NAPOLEON
HAAG (near WELS), 3 November
I am in the midst of a long march. The weather is very cold;
the earth covered with a foot of snow, which is rather severe.
Fortunately we are still in the midst of the forests, and there
is plenty of wood. I am quite well, and would like to hear from
you, and know that you are not anxious....
NAPOLEON
LINZ, 5 November
The weather is fine. We are twenty-eight leagues from Vienna....
I long to see you. My health is good. I embrace you.
NAPOLEON
The Emperor of Austria, obliged to flee from his capital, had taken
refuge at Brünn, where he joined the Czar and his army. On the
13 November Napoleon entered Vienna, and took up his residence at
Schœnbrunn.
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
VIENNA, 15 November
I have been here for two days, and am a little fatigued. I have
not yet seen the city by day, but have been through it at night.
Nearly all my troops are across the Danube in pursuit of the
Russians. Adieu, my Joséphine. I will send for you as soon as
possible. A thousand best wishes.
NAPOLEON
The following day the Emperor sent Joséphine the welcome message that
he had made all the arrangements for her to proceed to Munich.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
1805–1806
MARRIAGE OF EUGÈNE
Joséphine Leaves Strasbourg for Munich--Napoleon’s Letters from
Austerlitz--Joséphine’s Selfishness--The Émperor Arrives at
Munich--He Plans Three Family Alliances--Princesse Augusta of
Bavaria--Prince Charles of Baden--Opposition to the Emperor’s
Projects--Duroc Presents the Official Demand--The Elector
Finally Obtains His Daughter’s Consent--Napoleon Summons
Eugène--The Young Couple--The Marriage--Its Success--Napoleon’s
Reception at Paris--Marriage of Prince Charles and Stéphanie de
Beauharnais
The letter which Napoleon wrote to Joséphine from Vienna on the 16
November 1805 is interesting as showing how, in the midst of an arduous
campaign, he thought of the smallest details of his wife’s comfort and
pleasure:
_To the Empress, at Strasbourg_
VIENNA, 16 November 1805
I am writing M. d’Harville that you are to set out for Munich,
stopping at Baden and Stuttgart. At Stuttgart you will give
the wedding present to the Princesse Paul. Fifteen or twenty
thousand francs will be enough to pay: with the balance you
can make presents at Munich to the daughters of the Elector of
Bavaria.... Be kind, but receive all the homages: they owe you
everything, but you owe them only kindness. The Electrice of
Würtemberg is a daughter of the King of England; she is a good
woman, and you should treat her well, but without affectation.
I shall be very glad to see you the moment my affairs permit. I
am leaving for the front. The weather is frightful; it snows all
the time. For the rest, all goes well. Adieu, ma bonne amie.
NAPOLEON
As soon as she received the permission of the Emperor, Joséphine made
haste to start. At an early hour on the 28 November, with her suite,
she left Strasbourg amidst the cheers of the populace, and the thunders
of the cannon of the fortress. On her arrival at Carlsruhe the same
evening, she was received with salvos of artillery; the château was
illuminated and the Margrave was at the door to welcome her, with his
entire Court. That evening there was a banquet, followed by a ball.
Two days later she left for Stuttgart, where she was received with the
same honors. On the 3 December she continued her journey to Munich. All
along the route, she passed under triumphal arches, and was welcomed
with salutes. At Ulm, Marshal Augereau, who was in command, had
arranged a parade, and a splendid fête for the evening, but the Empress
had overtaxed her strength and was obliged to retire with a headache.
Passing through Augsbourg, she finally reach Munich, where she found
awaiting her, at the gates of the city, the Court carriages, celebrated
as chefs-d’œuvre of painting and sculpture. From the date of her
arrival, on the 5 December, until the last day of the month, she was
alone. The time passed quickly in a succession of entertainments of
every kind, and Joséphine had scarcely a moment to herself.
While the Empress was on her way to Munich, Napoleon had won the great
victory of Austerlitz, and finished his most brilliant campaign. His
affectionate interest in Joséphine is displayed in the three letters
which he sent her from the field of battle:
_To the Empress, at Munich_
AUSTERLITZ, 3 December 1805
I have beaten the Russian and Austrian armies commanded by the
two Emperors. I am somewhat fatigued; I have bivouacked a week
in the open air and the nights have been quite cold; to-night I
sleep in the château of Prince Kaunitz. The Russian army is not
only defeated but destroyed. I embrace thee.
