View source for Napoleon II

{{Short description|Disputed Emperor of the French in 1815 (1811–1832)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| title        = [[List of heirs to the French throne#Bonaparte succession: First Empire|King of Rome]]<br>[[Zákupy#Duke of Reichstadt|Duke of Reichstadt]]
| image        = Le duc de Reichstadt.jpg<!--Please do not change this without a thorough discussion on the Talk page-->
| caption      = Portrait by [[Leopold Bucher]], 1832
| succession   = [[Emperor of the French]]
| moretext     = ([[Style of the French sovereign|more...]])<br>(disputed)
| reign       = 22 June – 7 July 1815
| predecessor = [[Napoleon I]]
| successor   = [[Napoleon III]] (1852, as Emperor)<br>[[Louis XVIII]] (as King of France)
| reg-type    = [[French Provisional Government of 1815|Regent]]
| regent      = [[Joseph Fouché]]
| succession1  = [[House of Bonaparte|Head of the House of Bonaparte]]
| reign-type1  = Tenure
| reign1       = 5 May 1821 – 22 July 1832
| predecessor1 = [[Napoleon I]] 
| successor1   = [[Joseph Bonaparte]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1811|3|20|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = [[Tuileries Palace]], Paris, First French Empire
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1832|7|22|1811|3|20|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Schönbrunn Palace]], Vienna, Austrian Empire
| place of burial = [[Napoleon's tomb]], Les Invalides
| full name    = {{langx|fr|Napoléon François Charles Joseph Bonaparte}}
| house        = [[House of Bonaparte|Bonaparte]]
| father       = [[Napoleon I]]
| mother       = [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma]]
| religion     = [[Roman Catholicism]]
| signature    = File:Signature of Napoleon II.png
}}

'''Napoleon II''' (Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte; 20 March 1811{{spaced ndash}}22 July 1832) was the disputed [[Emperor of the French]] for a few weeks in 1815. He was the son of Emperor [[Napoleon I]] and Empress [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]], daughter of Emperor [[Francis I of Austria]].

Napoleon II had been [[Prince Imperial of France]] and [[List of heirs to the French throne|King of Rome]] since birth. After the fall of his father, he lived the rest of his life in [[Vienna]] and was known in the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] court as '''Franz, Duke of Reichstadt''' for his adult life (from the German version of his second given name, along with a title his grandfather granted him in 1818).  He was posthumously given the nickname '''''L'Aiglon''''' ("the Eaglet").

When Napoleon I tried to [[abdicate]] on 4 April 1814, he said that his son would rule as emperor. However, the [[War of the Sixth Coalition|coalition victors]] refused to acknowledge his son as successor, and Napoleon I was forced to abdicate unconditionally some days later. Although Napoleon II never actually ruled France, he was briefly the [[titular ruler|titular]] Emperor of the French after the second fall of his father. He died of [[tuberculosis]] at the age of 21.

His cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, founded the [[Second French Empire]] in 1852 and ruled as Emperor [[Napoleon III]]. He was also the maternal great-great-grandson of Empress [[Empress Maria Theresa|Maria Theresa]], Empress of [[Habsburg Empire|Habsburg Dominions]] and [[Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor]] and great-grandson of [[Maria Carolina of Austria]], Queen of [[Naples and Sicily]].

==Biography==
[[File:François Pascal Simon Gérard 004b.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Empress Marie Louise]] and her son Napoleon, King of Rome, by [[François Gérard]], 1813]]

