by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial; Credit – Wikipedia

Born in Paris, France on March 16, 1856, Napoleon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte was the only child of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French and Eugénie de Montijo. Heir to the throne of the French Empire, from birth he was styled His Imperial Highness The Prince Imperial of France. His parents called him Louis. Louis’s father was born Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (known as Prince Louis-Napoleon of France), the son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland (younger brother of Emperor Napoleon I) and Hortense de Beauharnais (daughter of Emperor Napoleon I’s first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais from her first marriage). Louis’ mother came from the Spanish nobility.

Napoleon III and Eugenie with their son Louis; Credit – Wikipedia

Eight years before the birth of Louis, the French Revolution of 1848 had led to the abdication of Louis-Philippe, King of the French and the Second Republic. Louis’ father Louis-Napoleon was elected to the French National Assembly and the country prepared to elect the first President of the French Republic. Louis-Napoleon immediately threw his hat into the ring, and on December 20, 1848, was declared the winner of the election. Taking the title Prince-President, Louis-Napoleon took up residence at the Élysée Palace in Paris. 

After a failed attempt to change the law which would have required him to step down at the end of his four-year term, Louis-Napoleon soon saw a chance to take power by force. Quickly overpowering his opponents, Louis-Napoleon established himself as the sole ruler within France, supported by a referendum held in December 1851. Not content with being a Prince-President, Louis-Napoleon arranged for the Senate to schedule another referendum to decide if he should be declared Emperor. On December 2, 1852, following an overwhelming vote in his favor, the Second Republic ended and the Second French Empire was declared. Louis-Napoleon took the throne as Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. He would be the last monarch of France.

Louis was first under the supervision of Miss Shaw, his English nurse who was recommended by Queen Victoria and taught him English from an early age. In 1867, a household was set up for Louis supervised by General Auguste Frossard as his governor, with Augustin Filon as his tutor and Xavier Uhlmann as his valet. However, Louis’ life drastically changed in 1870.

Louis in 1870; Credit – Wikipedia

In July 1870, France entered the Franco-Prussian War. Without significant allied support and with unprepared and limited forces, the French army was quickly defeated. Napoleon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan and quickly surrendered. The Third Republic was declared on September 4, 1870, ending the French monarchy for the final time. The Prussians held Napoleon III  and did not release him until March 1871 when peace was established between France and the new German Empire. Napoleon III, his wife, and son went into exile, arriving in England on March 20, 1871, and settling at Camden Place, a large country house in Chislehurst, Kent, England. Napoleon III died at Camden Place on January 9, 1873, at the age of 64. His son Louis was proclaimed Napoleon IV by the Bonapartists.

Camden Place, Louis’ family home in England; Credit – By Ian Capper, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37658334

After the death of his father, Louis and his mother remained in England. Louis attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, finished seventh in his class of thirty-four, and was first in riding and fencing. However, he wanted to become an artillery expert, the weaponry in which his great-uncle Napoleon Bonaparte began his military career. He transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery at the Aldershot Garrison and attained the rank of Lieutenant in the British Army. Many Bonapartist supporters wanted Louis to leave the British Army and devote himself to his duties as the official Bonapartist pretender to the French throne, but he preferred a military career. There were plans for Louis to marry one of King Christian IX of Denmark’s daughters. Empress Eugénie and Queen Victoria had their own plans to marry him to Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, but all the marriage plans came to naught.

In 1879, the Anglo-Zulu War started in Africa, and Louis wanted to participate. He was only allowed to do so after his mother approved and Queen Victoria intervened to get him a place in the British Army. Louis was to serve in reconnaissance, and the British commanders were repeatedly told not to let him get into dangerous situations and provide him with a sufficiently large escort.

Louis in Africa in 1879; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 1, 1879, Louis participated in a reconnaissance mission. The nine-member patrol was on horseback and stopped at the edge of a river thought to be safe, but they were surprised by forty Zulu warriors. Louis had not totally mounted his horse at the time of the attack and his frightened horse started to run off with Louis clinging to the saddle. Eventually, the saddle strap broke, Louis fell beneath his horse and his right arm was trampled. With his revolver in his left hand, Louis started to run, but the Zulus could run faster. The Zulus overtook him and mortally stabbed him eighteen times with their assegais, a pole weapon made of wood with an iron tip. Louis was just twenty-three years old.