NAPOLEON
AUSTERLITZ, 5 December
I have concluded a truce. The Russians are going back. The
battle of Austerlitz is the finest that I have ever fought:
45 flags, more than 150 cannon, the standards of the Russian
Guard, 20 generals, 30,000 prisoners, more than 20,000 killed--a
horrible sight. The Emperor Alexander is in despair, and has set
out for Russia. I met the Emperor of Germany yesterday at my
bivouac, and talked with him for two hours: we have agreed to
make peace quickly.... I am looking forward with great pleasure
to the moment that I can join thee. Adieu, ma bonne amie. I am
quite well, and I long to embrace thee.
NAPOLEON
AUSTERLITZ, 7 December
I have concluded an armistice; in a week peace will be made.
I am anxious to know if you reached Munich in good health....
Adieu, mon amie, I long to see thee again.
NAPOLEON
But Joséphine was no more prompt in answering his letters than during
the Campaign of Italy, and a few days later Napoleon wrote again:
_To the Empress, at Munich_
BRÜNN, 10 December
It is a long time since I have received any news of thee.
Have the fine fêtes of Baden, Stuttgart and Munich made thee
forget the poor soldiers covered with mud, drenched with rain
and blood? I leave soon for Vienna. We are working to conclude
peace.... I long to be near thee. Adieu, mon amie.
NAPOLEON
The silence of Joséphine still continued, and Napoleon addressed her
once more, in a tone of wounded pleasantry:
VIENNA, 19 December
Great Empress,--Not a letter from you since your departure from
Strasbourg. You have visited Baden, Stuttgart and Munich without
writing us a word. That is neither kind nor affectionate....
Deign from the height of your grandeurs to bestow a thought upon
your slaves.
NAPOLEON
[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF LETTER OF NAPOLEON]
The profound _égoisme_ of Joséphine, and the affectionate kindness
of Napoleon, were never displayed more clearly than during this
separation of three months. While the Emperor was risking his life
and his fortunes on the snow-bound plains of Moravia, Joséphine was
amusing herself like a débutante at the brilliant Courts of the South
German princes, without a thought for any one but herself. By her
indifference and her infidelities she had long since killed the early
passionate devotion of her husband, and the day was not far distant
when reasons of State would force him to stifle the feelings of tender
affection which still bound him to Joséphine, and reluctantly decide
upon a divorce.
Finally Joséphine finds time to write, and pleads illness as the reason
for her silence. Napoleon immediately replies in a tone of tender
solicitude:
_To the Empress, at Munich_
SCHŒNBRUNN (VIENNA), 20 December
I have just received your letter of the 25 Frimaire (16
December). I am worried to learn that you are indisposed. It
is not well to travel a hundred leagues at this season. I do
not know what I shall do: it all depends on events; I have no
volition; I await the issue. Remain at Munich. Have a good
time: it is not difficult amidst such society, and in so fine a
country. I am myself quite busy. In several days I shall have
reached a decision. Adieu, mon amie. A thousand loving thoughts.
NAPOLEON
On the last day of December, at one-forty-five in the morning, Napoleon
entered Munich under a triumphal arch. The following day the Elector
was proclaimed King of Bavaria. The Treaty of Presburg, signed on
the 26 December, gave to Bavaria, Würtemberg and Baden considerable
increases of territory, also to the two electors the title of king, and
Napoleon had determined that these aggrandizements should be paid for
by three marriages: that of his step-son Eugène with the Princesse
Augusta of Bavaria; that of Prince Charles of Baden with Joséphine’s
cousin, Stéphanie de Beauharnais; and finally that of his brother
Jérôme with the Princesse Catherine of Würtemberg.
Augusta was the only daughter of Maximilian, the new King of Bavaria,
by his first wife. After her death he had married Caroline, the sister
of Charles of Baden, to whom Augusta was now betrothed. The Wittelsbach
family, one of the oldest and most distinguished in Europe, had ruled
in Bavaria for eight centuries. But Maximilian had become Elector only
a few years before, upon the extinction of the senior ruling lines of
the family. Belonging to the cadet branch, and having no fortune, in
his youth, before the Revolution, he had served in the French army, and
commanded the Regiment of Alsace. The happiest days of his life had
been passed in France, and he was very French in his sympathies. During
the Austrian war his troops had fought with the Grand Army, and the
Emperor now repaid his loyalty by raising him to the royal dignity.
The Margrave of Baden, then seventy-seven years of age, had lost
his only son, and his heir was his grandson, Charles, a youth of
twenty-two. One of the sisters of this young prince had married
Alexander, the Czar of Russia, with whom Napoleon was still at war;
another was the second wife of Maximilian, of whose daughter, Augusta,
Prince Charles was himself the fiancé. Here indeed was a matrimonial
tangle which it required all of the skill of Napoleon to unravel.
