Description:

Bonaparte Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte LS Regarding his Treacherous Brother-in-Law's Access to Italy

 

1p LS in French signed by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) as "Np" at center. Written in Paris, France on November 23, 1813. The single sheet of cream paper was inscribed in a clerical hand. A small contemporary file note is pinned at lower left (this is usually missing in these types of documents.) Light brush to signature and fold juncture through the "p" of "Np". Expected light paper folds, else near fine. 7.125" x 8.875". An atypical and very late Napoleon document revealing the historical context behind the beginning of the Emperor's fall.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte addressed this letter to his Minister of War, Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke (1765-1818) aka the Duke de Feltre, in the fall of 1813. Just a month earlier, on October 19th, Napoleon had been defeated at the Battle of Leipzig, with the subsequent loss of all of his German possessions. Faced with troop shortages, Napoleon relied on Marshal Joachim Murat (1767-1815), his brother-in-law and the King of Naples, to defend Italy from the Austrians. Murat, a sensational cavalry officer and one of Napoleon's earliest followers, had married Napoleon's younger sister Caroline Bonaparte (1782-1839), in 1800. Murat was granted the Kingdom of Naples in 1808.

 

Despite the shared experiences of the comrades-in-arms, Napoleon and Murat had a strained relationship. Murat was just as ambitious as his brother-in-law, and acquisitiveness fueled mutual mistrust. Murat feared that Napoleon would conquer Italy and take the kingship of Naples for himself. Napoleon recognized the extent of Murat's loyalty, and his unreliability as an ally. Murat "no longer considered himself a Frenchman and had forgotten to whom he owed everything he had. 'When he sees me, he belongs to me, Napoleon commented, 'but as soon as I am out of sight, he acts like all other people without real character.'" [As quoted in Alan Schom, Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life (New York: Harper Collins, 1997), p. 591-592].

 

Austria's Count Metternich had begun negotiations for a separate peace with Murat on the first day of the 3-day Battle of Leipzig. In return for Murat's withdrawal from Napoleon's army, and his refusal to send reinforcements to the Viceroy of Italy, Great Britain and Austria would lobby their ally King Ferdinand to allow Murat to keep the kingdom of Naples, and obtain for him further advantages in Italy. At Erfurt, Murat had asked for and obtained the emperor's permission to return to Naples. He later recalled: "Our adieux were not over-cordial." Murat's only chance of remaining king, it seemed, lie with negotiating with Napoleon's enemies.

 

On November 4th, Murat had reached Naples and informed the Austrian envoy of his willingness to join the Allies, suggesting that the Papal States, with the exception of Rome and the surrounding district, should be made over to him as a reward. Negotiations continued through late 1813 and early 1814. Murat eventually raised 30,000 troops to fight against Napoleon. Thus, even while Napoleon instructed his War Minister to grant free passage to Murat's forces in Italy in late November, Murat had already turned coat for the Austrians three weeks earlier.

 

Original transcript, with unchanged spelling mistakes and punctuations:

 

"[handwritten] Monsieur le Duc de Feltre, Si le Roi de Naples entre dans le pays de Rome avec son armée et traverse les departmens de Toscane, pour arriver sur le Po, il dois être bien reçu et ses troupes traités de mieux qu'il sera possible. = Sur ce je prie Dieu qu'il vous aie en sa Sainte garde = Paris le 23 novembre 1813.

 

[signed] Np

 

[note at bottom] Remis le 22 9er à M Séran".

 

Translation from the French:

 

"Monsieur the Duc de Feltre, If the King of Naples enters into the country of Rome with his army and crosses the departments of Tuscany, en route to the Po River, he must be well received and his troops treated as well as possible. = On this I pray God keeps you in his holy care = Paris 23 November 1813.

 

[signed] Np

 

[note at bottom] Given to M Séran the 22 9er [November]".

 

During the Hundred Days, Murat abandoned his new allies when it became apparent that they intended to restore the status quo ante bellum balance of power. He fought again on the side of the French until he was captured, imprisoned, and executed by firing squad in Calabria, in southern Italy.

 

Napoleon was in part able to accomplish all he did by relying on General Clarke, who handled military matters ranging from inspection and provisioning to conscription and internal discipline. General Clark was recognized for his great service when he was granted the honorary title of Duc of Feltre in August 1809.

 

Murat's defection, coupled with a series of disastrous military losses and territorial forfeiture, signaled the beginning of the end for Napoleon; he would abdicate on April 6, 1814.

 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

 

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 5, 2019 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000