Chapter 263 Napoleon’s Legacy
The establishment of the July Monarchy was, in a sense, rather due to the departure of Napoleon Bonaparte and the collapse of the First French Empire, which brought this European hegemon to its bottom.
The lack of security and pride brought by political strongmen forced the French to pin their hopes for national rejuvenation on the Orleans family, a branch of the Bourbon dynasty that once brought France to glory.
For example, if the Orleans Dynasty was a religion supported by the people, then Louis Philippe would be the high priest at the altar.
Although twenty-five years have passed since the war that lasted for more than ten years in Europe, the entire Napoleon family has already left France, and the emperor's body is still stranded on St. Helena Island, but the French have no regard for this Corsi Marie Claire's admiration and love have not diminished at all.
This made Louis Philippe, who thought he was superior to his predecessors, felt very unfair. He clearly accomplished something that Napoleon could not accomplish in his lifetime (conquering Spain), but he still lives in his shadow. Escorting Napoleon's ashes back to Paris has even become a daily routine for the Bonapartists.
These people hold public events every month near the Palais Bourbon or in the streets of Paris to announce their presence.
Even today, after Louis Philippe won the Spanish Civil War and returned French power to North America, Bonapartists still compare him to Napoleon.
"Well, gentlemen, I would like to announce to you that I have summoned the British Ambassador and asked him to convey to his government a request of mine - that the body of Napoleon Bonaparte be returned to Paris. Also, I am prepared to have it returned to Paris. Buried in Les Invalides by the Seine."
When Louis-Philippe announced the news in the Tuileries Palace, everyone present fell silent. They looked at each other, trying to see whether they heard correctly from the other's face.
Seeing the surprised expressions on everyone's face, Louis Philippe had to repeat his decision again. However, the hall still did not burst into warm applause. On the contrary, it was filled with emotions of surprise, fear, uneasiness, and anger.
However, there was still a minor trouble at this time, Louis Bonaparte, later Napoleon III. Louis Bonaparte was at odds with his uncle's brothers and looked down upon even his uncle Joseph, not to mention Napoleon's other two brothers.
Of course, the French government has not forgotten this young pretender to the throne.
They succeeded in wooing one of Napoleon's illegitimate sons, Count Leon. Like his biological mother, this man was very vain, and was not welcomed by Napoleon Bonaparte and his relatives, so that they had been living a life of poverty.
Later, an official employed by the French government told the Count of Leon that as long as he could fight Louis Bonaparte in a duel, no matter whether he won or lost, he would get a commission of 100,000 francs.
Soon the down-and-out prince was off to London, where he not only publicly humiliated Louis Napoleon, but also discredited him and challenged him to a duel.
The purpose of the French government's doing this is actually very simple, that is, to discredit the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte. So whether he accepts the duel or not, the outcome doesn't matter.
If Louis Bonaparte had refused, his political influence would have evaporated. If he accepts it, no matter whether he kills the other party or kills himself, he will not escape the reputation of fratricide.
But sometimes, history is so wonderful. Louis Napoleon did not want to participate in this duel, but people around him told him that this duel was more important than his life. He had no choice but to accept it.
On the day of the duel, both Louis Napoleon and Léon were filled with a deep sense of fear. At this time, the former began to try to persuade the latter not to kill each other and smear the family, and at the same time asked him whether he had been coerced or bewitched by outsiders.
After hearing this, the latter confessed to the French government in one breath, and also mentioned the one hundred thousand franc transaction. Because he could not get the approval of Napoleon's family, Leon could not enjoy an annuity. After Napoleon's death, he lost his financial resources, so he took risks.
"Listen, I'll give you 150,000 francs to give up the duel."
"I think my reputation is worth two hundred thousand."
"Okay, it's a deal!"
Ever since, this farce came to an end. It was the skill with which he dealt with this incident that earned Louis Napoleon the superficial approval of his uncle's brothers, who went to the same theaters together as a sign of their harmonious relations.
Soon after, Louis Napoleon decided to launch another uprising in response to the actions of Louis Philippe's government. He chose the French coastal city of Boulogne, where only 250 soldiers were stationed.
Captain Aradniz was a typical Bonapartist and immediately agreed with Louis Napoleon's plan after meeting him.
Louis Napoleon's plan was to take control of Boulogne and march directly to Paris until he overthrew the July Monarchy. To this end, he recruited some veterans and unemployed workers, and at the same time made contact with the Polish Nationalist Army.
So far, the number of people who have conspired with him has reached 500. However, this mixed group composed of French and Polish people does not understand the ins and outs of the entire plan, and even has no simple idea of when to set off or where to go. However, the details are not known.
Louis Napoleon naturally understood this principle, so he borrowed 500,000 francs from a British official very early, and wrote IOUs to 56 people, raising a total of 1.02 million francs.
The weapons needed for the uprising were imported from Britain, including Brown Bess rifled rifles and Birmingham steel knives. The flags and military uniforms were purchased from Paris. In order to expand his influence, he even ordered a hand-operated printing press to print and distribute leaflets.
On August 5, 1840, five carts of food, twenty war horses, two boxes of military uniforms, three carts of weapons and thousands of leaflets were transported into Boulogne. Louis Napoleon swaggered into the local military camp, but was ignored by the lazy soldiers until Lieutenant Aradniz gathered them together.
He delivered an impassioned speech to the soldiers, but unfortunately it did not resonate with those "short-sighted people", so he had no choice but to promise them generous benefits, money, medals, and official positions.
While the soldiers were cheering and celebrating, someone suddenly shouted "The military police are coming!" The scene suddenly became chaotic. Louis Napoleon and his followers started shooting in panic, wounding many soldiers. The soldiers then began to fight back, and the uprising failed.
At this time, Louis Napoleon could only choose to flee to the sea, and then board a ship to leave France. However, they encountered the French army halfway, who showed no sympathy and opened fire directly on them.
After fifteen minutes of fighting, three conspirators were shot dead and one person drowned in the river. However, this was still five kilometers away from the sea. The desperate Louis Napoleon had no choice but to surrender.
His attempt to imitate his uncle ended in failure again. The time (3 years), money (about 2 million francs) and energy he had spent on it all seemed absurd at this moment.
Louis Philippe seemed very satisfied with this victory. He believed that the Corsican nephew failed because the soldiers loved him more than Napoleon Bonaparte.
However, the actual situation was that the soldier who shouted "The military police are coming" was only 14 years old at the time. He did so out of curiosity and play.
Unfortunately, he became the only French soldier killed in the battle. A stray bullet hit his eye and ended his life.
After the incident, Louis-Philippe decided to imprison the restless pretender to the throne to avoid future troubles. At this moment, he believed that he had completed the first step in becoming the Emperor of France.
Afterwards, he would personally proclaim Napoleon Emperor of France and take over his sword and scepter.