===Birth===
Napoleon II was born on 20 March 1811, at the [[Tuileries Palace]], the son of Emperor [[Napoleon I]] and Empress [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]]. On the same day he underwent ''ondoiement'' (a traditional French ceremony which is a simple baptism unaccompanied by the usual additional ceremonies) by [[Joseph Fesch]] with his full name of ''Napoleon François Charles Joseph''.<ref name="napoleon">{{cite web | url=http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/biographies/files/478853.asp | title=Napoleon II: King of Rome, French Emperor, Prince of Parma, Duke of Reichstadt | publisher=napoleon.org | work=The Napoleon Foundation | date=March 2011 | access-date=8 March 2012}}</ref>
The baptism, inspired by the baptismal ceremony of [[Louis, Grand Dauphin]] of France, was held on 9 June 1811 in [[Notre Dame de Paris]].<ref name="napoleon" /> [[Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg]], Austrian ambassador to France, wrote of the baptism:
{{blockquote|The baptism ceremony was beautiful and impressive; the scene in which the emperor took the infant from the arms of his noble mother and raised him up twice to reveal him to the public [thus breaking from long tradition, as he did when he crowned himself at his coronation] was loudly applauded; in the monarch's manner and face could be seen the great satisfaction that he took from this solemn moment.<ref name="napoleon" />}}

He was put in the care of [[Louise Charlotte Françoise de Montesquiou]], a descendant of [[François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois]], who was named [[Governess of the Children of France]]. Affectionate and intelligent, the governess assembled a considerable collection of books intended to give the infant a strong grounding in religion, philosophy, and military matters.<ref name="napoleon" />

===Succession rights===
As the only legitimate son of [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]], he was already constitutionally the Prince Imperial and [[heir apparent]], but the Emperor also gave his son the title of [[King of the Romans#First French Empire|King of Rome]]. Three years later, the [[First French Empire]] collapsed. Napoleon I saw his second wife and their son for the last time on 24 January 1814.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/The-First-Empire?lang=en |title=Château de Fontainebleau |publisher=Musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr |access-date=2012-08-28 |archive-date=2012-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618074733/http://musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/The-First-Empire?lang=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 4 April 1814, he abdicated in favour of his three-year-old son after the [[Six Days' Campaign]] and the [[Battle of Paris (1814)|Battle of Paris.]] The child became [[Emperor of the French]] under the [[regnal name]] of '''Napoleon II'''. However, on 6 April 1814, Napoleon I fully abdicated and renounced not only his own rights to the French throne, but also those of his descendants. The [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]] in 1814 gave the child the right to use the title of Prince of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Guastalla, and his mother was styled the [[Duchy of Parma|Duchess of Parma, of Piacenza, and of Guastalla]].

===Reign===
On 29 March 1814, [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie Louise]], accompanied by her entourage, left the [[Tuileries Palace]] with her son. Their first stop was the [[Château de Rambouillet]]; then, fearing the advancing enemy troops, they continued on to the [[Château de Blois]]. On 13 April, with her entourage much diminished, Marie Louise and her three-year-old son were back in Rambouillet, where they met her father, Emperor [[Francis I of Austria]], and Emperor [[Alexander I of Russia]]. On 23 April, escorted by an Austrian regiment, mother and son left Rambouillet and France forever, for their exile in Austria.<ref>G. Lenotre, ''le Château de Rambouillet, six siècles d'histoire'', ch. ''L'empereur'', Éditions Denoël, Paris, 1984 (1930 reedition), pp. 126–133, {{ISBN|2-207-23023-6}}.</ref>

In 1815, after his [[Hundred Days|resurgence]] and then his defeat at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]], [[Abdication of Napoleon, 1815|Napoleon I abdicated for the second time]] in favour of his four-year-old son, whom he had not seen since his exile to [[Elba]]. The day after Napoleon's abdication, a [[French Provisional Government of 1815|Commission of Government]] of five members took the rule of France,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k486114j.pleinepage.f281.langFR |title=(N.275.) Arrete par lequel la Commission du Gouvernement se constitue sous la présidence M. le Duc d'Otrante |work=Bulletin des lois de la République française |page=279 |date=23 June 1815|language=fr}}</ref> pending the return to Paris of the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] King [[Louis XVIII]], who was still in [[Le Cateau-Cambrésis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k486117p.pleinepage.f31.langFR |title=(N. 1.) Proclamation du Roi |work=Bulletin des lois de la République française |page=1 |date=25 June 1815|language=fr}}</ref> The Commission held power for two weeks, but never formally summoned Napoleon II as Emperor or appointed a regent. The entrance of the Allies into Paris on 7 July brought a rapid end to the hopes of supporters of the young Napoleon: instead, he remained in Austria with his mother.

