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France - 1810

Marriage of Napoleon I and Marie Louise

Obverse:

Two busts as the preceding; the diadem on head of the Empress ornamented: no legend.

Exergue:

ANDRIEU. F.

Size:

15 mm.

Reverse:

type and legend the same as preceding. On base of the altar, GALLE. F.

Exergue:

1810

Laskey:

The four preceding medals were ordered to be struck by the government of France, on the marriage of Napoleon with Maria Louisa, Archduchess of Austria, daughter of the Austrian Emperor. The varieties of all these medals have been struck since, and intended to receive an engraved inscription of the event, at the option of the purchaser. After repudiating his wife Josephine, the Prince of Neufchatel was dispatched to Vienna, to demand the hand of Maria Louisa for the Emperor Napoleon. On the 27th of February, 1810, the Emperor Napoleon notified this event to the Senate, informing them, at the same time, that a contract had already been entered into with her father for that purpose: in fact the business had been so completely arranged, that a very few days after his Ambassador's arrival at Vienna, the usual ceremony was performed, the Archduke Charles being the proxy of Napoleon on the occasion.

The ceremony took place on the 11th of March, and was followed by many fetes, rejoicings, &c.; soon after which the new Empress set off for Paris, by a road literally strewed with flowers, and was met at Compiegne by the Emperor Napoleon.

The marriage took place with the Emperor on the 2nd of April, at Paris, when the train of the Empress was supported by four Queens; after which the Emperor and his bride set off for St. Cloud. Three days afterwards, they received the congratulations of the Senate, on which occasion Napoleon's answer was short and general; but the Empress, contrary to the practice of her predecessors, made no reply.

The general report at this time was, that the marriage of the Archduchess Maria Louisa with the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, was one of the secret articles of the treaty of Vienna. The author when at Paris, 1816, speaking on this subject, was positively assured by one of the council, that this opinion was groundless, and without the least foundation; that the event was spontaneous and sudden, that it derived in the first instance from the Emperor of Austria himself, who, on hearing that an alliance was about to be formed by Napoleon either with the court of Russia or Saxony, expressed himself somewhat surprised that Napoleon had not wished an alliance with his house; this was communicated to Napoleon by dispatches from Vienna, who on receiving these hints, immediately summoned a privy council at the Tuileries, 1st February, 1810; in the council, there was a diversity of opinions, the Russian, the Austrian, and the Saxon alliance, were respectively supported by the members, but Prince Eugene having been the first to decide in favour of the Austrian alliance, the majority of the council followed, it being presumed that this prince had fully known the wishes of the Emperor : though, had the decision been otherwise, whatever might have been Napoleon's feelings on the occasion, he was determined to submit, considering what was done, was intended for the beneficial interest of all France. The council was dissolved at two o'clock in the morning of the following day, and Prince Eugene was authorised immediately to communicate the result to Prince Schwartzenberg, and the farther preliminaries were ordered to be entered on with the ambassador of Austria, then accredited at Napoleon's court; and farther, that no mistake or delay might take place, the minister of foreign relations was empowered to sign, word for word, the same form of contract which had been agreed upon in the marriage of Louis XVI. and the Archduchess Maria Antoinetta. Thus this event was begun, discussed, and concluded within the space of twenty-four hours; and on the 7th February, 1810, the contract of marriage was signed at Paris.

By this marriage, Napoleon became related to the Emperor of Austria, as his son-in-law, nephew to the Archduke Charles, great nephew to the Queen of Naples, first cousin to Ferdinand the VIIth of Spain, and to the Prince Regent of Portugal, besides being cousin to the amiable Duchess of Angouleme, as well as related to the present reigning family of France.

Bramsen:

Bramsen - 956
Mariage à Paris avec Marie-Louise. (Andrieu et Galle.)

Comme celui du N^o 952.

Rev: Comme celui du N^o 952, avec la différence, qu'à l'exergue on lit: 1810.

Médaille, 15 mm. - T. N. 39, 6; M. F. 388, 150 D.

Des médailles des quatre modules différents décrits sous les numéros 952, 954, 955 et 956 furent frappées à l'occasion du mariage au 2 Avril. Les plus grandes furent données, en or ou en argent, aux personnes qui assistèrent á cérémonie. Les plus petites furent jetées au peuple.

d'Essling:

d'Essling - 1290
Mariage à Paris (Andrieu et Galle)

Types précédents

Or, arg. et br. 15 mm.