Louis’s death caused an international sensation. In France, there were rumors that the British had intentionally disposed of Louis. Other rumors accused the French republicans and the Freemasons. One account even accused Queen Victoria of arranging the whole thing. Louis’ body was brought back to Royal Arsenal Woolwich on the banks of the River Thames in London. There he lay in state overnight in the riverfront guardhouse. The next day, the funeral procession, which included Queen Victoria, brought Louis’ remains to Chislehurst, his home in England, where he was buried at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church next to his father. Empress Eugénie decided to build a monastery and a chapel for the remains of Napoleon III and their son. In 1888, their remains were moved to the Imperial Crypt at St. Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. When Eugénie died in 1920 at the age of 94, she was buried with her husband and son.

Tomb of Louis Napoleon, Prince Imperial; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. (2018). Napoléon Eugène Louis Bonaparte. [online] Available at: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_Eug%C3%A8ne_Louis_Bonaparte [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Napoléon, Prince Imperial. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (1856-1879). [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-Napol%C3%A9on_Bonaparte_(1856-1879) [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Mehl, S. (2016). Eugénie de Montijo, Empress of the French. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/eugenie-de-montijo-empress-of-the-french/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Mehl, S. (2016). Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Emperor Napoleon III of the French. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-napoleon-bonaparte-emperor-napoleon-iii-of-the-french/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2019

Ferdinand-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, Prince Royal, Prince of Orléans; Credit – Wikipedia

Prince Ferdinand Philippe of Orléans was born on September 3, 1810, at the Royal Palace in Palermo, Kingdom of Sicily, his mother’s birthplace, now in Italy.  Created Duke of Chartres at birth, he was the eldest of the ten children of Louis Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Orléans (the future Louis Philippe I, King of the French) and Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, daughter of Ferdinando I, King of the Two Sicilies and Maria Carolina of Austria. Louis Philippe of Orléans, Duke of Orléans was a descendant of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, the only sibling of King Louis XIV of France, who was the founder of the House of Orléans.

Ferdinand had nine siblings:

• Louise-Marie of Orléans (1812 – 1850), married Leopold I, King of the Belgians, had four children including Leopold II, King of the Belgians
• Marie of Orléans (1813 – 1839), married Alexander of Württemberg, had one son, Marie died from tuberculosis
• Louis of Orléans, Duke of Nemours (1814 – 1896), married Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had four children
• Françoise of Orléans (1816 – 1818), died in early childhood
• Clémentine of Orléans (1817 – 1907), married August of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, had five children
• François of Orléans, Prince of Joinville (1818 – 1900), married Francisca of Brazil, had two children
• Charles of Orléans, Duke of Penthièvre (1820 – 1828), died in childhood
• Henri of Orléans, Duke of Aumale (1822 – 1897), married Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, had four children
• Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (1824 – 1890), married Luisa Fernanda of Spain, had ten children

Shortly after the onset of the French Revolution, Ferdinand’s father Louis Philippe fled the country to avoid likely execution, which would be the fate of his father and other members of the French royal family, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. He traveled extensively around Europe and spent several years in the United States. At the time of Ferdinand’s birth, Louis Philippe was still in exile, living in his wife’s native country.

Ferdinand and his mother; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1814, Napoleon I was overthrown, and the Bourbons were restored to the French throne. Louis Philippe and his family returned to France and were welcomed to the French court during the reign of King Louis XVIII, a brother of King Louis XVI. In France, Ferdinand’s education was entrusted to a tutor, M. de Boismilon. By age five, Ferdinand’s intellectual capabilities were quite advanced. He could speak and write in French and German, and started to study Latin, mathematics, and history. Ferdinand was enrolled at the College Henri-IV in Paris so that he would receive an education on par with other French boys. There he developed a lifelong friendship with Alfred de Musset who would become a great French dramatist, poet, and novelist. After a trip to England and Scotland, Ferdinand joined the 1st Hussars Regiment and went on to have a career in the military.

King Louis XVIII died in 1824, and was succeeded by his brother King Charles X. Louis Philippe’s relationship with Charles was closer than it had been with Louis XVIII but his liberal views were quite in contrast to the staunchly conservative Charles, and he was often viewed as a threat to the stability of the King’s reign. Ferdinand had been born “His Serene Highness” and in September 1824, King Charles X granted him the style “His Royal Highness”.

