Marie-Louise Bonaparte - Vienna, Austria
N 48° 12.342 E 016° 22.218
33U E 601810 N 5340071
Marie Louise of Austria was the second wife of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French and later Duchess of Parma. Her tomb is located in the Kaisergruft in central Vienna.
Waymark Code: WMJ5NW
Location: Wien, Austria
Date Posted: 09/28/2013
Views: 6
After escaping an assassination attempt in Vienna while negotiating the Treaty of Schönbrunn on 12 October 1809, Emperor Napoleon decided that he needed an heir to cement his relatively young Empire. He also sought the validation and legitimation of his Empire by marrying a member of one of the leading royal families of Europe. He began proceedings to divorce Joséphine de Beauharnais, who could not bear him a son, and began searching for a new empress.
At the persuasion of Count Metternich, a marriage between Napoleon and Marie Louise was suggested by Emperor Francis to the Count of Narbonne but no official overture was made by the Austrians. Though officials in Paris and Austria were beginning to accept the possibility of the union, Marie Louise was kept uninformed of developments.
In late January 1810 Napoleon began negotiations to marry Marie Louise with the Austrian ambassador, the Prince of Schwarzenberg. Schwarzenberg signed the marriage contract on 7 February. Marie Louise was informed of the marriage by Metternich. When asked for consent, she replied: "I wish only what my duty commands me to wish."
Marie Louise was married by proxy to Napoleon on 11 March 1810 at the Augustinian Church, Vienna. Napoleon was represented by Archduke Charles, the bride's uncle.
The excitement surrounding the wedding ushered in a period of peace and friendship between France and Austria, who had been largely at war for the last two decades. The people of Vienna, who hated Napoleon only months before, were suddenly in full praise of the French Emperor.
Marie Louise departed Vienna on March 13, probably expecting never to return. She met Napoleon for the first time on March 27 in Compiègne, remarking to him: "You are much better-looking than your portrait."
How identified / Comment identifie: Museum / Musee
Name of book, tour, or museum - Preciser le nom si livre, tour, ou musee: Kaisergruft
Relevant Website / Site web pertinent: [Web Link]
Visiting Days or Hours / Heures d'ouverture:
Daily, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
If "other" specify / preciser si "autre": Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:[EN] Include at minimum a complete sentence which reflects your experience visiting the site and upload a photo taken by you at the site if possible.
[FR] Ecrivez au moins une phrase complète qui décrira votre expérience lors de la visite et téléchargez une photo du site prise par vous si possible.