Eleven Years' Residence in the Family of Murat, King of Naples

by Catherine Davies

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106 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1841

Reviews

[Avis Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

Davies, a British civilian, was captured behind the French lines after the Napoleonic Wars broke out. She was then hired by Caroline Murat (Napoleon's sister) to be the governess of the latter's children. Caroline's husband was Joachim Murat, Napoleon's dashing chief of cavalry, the man who pretty much wrote the book on derring-do.

Davies describes the appointment of Murat as King of Naples (a brother-in-law gift from Napoleon) and the grandeur of their new life. But then comes Murat's rapid and crazy downfall. The Neapolitans didn't like their new rulers and registered their disapproval with assassination attempts. Then the Allies besieged Naples, and Murat was chased out and went on the run, only to be seized and executed, though he faced his end like a soldier. Caroline Murat and her children were captured by the British. As for Davies, she was eventually able to make her way back to England after a hard journey, though her health suffered permanent damage during the siege.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short memoir written in the 19th century by a governess of the children of Joachim and Caroline Murat, King and Queen of the Kingdom of Naples from 1808-1815. GR lists this book at 106 pages, but it’s more like 80 pages for the main text, and only gets to that total through some generous line spacing. It’s a very easy read, and can be done and dusted in a couple of hours. Caroline Murat was a sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, and her husband was a Marshal of France.

Catherine Davies tells us she was born in 1773 in Beaumaris, on the island of Anglesey, now generally known by its Welsh name of Ynys Môn. She says that her father was married twice and that she was one of 33 children, which I think was fairly good going even by the standards of the 18th century. She doesn’t say what happened to her father’s first wife, but I couldn’t help wondering whether she just keeled over with exhaustion.

Davies went to France during the Peace of Amiens, an 11-month hiatus in the Napoleonic Wars, and was employed by Caroline Murat, who wanted her children to have an English governess. The outbreak of Round 2 of the Napoleonic Wars left her in a sticky situation, and it seems the Emperor was unhappy at his nephews and nieces being brought up by one of the enemy. She was however protected by Caroline, who seems to have been as strong willed as her brother.

Napoleon eventually appointed his brother-in-law and sister as King and Queen of Naples. There’s not much in this account that describes the kingdom, the author just provides a brief description of life in the palace. Joachim declared for Napoleon during the Hundred Days, after which the Queen, and the author, found themselves under siege by the Austrian Army in the fortress of Gaeta. They had to take shelter in a damp cellar, which led the author to suffer a debilitating lifetime illness. There is a Preface where she seems to say she wrote the book to raise funds, since she can no longer work.

When Gaeta eventually surrendered, the Queen was met by a group of Austrian officers, British naval officers, and “General Macdonald,” with whom Caroline (now a widow) eventually united in a morganatic marriage. I thought initially that this might be [Étienne] Jacques Macdonald, who had been one of Napoleon’s marshals, but it turned out to be an Italian general called Francesco Macdonald. Just how many General Macdonalds were there scattered about Europe at the time?

I read this book on the Open Library. It was an OK read for a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t recommend paying any money for it.