Ajaccio’s cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built in 1593, is steps from the Bonaparte house. Tradition says it was here on August 15, 1769, Letizia Bonaparte felt sudden labor pains and rushed home, giving birth to Napoleon on a first floor sofa before she could reach her upstairs bedroom. The church hasn’t changed […]
The Bonaparte’s country house in Milelli is less famous than the Ajaccio residence but to me more telling. Located in the hills above Ajaccio, it sits among rich olive trees, many old enough for Napoleon to have known them. Here, the family came in the summer months, fleeing the heat and mosquitoes of the coastline.
Milelli, Bonaparte Family’s Corsican Country House Read More »
In Corsica, the most famous house is the Maison Bonaparte in Ajaccio where Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769. According to tradition, his mother, Letizia Ramolino was praying in the nearby cathedral when she felt severe labor pains. She hurried home, only making it to a first floor parlor where she gave birth to
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Ajaccio, Corsica, is a lovely place, on a vast Mediterranean bay, full of Italian exuberance and French style. It’s a bit run-down here and there, but that only adds to the authenticity. We arrived on its patron saint’s feast day and were treated to a solemn religious parade and marching band. The museums were closed for the
First Day in Napoleon’s Hometown Read More »
Nine years in impoverished Corsica followed by six years in countrified Brienne couldn’t have prepared fifteen-year-old Napoleon for the Paris Ecole Militaire. He must have been overwhelmed when he first saw the grand buildings of Paris, especially his new home at L’Ecole Militaire where he would learn to be an artillery officer. How did he
Ecole Militaire, Paris Read More »
Napoleon first became famous for routing the British navy out of Toulon in 1793. This is the view (without the cars) that he would have had in 1795 during his second great exploit, routing protesting Frenchmen in the streets of Paris. He’d been charged with stopping royalist insurgents who were bent on bringing down the
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Finding Napoleon at the Louvre was harder than I expected. After unsuccessfully searching their website, I wrote in advance for a list of Napoleon-related paintings: no response. I queried several agencies for a specialized guide: no luck. So, when we arrived, we headed straight for the Information Desk. Did I know about the Coronation painting
Not Finding Much Napoleon at the Louvre Read More »
Malmaison, the country mansion Josephine chose while Napoleon was on his Egypt campaign, provides my first glimpse into a personal residence. The couple lived here and in the Tuileries Palace in Paris from 1800 to 1802, while Napoleon was First Consul, his stepping stone to absolute French ruler. After their divorce, Josephine retired to Malmaison,
Yesterday, we met with Professor Peter Hicks, historian and international director of the Fondation Napoléon, here in Paris. He generously gave me many suggestions for books and sources I might pursue, particularly about Napoleon’s youth. The Fondation maintains an extremely useful website at www.napoleon.org and Professor Hicks publishes their electronic newsletter. Both are available in
Fondation Napoléon Read More »
Fontainebleau! Home to French kings for eight centuries, Napoleon spent vast sums to restore it, initially to house the pope whom he’d coerced into attending his 1804 coronation (only to crown himself rather than allowing the pope to do it). Years later, Emperor Napoleon imprisoned that same pope within its walls for eighteen months until
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