Anniversary of the death of Napoleon’s son, the King of Rome
“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.
Month: July 2013
Jacques-Louis David’s Painting of the Coronation of Napoleon toured the United States in 1826
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 …
Napoleon and Louisiana Purchase
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 …