The next Bonaparte to ascend a French imperial throne, in 1852, would be Louis-Napoleon, who took the regnal name Napoleon III.  He was the son of Napoleon's brother [[Louis Bonaparte]], who had been made [[King of Holland]] by his brother in 1806.

===Life in Austria===
{{more citations needed section|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Portrait of Napoleon II by Thomas Lawrence (1818–1819).jpg|thumb|''[[Portrait of Napoleon II]]'' by [[Thomas Lawrence]], 1819]]
From the spring of 1814 onwards, the young Napoleon lived in Austria and was known as "Franz", a German language [[cognate]] of his second given name, François. In 1818, he was awarded the title of [[Zákupy#Duke of Reichstadt|Duke of Reichstadt]] by his maternal grandfather, Emperor Francis. He was educated by a staff of military tutors and developed a passion for soldiering, dressing in a miniature uniform like his father's and performing maneuvers in the palace. At the age of 8, it was apparent to his tutors that he had chosen his career.

By 1820, Napoleon had completed his elementary studies and begun his military training, learning [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[mathematics]] as well as receiving advanced physical training. His official army career began at age 12, in 1823, when he was made a cadet in the [[Imperial Austrian Army (1806–1867)|Austrian Army]]. Accounts from his tutors describe Napoleon as intelligent, serious, and focused. Additionally, he was very tall, having grown to nearly 1.8&nbsp;m (6&nbsp;ft) by the time he was 17.

In 1822, in France, the [[Four Sergeants of La Rochelle]] were put to death for attempting to return Napoleon II to the throne, although it is unclear to what extent they were committed [[Bonapartists]]. There is no evidence that Napoleon II endorsed the attempt at insurrection.

His budding military career gave some concern and fascination to the monarchies of Europe and French leaders over his possible return to France. However, he was allowed to play no political role and instead was used by Austrian [[State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire|Chancellor]] [[Klemens von Metternich]] in bargaining with France to gain advantage for Austria. Fearful of anyone in the [[House of Bonaparte|Bonaparte family]] regaining political power, Metternich even rejected a request for Franz to move to a warmer climate in [[Italy]]. He received another rejection when his grandfather refused to allow him to join the army traveling to Italy to put down a rebellion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-ii-21272987#life-in-austria|title=''Napoleon II Biography''|access-date=2014-09-22|archive-date=2015-09-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150918012548/http://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-ii-21272987#life-in-austria|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Upon the death of his stepfather, [[Adam Albert von Neipperg]], and the revelation that his mother had borne two illegitimate children to Neipperg prior to their marriage, Franz grew distant from his mother and felt that his Austrian family were holding him back to avoid political controversy. He said to his friend, [[Anton von Prokesch-Osten]], "If [[Joséphine de Beauharnais|Joséphine]] had been my mother, my father would not have been buried at [[Saint Helena]], and I should not be at Vienna. My mother is kind but weak; she was not the wife my father deserved".<ref>Markham, Felix, ''Napoleon'', p. 249</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Herzog von Reichstadt auf dem Totenbett.jpg|thumb|Deathbed portrait, engraved by [[Franz Xaver Stöber]]]]
In 1831, Franz was given command of an Austrian battalion, but he never got the chance to serve in any meaningful capacity. In 1832, he caught [[pneumonia]] and was bedridden for several months. His poor health eventually overtook him and on 22 July 1832 Franz died of [[tuberculosis]] at [[Schönbrunn Palace]] in [[Vienna]].<ref>Altman, Gail S. Fatal Links: The Curious Deaths of Beethoven and the Two Napoleons (Paperback). Anubian Press (September 1999). {{ISBN|1-888071-02-8}}</ref> He had no children; thus the Napoleonic claim to the throne of France passed to his uncle [[Joseph Bonaparte]] and later (through Louis Bonaparte) to Franz's cousin [[Napoleon III|Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte]], who later founded and reigned over the [[Second French Empire]], styling himself Napoleon III. 