King Louis Philippe, Queen Marie Amelie, with their sons and daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

Finally, King Charles X’s ultra-royalist sympathies alienated many members of the working and middle classes. This led to the July Revolution of 1830. On August 2, 1830, King Charles X was forced to abdicate the French throne. He named his grandson Henri, Duke of Bordeaux as his successor. However, this did not sit well with Ferdinand’s father Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, the Orléanist claimant to the French throne or the Chamber of Deputies who proclaimed Louis Philippe as the new monarch of France. Louis Philippe decided to style himself as King of the French, attributing his role as King of the French people instead of a territorial area. Ferdinand became the heir apparent to the French throne and received the title Prince Royal and the titles of Duke of Orléans and Prince of Orléans.

Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Ferdinand’s wife; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1837, Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Karoline Luise of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, was chosen as a bride for Ferdinand. Helene was Protestant but she had some well-connected relatives that King Louis Philippe wanted to ally with, so her religion was overlooked. The main alliance would be with Friedrich Wilhelm III, King of Prussia, Helene’s first cousin once removed. She was also a cousin to Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and his sister The Duchess of Kent, mother of Queen Victoria. Other cousins included Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, wife of the future Wilhelm I, King of Prussia, and Wilhelm I, King of Württemberg. Helene’s family was against the marriage but she accepted the marriage proposal because she wanted to become a queen.

On May 30, 1837, Helene and Ferdinand were married at the Château de Fontainebleau. Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen, Archbishop of Paris forbade the marriage from taking place at the Notre Dame de Paris because of the couple’s religious differences. Ferdinand and Helene’s marriage was a happy one but Ferdinand’s mother opposed Helene as a Protestant and a liberal. Helene became popular with the publicwith her introduction of the German Christmas tree in France.

Ferdinand and Helene had two children:

• Philippe of Orléans, Count of Paris, Prince Royal  (1838–1894), married his paternal first cousin Marie Isabelle of Orléans, Infanta of Spain, had eight children
• Robert of Orléans, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910), married his first paternal cousin Françoise of Orléans, had five children

Ferdinand with his Helene and their two sons; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand was an enlightened patron of literature, music, and the fine arts. In his apartments at the Tuileries Palace, he collected objects from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, ceramics, furniture, and contemporary paintings. He was also a talented draftsman and engraver.

In July 1842, Ferdinand was scheduled to leave on a trip to review French troops. Before he left, he planned to travel from the Tuileries Palace in Paris to nearby Neuilly-sur-Seine where his wife and two sons were staying. On July 13, 1842, he left Paris in an open carriage. During the short trip, the horses became out of control and Ferdinand either jumped or was projected out of the carriage, resulting in a skull fracture. Despite the best care of the doctors, 31-year-old Ferdinand died a few hours later, surrounded by family members who had rushed to the scene.

Lithograph of the death of Ferdinand; Credit – Wikipedia

Despite the wishes of the government ministers that Ferdinand be buried at the Basilica of St. Denis, the traditional burial site of the Kings of France and the French royal family, Ferdinand’s parents opted to bury him at the Royal Chapel of Dreux in Dreux, France, the traditional burial place of members of the House of Orléans.

Ferdinand’s lifelong friend, the dramatist, poet, and novelist Alfred de Musset, wrote a poem about Ferdinand’s death Le Treize Juillet (The Thirteenth of July). Read the entire poem here.

The first stanza reads:

As much as grief grows old so far ’tis true.
But yesterday the prince was swept from sight;
He hardly sleeps the sleep of endless night;
The angel-wings that bore him through the air,
Close not; of him to speak too soon we dare.

In 1848, Ferdinand’s father Louis Philippe, King of the French lost his throne in the French Revolution of 1848. Afraid that he may be imprisoned and executed, he quickly left Paris with his family, including Helene and her two sons, and they went into exile in England. Helene survived her husband by sixteen years, dying from influenza on May 17, 1858, in Richmond-upon-Thames, London, England at the age of 44. Because Helene was Protestant, she could not be buried in the Catholic Royal Chapel of Dreux. To solve that problem, a room with a separate entrance was built in the chapel with a window-like opening between her tomb and her husband’s. Helene’s effigy on top of her tomb shows her looking and reaching towards the opening to the tomb of her beloved Ferdinand.

Tombs of Ferdinand, Duke of Orléans and his wife Helene; Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchess_Helene_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Philippe,_Duke_of_Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. (2018). Ferdinand-Philippe d’Orléans. [online] Available at: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand-Philippe_d%27Orl%C3%A9ans [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].
• Mehl, S. (2016). Louis Philippe I, King of the French. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/louis-philippe-i-king-of-the-french/ [Accessed 5 Nov. 2018].