Young and old alike can marvel - often free of charge - at the many open houses. More than 1,500 sites are taking part in the Journées du Patrimoine: that's a lot of discoveries! If you're in the Hauts-de-Seine region
you're bound to find something to keep you busy on September 21 and 22
the Château de Malmaison is one of France's finest examples of the consular style
where visitors can discover the more intimate atmosphere of Josephine's apartments
and the empress's passion for botany in the landscaped grounds
le programme est mis à jour en fonction des annonces officielles
A visit not to be missed if you love history and castles
Refer your establishment, click herePromote your event, click here
This newscast is updated weekdays at 6am
Continuum presents a program of the harpsichord music of Johann Sebastian Bach
played by the legendary harpsichordist Wanda Landowska
The major works to be heard are the Chromatic Fantasia
The music was recorded at the famous Landowska Concert Hall
Le Temple de la Musique Ancienne in Saint-Leu-la Foret
The one recording used is: Johann Sebastian Bach (Wanda Landowska) - Paradizo PA0009
LBV Magazine English Edition
It was the year 1851 when the prince president of France ordered the demolition of the old – and dilapidated – parish church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles in Paris
another church was built at his expense to house a family crypt
who had died in Livorno (Grand Duchy of Tuscany
he had used the title of Count of Saint-Leu to distance himself from his true identity
with whom he severed ties after being forced to abdicate the throne of Holland
embracing the memory of his famous uncle and adopting his name as Napoleon III
while still paying homage to his father by burying him in the capital
The sculptor Louis Petitot created the mausoleum in 1862
funded by the sixty thousand francs that the deceased had specifically designated in his will
as the artist portrayed him in ceremonial attire as the king of Holland
his name was Luigi Buonaparte because he was born in 1778 in Ajaccio
a Genoese island conquered by the French from the Tuscans nine years earlier
Corsica was the homeland of a family that adapted to the new times by Frenchifying their surname
He was the fourth male offspring of the marriage between Carlo Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino
and Jerome (three others died prematurely)
While Joseph studied law and Lucien briefly pursued the priesthood
both training as artillerymen – Napoleon at the Brienne-le-Château academy and Louis at the Châlons-en-Champagne academy
Their destinies were almost inevitably intertwined
when Napoleon initiated the Italian campaign as a general
he called on his brother to join his staff as an aide-de-camp
was promoted to captain and joined the 5th Regiment of Dragoons
although seemingly without enthusiasm for the less epic and more brutal aspects of war – those involving death
he accompanied Napoleon in the Egyptian campaign and continued to rise through the ranks until he achieved the rank of general at the young age of twenty-five
the powerful hand of his brother was decisive
and they collaborated in the coup d’état of the 18th Brumaire of the year VIII (November 9
ending the Directory in favor of the Consulate
he arranged for Louis to marry Hortense de Beauharnais
the daughter of Josephine from her first marriage to Alexandre François Marie
but she ultimately had to accept the marriage
three children were born – Napoleon Charles
The former United Provinces had been occupied by the French army in 1795 during the Revolutionary Wars
decided to transform that territory into the Kingdom of Holland
a puppet state to be governed by someone close to him
who enjoyed a favorable position in France as the Grand Constable and a recipient of the Legion of Honor
Louis did not receive the news with joy because he suffered from rheumatism
requiring frequent visits to spas for relief
Louis was also not enthusiastic about reigning while merely obeying his brother’s orders
Napoleon convinced him by urging him to follow the maxim “Do what you must
The Dutch delegation sent to negotiate with the emperor was not only ignored but humiliated
They had to officially recognize the new sovereign
and in exchange for accepting the new king
they would receive economic benefits (expected from the continental blockade against the British) and political advantages (unifying under a single crown the different factions – unitarians
Louis would maintain the constitutional laws and freedoms enjoyed by the republic
the treaty signed in May 1806 recognized the fundamental principles of the Batavian Revolution (the Enlightenment movement that led to the fall of the Old Regime of William V)
It allowed the preservation of the Dutch language
and currency under a federal system of republican tradition