For some time past the Emperor had begun to lay plans for alliances
with the reigning houses of Europe. With no children of his own,
three of his brothers already married, and Jérôme for the moment
unavailable, he had been obliged to fall back on the family of
Joséphine. As early as the month of July 1804 he had charged his
minister in Bavaria to make inquiries about the young daughter of the
Elector, and let him know if there were any projects for her marriage.
At that time Napoleon’s plans were all in the air, but a year later
they were definitely fixed. At Boulogne, in September 1805, he gave
instructions to M. de Thiard, one of his chamberlains, to proceed to
Munich and open negotiations. At the very outset Thiard encountered
the obstacles already mentioned. The Elector, with all his French
sympathies, could not undertake lightly to offend so many powerful
dames, among whom the Emperor had few friends. To break alliances
already projected, in order to conclude one with the “Corsican
adventurer,” was a difficult proposition. Another serious obstacle was
the attachment which the young Princesse Augusta had formed for her
fiancé.
Talleyrand, tired of seeing the negotiations drag along, and realizing
the powerful effect of the Emperor’s victories, now ordered Thiard
to go directly to the Elector, and officially demand the alliance.
“The Emperor,” he wrote, “has no prince of his name available. Young
Beauharnais is free.... Brother-in-law of an imperial prince, uncle of
the one who will probably be called to the succession, step-son of the
reigning Emperor, only son of the Empress, there is dignity for you!”
Then he drives home his argument with the words: “It is not necessary
for me to analyze the consequences, and to apply them, in order to be
understood by the Elector of Bavaria.”
It was not necessary, however, for Thiard to use these instructions,
as the Elector had already reached a decision and sent his minister to
see the Emperor at Linz, where all the arrangements were made on the 5
November.
But Napoleon was well aware that it was one thing to convince men,
and quite another to win women to his cause: for this he counted on
Joséphine. Ten days later he sent the Empress instructions to leave her
brilliant Court at Strasbourg and proceed to Munich.
When Joséphine reached Munich the first week in December, she found the
young princesse far from ready to carry out the agreements which her
father had made for her at Linz a month before. In spite of all the
charms of Joséphine, she continued to refuse to break her engagement to
Charles. Affairs were in this state when Duroc arrived from Vienna on
the 21 December, to present the official demand. In his letter to the
Elector, the Emperor insisted that the arrangements made at Linz should
be carried out, and expressed his wish “to see the marriage celebrated
at the same moment as the conclusion of the general peace, which will
certainly be signed within a fortnight.”
On Christmas day, the eve of the conclusion of the treaty at Presburg,
the Elector, to avoid a “painful explanation,” writes his daughter:
“If there were a glimmer of hope, my dear Augusta, that you could ever
wed Charles, I should not beg you on my knees to give him up; still
less should I insist that you give your hand to the future King of
Italy if this crown were not to be guaranteed by the Powers at the
conclusion of the peace, and if I were not convinced of all the good
qualities of Prince Eugène, who has everything to render you happy....
Reflect, dear Augusta, that a refusal will make the Emperor as much our
enemy as he has been until now the friend of our House.”
“My very dear and tender Father,” Augusta replied, “I am forced to
break the pledge which I have given to Prince Charles of Baden: I
consent, as much as that costs me, if the repose of a dear father and
the happiness of a people depend upon it; but I am not willing to give
my hand to Prince Eugène if peace is not concluded and if he is not
recognized as King of Italy.”
The Emperor had not yet informed the Viceroy of his plans, but Eugène
had no doubt been notified by his mother, and had raised no objections.
The day after his arrival at Munich Napoleon had a long talk with
Augusta, and flattered himself that she was reconciled to the marriage.
He therefore wrote Eugène that the matter was all arranged. Affairs of
State urgently demanded the presence of the Emperor at Paris, and he
wanted to set out as soon as the contract was signed, leaving Joséphine
to represent him at the wedding. But three days passed, and nothing
was done about the contract. On the night of the third the Emperor
called Duroc and told him that the contract must be signed at noon the
next day, and that it must provide for the marriage on the fifteenth.
Accordingly the papers were signed. At the same time the Emperor wrote
Eugène to make haste to arrive as soon as possible so as to be certain
to find him at Munich. Napoleon had learned that the Queen of Bavaria
was trying to delay matters, with the idea of breaking off the marriage
as soon as he left for Paris. Augusta was doing her part by pretending
a sudden indisposition, but was quickly cured when the Emperor sent his
personal physician to see her.
