Annette Ranald's Blog: Annette's History Reads - Posts Tagged "memoir"
BOOK REVIEW: With Napoleon In Russia, by Armand de Caulaincourt
A friend of mine once asked me who I would like to take a two-week road trip with, and gave me a list of modern celebrities and politicians. So I answered him with the real life scenario of the ultimate creepy road trip.
Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt, Marquis de Caulaincourt 1773-1827, was born in Old Regime France to an elite power couple. His father was a general in the Royal Army, his mother was a lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette. At the age of fourteen, as was customary, he joined his father's cavalry regiment. Two years later, his world exploded when the French Revolution broke out. After the Royal Family was imprisoned, both of his parents were wanted enemies of the state. Armand and his younger brother Auguste, remained in their regiment until they were expelled and sent to the prisons in Paris. Armand would find himself in the Conciergerie, on the verge of death, before a guard who knew his family helped him escape on the day his name was called to meet Madame la Guillotine.
Armand eventually made his way back to the army, enlisted as a cuirassier, a form of heavy cavalry, and worked his way into the favor of Josephine de Beauharnais, herself an aristocrat, the mistress and later wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. After Napoleon became First Consul of France, he needed a suitable retinue of young aides and Josephine recommended Armand. Napoleon's aides-de-camp, or equerries, as they were called, were expected to do whatever task was assigned to them, including any dirty business like handling agents of the former Royal Family. In 1804, Armand carried what he though were orders to arrest some English agents on the borders of France. What he actually carried in his dispatch bag were orders to arrest and assassinate the Duke of Enghien, a member of the Royal Family and potential heir to the throne.
For an aristocrat to take part, even unwittingly, in shedding the blood royal of France was a mark of bitter shame and it would haunt Armand for the rest of his life. When Josephine told him hat the Duke had been assassinated and Armand put two and two together and realized he'd carried the order, he was furious and devastated. He wanted to quit Napoleon's service. Josephine urged him to stay. He did, but he made several resolves. He would maintain a certain distance from Napoleon, never being taken in by his aura, mystique or, la gloire, as Napoleon himself termed it. Armand also determined to speak frankly to Napoleon and to keep careful notes of all that they discussed. The result was a series of books, of which this one today, With Napoleon in Russia, is the middle.
Napoleon was a man of many contradictions. While determined to divorce Josephine so that he could find a woman of suitable royal blood to produce him an heir, he would not allow his immediate subordinates to marry divorcees. Armand was in love with a beautiful countess, Adrianne de Cannisy. She was trapped in a marriage with a much older man. She wanted to divorce so that she and Armand could marry. Napoleon refused to allow it, and sent Armand as his envoy to St. Petersburg to get him away from Adrienne. Napoleon's advice was to find a beautiful, wealthy Russian heiress and forget about Adrienne. Armand became good friends with Tsar Alexander I, who knew very well that it would be no time at all before Napoleon lashed out at Russia. Napoleon suspected that Armand was becoming too happy in Russia and recalled him in 1811, as the build-up to the invasion happened.
The opening chapters of the book deal with Armand's attempts to talk Napoleon out of invading Russia. When the decision was made to go forward, Armand was appointed as Napoleon's Grand Equerry. This was the aide in charge of the Emperor's horses. Throughout the campaign, Armand rode to Napoleon's left, and was prepared to surrender his horse in case Napoleon's was injured. He was at Napoleon's side on 7 September 1812, when the Battle of Borodino happened. Through field glasses, he watched the struggle for the Great Redoubt. He also heard an aide give an order to his younger brother, General Auguste de Caulaincourt, to lead reinforcements to the Redoubt in order to storm it. Auguste had a creepy feeling that he wasn't coming back and he was able to say as much to Armand before leaving. Moments later, an aide came back to Napoleon and blurted out news of the death of Auguste, before realizing who the tall man was standing just over the Emperor's left shoulder.
When the campaign fell apart, and Napoleon had to make a made dash to save his government in Paris, Armand went with him, and here's where the road trip comes in. Across the frozen wastelands of Poland and parts of Germany, Napoleon freed his mind on a lot of subjects. Here is where you see the megalomaniac behind the world conqueror. He's angry at England for defying his Continental trade embargo. He's angry at the Tsar for not agreeing to give up his kingdom in exchange for Constantinople, which Napoleon intends to give him. And, he places the blame for Alexander's recalcitrance on an unlikely source, his one-time BFF, Marshal Jean Lannes, who had served as Alexander's escort during a summit meeting before dying himself in battle with a weeping Napoleon at his side holding his hand. According to Napoleon, Lannes had tipped of Alexander to Napoleon's designs and enabled him to prepare.
Nor does Napoleon remain content with throwing his best friend under the bus after he's dead. He blames the unrest in Paris on the former Royal Family and the aristocrats. He also admits to Armand that he had chosen him to bear the order for Enghien's assassination. That way, Armand would never have credibility amongst his fellow aristocrats and would be beholden to Napoleon. Then, Napoleon questions Armand's own loyalty because he'd seen his brother die, couldn't marry the woman he loved, was an aristocrat and must surely bear some animosity over how he was used in the Enghien affair. How Armand kept his wits during this hellish road trip and did not accidently/on purpose, kill Napoleon is anyone's guess. But we have the result. Armand's memoirs of a brilliant and twisted mind unraveling mile by mile across the frozen wastes of Europe. What a creepy road trip!
