As my friend and noted Napoleonic scholar, J. David Markham, likes to say, “Napoleon Bonaparte is everywhere.” You are so right, David! Sure enough, while I was vacationing in Alaska, I came across this species of seagull, commonly called “Bonaparte’s Gull.” It’s not, however, named after Napoleon. It’s named after his nephew, Charles. Charles Lucien […]
Finding Napoleon in Alaska? Yes! Read More »
“My birth and my death—that’s the whole of my story,” said Napoleon’s only legitimate child, shortly before dying of tuberculosis on July 22, 1832. He was just twenty-one years old.
Anniversary of the death of Napoleon’s son, the King of Rome Read More »
I’ve been doing research into Napoleon’s older brother, Joseph Bonaparte―the ex-king of Naples and Spain―and his twenty-year stay in the United States. Along the way, I learned to my surprise that Jacques-Louis David’s grand painting of Napoleon’s coronation (see my recent blog) had visited the United States in 1826. That set me off investigating. I
On July 4, 1803, two hundred and ten years ago today, Thomas Jefferson’s administration announced the United States had the opportunity to double its territory. A few months earlier, President Jefferson had sent James Monroe to France to purchase New Orleans or at least negotiate trade access to its port. Much to everyone’s surprise, Napoleon
Napoleon and Louisiana Purchase Read More »
This past weekend I attended the Historical Novel Society’s annual convention (more on that later) in St Petersburg, Florida. For a city of 250,000 residents, St Petersburg has a surprising trove of art museums, including the Salvador Dali Museum shown in the photo above. Of course I was on the lookout for Napoleon. Sure
Finding Napoleon in St Petersburg, Florida Read More »
When I’m at the Louvre Museum, I seek out Jacques-Louis David’s imposing—if not exactly beautiful—painting of Napoleon and Josephine’s coronation. At thirty-two feet long by twenty feet tall, it’s slightly smaller than Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana, the Louvre’s largest painting. The French refer to it as Le Sacre, but its official name is The
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On May 5, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in this room in exile on St Helena Island. Two years ago, on May 5, 2011, I was in Cape Town, South Africa, on my way to St Helena to do research for my novel. To commemorate the anniversary of the Emperor’s death, my husband and I visited
Anniversary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Death Read More »
Portrait of Napoleon’s close friend Jean Lannes at the University of Texas’s Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. Click here.
LOOKING FOR NAPOLEON IN AUSTIN, TEXAS Read More »
Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte’s Anniversary On March 9, 1796, twenty-six-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte married the thirty-two-year-old widow, Josephine de Beauharnais. The groom, enraptured with his more nonchalant bride, is known to have written passionate love letters, including one containing the line, “I shall see you soon—do not wash.” Nevertheless, while poring over military maps on his
Happy Anniversary to Napoleon Bonaparte Read More »
After seeing the photo of me riding an elephant, one of this blog’s readers asked if Napoleon had ridden a camel during his Egyptian Campaign (1798). Yes, Melanie! Here’s a photo I took of a small bronze statue of the Man himself on camelback. It’s displayed in the Musée Fesch in Ajaccio, Corsica, Napoleon’s hometown.
Napoleon on Camelback in the Musée Fesch Read More »
