What happened to the children?
Part II
I continue the series on what happened to the children of famous men and women. Today I will talk about Napoleon. Considered one of the greatest strategists in history, in such company as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal.
Napoleon
Napoleon was married twice. First with Joséphine de Beauharnais. They had no children together, but she had two children from her first marriage; His second wife was Marie Louis of Austria and they had a son, Napoleon (II) François Joseph Charles Bonaparte.
First wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine was probably the love of Napoleon’s life, although the marriage was troubled. She had two children from an earlier marriage; Eugène and Hortense whom he adopted.
Eugène (1781-1824) made a successful military career and became one of Napoleon’s most trusted allies. Although they were not connected by blood, he became an integral part of Napoleon’s military ambitions and a close family ally. His legacy is that of loyalty, military skill, and adapting to political changes.
Napoleon recognised Eugène’s potential early on, appointing him as an aide-de-camp and later granting him significant military and political roles. Eugène distinguished himself in several campaigns, and showed loyalty to his stepfather. In 1805, Napoleon made him Viceroy of Italy, where he ruled with competence, implementing reforms and maintaining stability in the region.
Eugène remained faithful to his stepfather even after his fall from power. After the collapse of the Empire, he adapted to circumstances, and managed to secure his future through his marriage to Princess Augusta of Bavaria. This alliance allowed him to integrate into European nobility, becoming Duke of Leuchtenberg.
Hortense (1783-1837) also played a significant role in the political and cultural landscape of Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic Europe. In 1802 Napoleon arranged a marriage between her and his brother, Louis Bonaparte. It was an unhappy union, but resulted in the birth of three children, including Charles-Louis Napoleon, who would later become Emperor Napoleon III. She also had an illegitimate son, Charles, Duke of Morny, with her lover, the Comte de Flahaut.
From 1806-1810 she was Queen of Holland and tried to fulfil her duties. Her strained relationship with her husband and Napoleon’s political decisions led to difficulties. After Napoleon’s fall, she lived in exile, primarily in Switzerland. She became a patron of the arts and wrote memoirs that offer valuable insights into the era.
Her legacy lives on through her son, Napoleon III, who revived the Bonaparte rule in France. She remains a fascinating historical figure - later on, she is part of the expat community of the children of our own exiled king, Gustav IV. She lived through a complex and tumultuous period in European history.
Second wife, Marie Louise of Austria
In 1810, Napoleon Bonaparte married Marie Louise of Austria, the 18-year-old daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria. A political alliance to secure peace between France and Austria following years of conflict. Napoleon, having divorced Joséphine de Beauharnais due to her inability to provide an heir, saw Marie Louise as a means to strengthen his dynasty and legitimise his rule.
In spite of Marie Louise’ resentment toward Napoleon the marriage proceeded, and she adapted to her role as Empress of the French. In 1811, she gave birth to their son, Napoleon II, fulfilling the Emperor’s desire for an heir. However, their union was short-lived; after Napoleon’s abdication in 1814, Marie Louise returned to Austria, never rejoining her husband. She later became the Duchess of Parma and remarried.
The marriage, though politically advantageous, lacked affection, which surely was not uncommon in those days. It did symbolise the height of Napoleon’s imperial ambitions but could not prevent his downfall.
François Joseph Charles Bonaparte’s, Napoleon II (1811-1832) life was one of immense promise but unfulfilled destiny. Born to rule yet remaining a pawn in European politics.
By his birth he was declared King of Rome by his father. The title was symbolic, but aimed to establish him as the heir to the French Empire. However, the tides of European politics were turning against his father. Just three years after his birth, in 1814, Napoleon I was forced to abdicate and was exiled to Elba. His mother took him to Vienna, where he was raised under the strict eye of his grandfather, Emperor Francis I of Austria. When Napoleon returned for his dramatic Hundred Days in 1815, he named his son as his successor, but after his defeat at Waterloo, the boy’s fate was sealed.
Despite being proclaimed Emperor Napoleon II by his father’s supporters in 1815, François Joseph Charles Bonaparte never ruled France. Instead, the victorious European powers, led by Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia, ensured that he remained in exile in Vienna. The Austrian court stripped him of his French identity, renaming him Franz and giving him the title Duke of Reichstadt.
His upbringing was strictly controlled, as was most things at the Habsburg court. He was educated in military strategy and leadership, but his opportunities for real power were limited. Unlike his father, who had risen through ambition and military genius, the son was kept in the golden cage of the Habsburg court, admired but never truly free.
His life was filled with contradictions. He was both the son of a deposed emperor and a prince of the Habsburg dynasty. He admired his father’s legacy but his possibilities to shape his own destiny and future were scarce. In his early twenties his health began to decline, and in 1832, at the age of just 21, he died of tuberculosis in Schönbrunn Palace. His early death left him a place in history as a tragic figure—the emperor who never ruled.
In 1940, his remains were moved to the Dome des Invalides in Paris, where they now rest beside his father’s, a final acknowledgment of the destiny that history had denied him. He was a prince born to rule, yet forever in the shadow of his father’s legend. How difficult it must be for children of great men and women. How can you ever compete with them, or come out of their shadow?
As we will see in a coming article in this series, there is also a Swedish connection here, as well as with Hortense.
Mistresses
Napoleon had numerous extra marital affairs, and he acknowledged one illegitimate son: Charles Léon (1806–1881) by Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne.
He had another son, Alexandre Colonna-Walewski (1810–1868), with his Polish mistress Maria Walewska. He was never officially acknowledged, but widely known to be his child. This has been confirmed in later years by DNA testing. He may have had further illegitimate children.
Descendants
Napoleon has no descendants from his marriage with Marie Louise. However, he has many descendants through his brothers and sisters, as well as from his illegitimate children. So, who is next in the line to the non-existent imperial throne?
Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon, was born in 1986, in Saint-Raphaël, Var, France, and is the current head of the House of Bonaparte, making him the heir to Napoleon Bonaparte. He is the son of Prince Charles Napoléon and Princess Béatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. His lineage includes connections to King Louis XIV of France and other European royalty, and, family wise, originates from Jérome, Napoleon’s brother.
He is a successful businessman, and married to Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, who is the great grand-daughter of Charles I of Austria. They have one son, born in 2022, Prince Louis Charles Riprand Victor Jérôme Marie Napoléon.
As head of the House of Bonaparte, Jean-Christophe represents his family's legacy at public events and ceremonies across Europe.
I think we can say that the children of Napoleon fared better than the children of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI. The latter had to live through an ordeal of imprisonment and uncertainty, while Napoleon’s children, legitimate or illegitimate managed, and had the possibilities, to adapt to the new times. That does not mean that they were happier. Maybe the greatest happiness you can have, is to be able to decide over your own life.?
On my blog ad few posts summarising the books I read in 2024, and the first book I read in 2025.
Next week I will be going away on a trip to visit Vietnam, Laos, Singapore and Thailand. I will travel light and not bring my computer. Most likely there won’t be any newsletters until end of February, when I hope to catch up and let you know what we did. I will post on Instagram if you want to follow - you find me under: thecontentreader
Once again, a fascinating look into the lives of rulers of whom I know little. I guess back then you did what you had to do to build a dynasty!