With Napoleon in Russia: The Memoirs of General de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza
Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt, Marquis de Caulaincourt 1773-1827, was born in Old Regime France to an elite power couple. His father was a general in the Royal Army, his mother was a lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette. At the age of fourteen, as was customary, he joined his father's cavalry regiment. Two years later, his world exploded when the French Revolution broke out. After the Royal Family was imprisoned, both of his parents were wanted enemies of the state. Armand and his younger brother Auguste, remained in their regiment until they were expelled and sent to the prisons in Paris. Armand would find himself in the Conciergerie, on the verge of death, before a guard who knew his family helped him escape on the day his name was called to meet Madame la Guillotine.
Armand eventually made his way back to the army, enlisted as a cuirassier, a form of heavy cavalry, and worked his way into the favor of Josephine de Beauharnais, herself an aristocrat, the mistress and later wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. After Napoleon became First Consul of France, he needed a suitable retinue of young aides and Josephine recommended Armand. Napoleon's aides-de-camp, or equerries, as they were called, were expected to do whatever task was assigned to them, including any dirty business like handling agents of the former Royal Family. In 1804, Armand carried what he though were orders to arrest some English agents on the borders of France. What he actually carried in his dispatch bag were orders to arrest and assassinate the Duke of Enghien, a member of the Royal Family and potential heir to the throne.
For an aristocrat to take part, even unwittingly, in shedding the blood royal of France was a mark of bitter shame and it would haunt Armand for the rest of his life. When Josephine told him hat the Duke had been assassinated and Armand put two and two together and realized he'd carried the order, he was furious and devastated. He wanted to quit Napoleon's service. Josephine urged him to stay. He did, but he made several resolves. He would maintain a certain distance from Napoleon, never being taken in by his aura, mystique or, la gloire, as Napoleon himself termed it. Armand also determined to speak frankly to Napoleon and to keep careful notes of all that they discussed. The result was a series of books, of which this one today, With Napoleon in Russia, is the middle.
Napoleon was a man of many contradictions. While determined to divorce Josephine so that he could find a woman of suitable royal blood to produce him an heir, he would not allow his immediate subordinates to marry divorcees. Armand was in love with a beautiful countess, Adrianne de Cannisy. She was trapped in a marriage with a much older man. She wanted to divorce so that she and Armand could marry. Napoleon refused to allow it, and sent Armand as his envoy to St. Petersburg to get him away from Adrienne. Napoleon's advice was to find a beautiful, wealthy Russian heiress and forget about Adrienne. Armand became good friends with Tsar Alexander I, who knew very well that it would be no time at all before Napoleon lashed out at Russia. Napoleon suspected that Armand was becoming too happy in Russia and recalled him in 1811, as the build-up to the invasion happened.
The opening chapters of the book deal with Armand's attempts to talk Napoleon out of invading Russia. When the decision was made to go forward, Armand was appointed as Napoleon's Grand Equerry. This was the aide in charge of the Emperor's horses. Throughout the campaign, Armand rode to Napoleon's left, and was prepared to surrender his horse in case Napoleon's was injured. He was at Napoleon's side on 7 September 1812, when the Battle of Borodino happened. Through field glasses, he watched the struggle for the Great Redoubt. He also heard an aide give an order to his younger brother, General Auguste de Caulaincourt, to lead reinforcements to the Redoubt in order to storm it. Auguste had a creepy feeling that he wasn't coming back and he was able to say as much to Armand before leaving. Moments later, an aide came back to Napoleon and blurted out news of the death of Auguste, before realizing who the tall man was standing just over the Emperor's left shoulder.
When the campaign fell apart, and Napoleon had to make a made dash to save his government in Paris, Armand went with him, and here's where the road trip comes in. Across the frozen wastelands of Poland and parts of Germany, Napoleon freed his mind on a lot of subjects. Here is where you see the megalomaniac behind the world conqueror. He's angry at England for defying his Continental trade embargo. He's angry at the Tsar for not agreeing to give up his kingdom in exchange for Constantinople, which Napoleon intends to give him. And, he places the blame for Alexander's recalcitrance on an unlikely source, his one-time BFF, Marshal Jean Lannes, who had served as Alexander's escort during a summit meeting before dying himself in battle with a weeping Napoleon at his side holding his hand. According to Napoleon, Lannes had tipped of Alexander to Napoleon's designs and enabled him to prepare.
Nor does Napoleon remain content with throwing his best friend under the bus after he's dead. He blames the unrest in Paris on the former Royal Family and the aristocrats. He also admits to Armand that he had chosen him to bear the order for Enghien's assassination. That way, Armand would never have credibility amongst his fellow aristocrats and would be beholden to Napoleon. Then, Napoleon questions Armand's own loyalty because he'd seen his brother die, couldn't marry the woman he loved, was an aristocrat and must surely bear some animosity over how he was used in the Enghien affair. How Armand kept his wits during this hellish road trip and did not accidently/on purpose, kill Napoleon is anyone's guess. But we have the result. Armand's memoirs of a brilliant and twisted mind unraveling mile by mile across the frozen wastes of Europe. What a creepy road trip!
With Napoleon in Russia: The Memoirs of General de Caulaincourt, Duke of Vicenza
Annette's History Reads
I enjoy reading and writing about history. I've loved history all my life and read a ton of books. Now, I'll share a few of them with you. I also want to take you along with me in this new and strange
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