Franz's last words were, "My story is my birth and death. Between my cradle and my grave, there is a big zero".

===Disposition of his remains===
[[File:Tomb of Napoleon II of France 2.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Napoleon II at [[Les Invalides]], Paris]]
On 15 December 1940, [[Adolf Hitler]] ordered the remains of Napoleon II to be transferred from the [[Imperial Crypt]] in Vienna to the dome of [[Les Invalides]] in Paris.<ref>Poisson, Georges, (Robert L. Miller, translator), ''Hitler's Gift to France: The Return of the Ashes of Napoleon II'', Enigma Books, {{ISBN|978-1-929631-67-4}} (Synopsis & Review by Maria C. Bagshaw).</ref><ref>Poisson, Georges, ''Le retour des cendres de l'Aiglon'', Édition Nouveau Monde, Paris, 2006, {{ISBN|2847361847}} French wags at the time countered Hitler's propaganda by saying "Hitler stole France's coal, but returned to them the ashes." (French)</ref> The remains of Napoleon I had been [[Retour des cendres|returned to France]] in December 1840, at the time of the [[July Monarchy]].<ref>Driskel, Paul (1993). ''As Befits a Legend.'' Kent State University Press. p. 168 {{ISBN|0-87338-484-9}}</ref> In December 1969, the remains of Napoleon II were moved underground to the ''[[cella]]'' of [[Napoleon's tomb]].

While most of his remains were transferred to Paris in 1940, his heart and intestines remained in Vienna, which is traditional for members of the [[Habsburg]] family. His heart is in Urn 42 of the ''[[Herzgruft]]'' ('Heart Crypt'), and his viscera are in Urn 76 of the [[Ducal Crypt, Vienna|Ducal Crypt]].{{clear left}}

==Legacy==
* In 1900, [[Edmond Rostand]] wrote a play, ''[[L'Aiglon]]'', about his life. 
* [[Serbia]]n composer [[Petar Stojanović (composer)|Petar Stojanović]] composed the operetta ''[[Napoleon II: Herzog von Reichstadt]]'', which premiered in [[Vienna]] in the 1920s. 
* [[Victor Tourjansky]] directed a French-language film titled ''[[The Eaglet (1931 film)|L'Aiglon]]'' in 1931, and he also directed a separate [[The Duke of Reichstadt (1931 film)|German-language version]].
* [[Arthur Honegger]] and [[Jacques Ibert]] [[Classical music written in collaboration|collaborated]] on an opera, ''[[L'Aiglon (opera)|L'Aiglon]]'', which premiered in 1937. 
* The journalist [[Victor Henri Rochefort, Marquis de Rochefort-Luçay|Henri Rochefort]] joked that Napoleon II, having never really governed, was France's best leader, since he brought no war, taxes or tyranny.<ref>Leo A. Loubere, ''Nineteenth-Century Europe: The Revolution of Life'', Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, p. 154.</ref>
He was noted for his friendship with [[Princess Sophie of Bavaria|Sophie]], a Bavarian princess of the [[House of Wittelsbach]].{{sfn|Palmer|1994|p=3}} Intelligent, ambitious and strong-willed, Sophie had little in common with her husband [[Archduke Franz Karl of Austria|Franz Karl]], the brother of Napoleon II's mother, Empress Marie Louise. There were rumors of a love affair between Sophie and Napoleon II, as well as the possibility that Sophie's second son, [[Maximilian I of Mexico]], born in 1832, was the result issue of the affair.