Louis managed to win the favor of the Dutch by showing a willingness to learn the language
This linguistic error endeared him to the people (he introduced himself as Konijn van ‘Olland
or “rabbit from ‘Olland”
possibly to hinder the work of French supervisors
He also showed great interest in understanding the situation of his new kingdom in various aspects
from art and science to agriculture and trade
One of the main reforms was the standardization of the country’s multiple legal codes
He abolished torture and forced labor in the penal system
although local jurists prevented him from doing the same for the death penalty
he frequently resorted to pardons and commutations
The laws also put an end to the practical dominance of Calvinism over Catholicism and Judaism
despite the proclaimed religious freedom of the republic
The death of his eldest son in 1807 prompted him to improve healthcare and hygiene by introducing specific regulations
and relocate slaughterhouses and cemeteries from urban areas
separating it from religious influence and modernizing all levels of education
there were numerous cultural endeavors: the establishment of the Royal Museum of Amsterdam (the precursor of the current Rijksmuseum) and the Royal Institute of Sciences
and Fine Arts; the creation of a royal library; promotion of the restoration and/or reconstruction of palaces and churches; and sponsorship of artists to study in Rome
These measures aimed to facilitate economic recovery to fund administrative
he centralized the country into ten departments
which he achieved by demonstrating goodwill upon arrival
He continued touring the country instead of isolating himself in the palace
he personally faced the accidental explosion of a gunpowder-loaded ship in Leiden
coordinating the intervention of the Royal Guard in relief efforts
opening a palace to accommodate the injured
and exempting the population from taxes for a decade
He carried out a similar initiative two years later during severe floods
Collaboration with the elites was also necessary
convincing them to join the new constitutional regime
more due to the imposition of reality than anything else
as they understood that participation could help maintain some autonomy and keep Napoleon at bay
A key factor was a promise outlined in the treaty: the Kingdom of Holland would be exempt from military service in the territories controlled by France to bolster its Grande Armée
Not everything was smooth sailing for Louis
partly due to the climate and partly because her husband insisted that she renounce her French nationality
as he had compelled his ministers to do – most of them being imposed by his brother and of Gallic origin
she left taking their children with her and refusing to allow them to visit Holland
to the extent that she began a relationship with Charles de Flahaut
Napoleon sided with her and adopted their eldest son as his heir (he had not yet had a child of his own)
the emperor was dissatisfied with Louis’s performance and would soon make it evident
anyone can commit many follies and cause much harm
Louis’s character is naturally inclined to eccentricities and extravagance
The reading of Jean-Jacques Rousseau has ruined him
Chasing a reputation for sensitivity and benevolence
Louis has shown himself to be nothing more than a perfect king…
the monarch lost some of his enthusiasm and adopted less applauded habits
he had maintained an itinerant court without a fixed capital
he spent significant sums on palace luxuries
moving from Utrecht to Amsterdam and then to Haarlem
among other places (he excluded The Hague because it was too close to the sea
These expenses did not sit well with a people with a strong savings mentality that he himself had reinforced with his policies
he continued to be called Louis the Good since the Leiden catastrophe
although Louis had reluctantly followed Napoleon’s orders
there were certain points on which he was unwilling to compromise
he refused to provide the forty thousand soldiers requested for the Russian campaign
as the Dutch population numbered only two million
he did not want to reduce the value of public debt by two-thirds
fearing it would ruin Dutch investors who had received French loans
his collaboration with the continental blockade against England was only verbal
as he turned a blind eye to smuggling to prevent the degradation of the economy
The spark that led to the fraternal rupture was the landing of a British contingent on the island of Walcheren
They conquered the fortress of Bath in Zeeland
putting Antwerp and Vlissingen in a precarious position without the Dutch army being able to stop them
making it clear that the Kingdom of Holland could not defend itself alone
Napoleon did not miss the opportunity and summoned his brother to Paris
stating that the situation would not have arisen if Louis had accepted incorporating the Dutch into the Grande Armée