Napoleon made up his mind that it was necessary for him to remain at
Munich until after the ceremony. In the meantime he left nothing undone
to remove the petty obstacles to the marriage. He ordered from Paris,
as a wedding present, magnificent jewels, costing over two hundred
thousand francs; and directed each of his brothers and sisters to send
gifts to the value of at least fifteen or twenty thousand francs.
The opposition of the Queen was the most difficult thing to overcome,
for she had two special grievances: the execution of the Duc d’Enghien
and the breaking of the engagement with Prince Charles. Napoleon was
assiduous in his attentions to the Queen, and was so devoted that he
even aroused the jealousy of Joséphine. The Queen was not over thirty;
she had beautiful eyes, a countenance full of life, and a fine figure.
What woman could resist the attentions of a man as fascinating as
Napoleon, when he wished to please!
Meanwhile Eugène had made haste. Leaving Padua on the sixth, the day he
received the Emperor’s letter, he crossed the mountains on the eighth,
and reached Munich two days later. At this time Eugène was twenty-four
years of age. Without being in any way remarkable, his face was
pleasing; he was well built, with a good figure, of medium height. He
excelled in all physical exercises, and like his father was a beautiful
dancer. Kind, frank, simple in his manners, without hauteur, he was
affable with everybody. He had a sunny disposition and was always gay.
Napoleon was very fond of him and treated him like a son. As soon as he
saw Eugène, the Emperor ordered him to shave off his moustache, which
might displease the princesse.
At the time of her marriage, Augusta was only seventeen. She was tall,
well formed, with a sylph-like figure, and a countenance in which
kindness was mingled with dignity. She had received an excellent
education, and had a good head for affairs, as plainly appears in her
letter to her father.
Eugène showed all of his mother’s _savoir faire_ in his attentions
to his future wife, and courted her as warmly as if their marriage were
not already arranged. The fears of the young princesse soon turned to
joy, and what was to have been a _mariage de convenance_ became a
real love-match.
The contract was signed on the 13 January in the grand gallery of
the Royal Palace. The exact terms never have become public, as the
contract was not read as usual, and the copy which Napoleon sent Joseph
for deposit in the archives of the Empire was afterwards withdrawn
by order of the Emperor. It is known, however, that Napoleon refused
absolutely to appoint Eugène King of Italy, or even to name him as heir
to the throne except in case of failure of his own “children, natural
and legitimate.” Eugène henceforth was termed by the Emperor _mon
fils_, instead of _mon cousin_; he had the qualification of
Imperial and Royal Highness; he passed the first after the Emperor,
before Joseph and Louis. In the Imperial Almanac he was called the
“adopted son of the Emperor.”
After the contract was signed, Maret, the Secretary of State,
performed the civil marriage, which he really was not legally qualified
to do. The following day, the 14 January 1806, the religious ceremony
was celebrated in the Royal Chapel.
Thus Napoleon has forced his entrance into the family of European
sovereigns, by an alliance with the ancient House of Wittelsbach, which
claims Charlemagne for its founder, and so, through his adopted son,
becomes related to most of the reigning families.
This first attempt of Napoleon as a match-maker was a great success.
Eugène and Augusta lived very happily together, and after the fall of
the Empire she resisted all the entreaties of her family to abandon
her husband. Their six children all made distinguished marriages.
Eugène, the eldest son, married the Queen of Portugal, and his brother
Max espoused a daughter of the Czar of Russia. Of the four daughters,
Joséphine married the Crown Prince of Sweden; Eugénie, a Hohenzollern
prince; Amélie, the first Emperor of Brazil, Dom Pedro; and the
youngest daughter, the Count of Würtemberg.
A week after the wedding Prince Eugène and his wife left Munich for
Milan. Napoleon and Joséphine were already on their way to Paris, where
they arrived on the night of the 26 January.
* * * * *
At Paris the news of the victory of Austerlitz had been received with
transports of joy. Even Madame de Rémusat, so severe, so implacable for
Napoleon, in her _Mémoires_ composed after the Restoration, wrote
her husband on the 18 December 1805: “You cannot imagine how every head
is turned. Every one sings the praises of the Emperor.... I was so
wrought up that I think, if the Emperor had appeared at that moment, I
should have thrown myself upon his neck, ready afterwards to beg pardon
at his feet.”
The prolongation of the Emperor’s stay at Munich had only served to
increase the impatience of the Parisians, and had well prepared the
stage for his return. The Bank of France, to celebrate the occasion,
resumed specie payments. On the 4 February there was a gala performance
at the Opéra. When Napoleon entered with Joséphine during the second
act, the performance was interrupted while the whole audience arose and
cheered.