==Honours==
* {{flag|Austrian Empire}}: [[Knight]] [[Grand Cross]] of the [[Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary|Order of Saint Stephen]], 1811<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|url-status= dead|title=A Szent István Rend tagjai|archive-date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|French First Empire}} [[First French Empire]]: Grand Eagle of the [[Legion of Honour]]
* [[File:Flag of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy.svg|25px]] [[Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy|Kingdom of Italy]]: Knight of the [[Order of the Iron Crown]], 1st Class
* {{flag|Duchy of Parma}}: Knight Grand Cross of the [[Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George]]

===Coats of arms===
<gallery class="center">
Image:Blason Roi de Rome.svg|[[King of the Romans#First French Empire|King of Rome]]<br />(1811{{ndash}}14)
Image:Grandes Armes Impériales (1804-1815)2.svg|[[Emperor of the French]] ([[titular ruler]])
Image:Coat of Arms of the Duke of Reichstadt (Variant 2).svg|[[Zákupy#Duke of Reichstadt|Duke of Reichstadt]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iYRrgYNPgOwC&q=herzog+von+reichstadt+wappen&pg=PA399|title=Genealogisch-historisch-statistischer Almanach|first=Georg|last=Hassel|date=1 January 1830|publisher=im Verlag des Landes-Industrie-Comptoirs.|via=Google Books}}</ref> (1818{{ndash}}32)
</gallery>

== Ancestry ==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes |align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Napoleon II'''
|2= 2. [[Napoleon]] I, Emperor of the French
|3= 3. [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma]]
|4= 4. [[Carlo Buonaparte]]
|5= 5. [[Letizia Bonaparte]]
|6= 6. [[Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|7= 7. [[Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily]]
|8= 8. [[Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte]]
|9= 9. Maria Saveria Paravicini
|10= 10. Giovanni Geronimo Ramolino
|11= 11. Angela Maria Pietrasanta
|12= 12. [[Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor]]
|13= 13. [[Maria Luisa of Spain]]
|14= 14. [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies]]
|15= 15. [[Maria Carolina of Austria]]
}}

==See also==
* [[Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot#Cradle of the King of Rome|Cradle of the King of Rome]]
* [[Palace of the King of Rome]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* [[André Castelot|Castelot, André]]. ''Napoleon's Son'' (Hamish Hamilton, 1960)
* Oddie, E. M., ''Napoleon II: King of Rome'' (Sampson Low, Marston & Co., 1925)
* {{cite book |last=Palmer |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Palmer |title=Twilight of the Habsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph |year=1994 |publisher=Atlantic Monthly Press |location=New York |isbn=0-87113-665-1 }}
* Welschinger, ''Le roi de Rome, 1811–32'', (Paris, 1897)
* Wertheimer, ''The Duke of Reichstadt'', (London, 1905)

==External links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=iYRrgYNPgOwC&dq=herzog+von+reichstadt+wappen&pg=PA399 German description of the arms of the Duke of Reichstadt, circa 1830]
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Reichstadt, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles, Duke of | volume= 23 |last= Rose | first= John Holland |author-link= John Holland Rose | pages = 49–50 |short= 1}}

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{{s-hou|[[House of Bonaparte]]|20 March|1811|22 July|1832}}
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{{S-dis|title=[[Emperor of the French]]|years=22 June – 7 July 1815}}
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{{s-new|loss|reason=[[Bourbon Restoration in France|Bourbon Restoration]]}}
{{s-tul|rows=|title=[[Emperor of the French]]|years=5 May 1821 – 22 July 1832}}
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{{s-end}}
{{Napoleon}}
{{French Pretenders}}
{{Imperial House of France (First French Empire)}}
{{Bonaparte family}}
{{Monarchs of France}}
{{Subject bar|commons=y|s=y|s-search=1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Napoleon II.}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Napoleon 02}}
[[Category:Napoleon II| ]]
[[Category:1811 births]]
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[[Category:19th-century monarchs of France]]
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[[Category:Children of Napoleon]]
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[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
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[[Category:Nobility from Paris]]
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[[Category:Sons of duchesses regnant]]
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[[Category:Austrian Empire military personnel]]
[[Category:Expatriates in the Austrian Empire]]
[[Category:Tuberculosis deaths in the Austrian Empire]]
[[Category:Burials at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna]]
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