The two brothers argued bitterly for three months
at the end of which Louis had no choice but to cede the southern part of his kingdom to France
he returned to find that the French army was occupying city after city
not limited to the southern region but extending to others
rejecting Napoleon’s offer to give him the throne of Spain – where their other brother
also facing interference from the emperor – he chose to abdicate in favor of his son Napoleon Louis
The Kingdom of Holland was invaded by the army of Marshal Oudinot
and its annexation to France was formalized through the Rambouillet Decree
welcomed by the Austrian Emperor Francis I
He ignored Napoleon’s requests to live in Paris and refused to use his name in favor of the aforementioned Count of Saint-Leu (referring to the property he owned in Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
He did not stay in the Austrian capital but moved to Graz
where he met Goethe and dedicated himself to writing essays and poetry until 1813
he moved to Lausanne and offered himself – unsuccessfully – as a mediator between France and its enemies
where other Bonapartes were already residing
He never saw his brother again nor contacted him when Napoleon escaped from Elba for the Hundred Days’ Empire
Louis moved to Florence and later returned to Livorno
He witnessed several denials of his request to visit the Netherlands
which he could only fulfill when authorized by William II in 1840
Bonapartists proclaimed him the legitimate pretender
who was at that time imprisoned for participating in a conspiracy
The said offspring secured this status on July 25
when an attempt on his life ended his father’s life
It is not known that this one had more descendants
except for a natural son with his lover Jeanne-Félicité Roland (born in 1826)
he entered into a sentimental relationship – it is not clear if with marriage or without it – with the Marquise Julia Livia di Strozzi
This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on January 29, 2024. Puedes leer la versión en español en Luis Bonaparte, el hermano de Napoleón que fue rey de Holanda y se enfrentó a él tras la invasión del país por los franceses
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email
The Parthenon temple on the Acropolis of Athens housed a colossal statue made of gold and ivory
carved by the famous sculptor Phidias in 438 BC
Two thousand years before the Inca Empire extended its dominion over the Andes
a much less known yet culturally influential society—known as the Chavín Phenomenon—had already developed numerous artistic expressions,…
while the Byzantine Empire was mired in a succession crisis
sought to take advantage and launched his conquest
Archaeologists from universities in the United States and Denmark found
deep within the Actun Uayazba Kab cave in Belize
two small stone tools dated between 250 and 900 AD that…
men and women gathered to play a game called Cuju
A team of researchers has succeeded in recreating for the first time in a laboratory experiment a phenomenon that until now only existed as a theory in the realm of…
the Cantonal Archaeology of Aargau carried out a rescue excavation between early May 2024 and the end of March 2025
The Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the discovery of a group of defensive structures
and a system of moats that could indicate…
In the southeastern area of the city of Rome
archaeologists excavating inside the Triton Baths
within the monumental complex of the Villa di Sette…
Why did some animals from ancient eras become fossils
while others simply disappeared without a trace
Receive our news and articles in your email for free
You can also support us with a monthly subscription and receive exclusive content
The mathematician Claire Voisin is the laureate of the CNRS 2016 gold medal
honors her major contributions to complex algebraic geometry
Recognized for her thorough knowledge in this field and for the originality and diversity of her research
A genuine French ambassador in mathematics
she has exceptional influence on the international scene
she now holds the chair in Algebraic Geometry at the Collège de France
The major woks to be heard are the Chromatic Fantasia
Site managed by
Le Temple de la MusiqueAncienne in Saint-Leu-laForet
The one recording used is: Johann Sebastian Bach (Wanda Landowska) - ParadizoPA0009
and it seems the Leicester City Man hit the top of his form after his marriage to his new beau
First half goals from Ahmed Musa and Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho helped the Super Eagles to a 3-0 win over Togo on Thursday night in Paris
It is the first time the Super Eagles will win in three matches and they did it in a convincing manner
recording a 3-0 victory over The Sparrow Hawks in an international friendly match staged at Stade Municipal de Saint Leu La Foret on Thursday
You must be logged in to post a comment