What made Napoleon Bonaparte change his mind about Russian generals, and who saved the life of the deposed emperor

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It is not known how the French history would have developed, if the Russian Count Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov did not interfere in the events long past. Being on the instructions of the Emperor Alexander I, accompanied by the cortege of the exiled Napoleon, he protected the safety of the latter by all means, sometimes endangering his own life. The grateful Bonaparte appreciated the dedication of his escort and presented him with a valuable thing, which he himself did not part with for almost 15 years.

How Napoleon abdicated the throne

After the entry of the Russian and allied troops into Paris on March 31, 1814, a real threat arose that the armies could avenge Moscow by burning the French capital with fire. To avoid the destruction of the city, Napoleon's abdication from the throne was required: after almost a week of deliberation, the emperor was forced to leave the throne.

Initially, Bonaparte disowned him in favor of his only legitimate son, Napoleon, François Joseph, making his wife Marie-Louise regent. However, due to the disagreement of Alexander I with such a decision, the French emperor had to sign an act of abdication both for himself and for his heir. It happened on April 6, 1814, and on the same day the Senate announced the restoration of the power of the Bourbons, and at the same time the Constitution of the country.

What the Treaty of Fontainebleau provided for

Representatives of several countries - Russia, Austria, Bohemia, Hungary and Prussia - took part in agreeing the conditions under which Bonaparte's abdication was to take place. By April 11, 1814, they had prepared a final document containing 21 articles. Their common essence boiled down to the fact that Napoleon and Marie-Louise retained the imperial titles: however, they, along with the present and subsequent heirs, were deprived of any claims to the throne.

In addition, the treaty provided for Napoleon to receive the Mediterranean island of Elba, as well as the right to have personal protection of no more than four hundred guards. The spouse of Bonaparte mentioned in the agreement - Marie-Louise became the owner of the Duchy of Parma, which included the cities of Piacenza and Guastalla; their son Napoleon the Younger was allowed to inherit the title of the parents.

At the same time, Bonaparte was deprived of crown jewels and real estate in France - everything was transferred to the ownership of the French kingdom. The defeated emperor himself, according to the Treaty of Fontainebleau, was to be expelled from the country and taken under guard to the island of Elba, where he was to spend an indefinite time in exile.

How Napoleon was escorted south, and how the ousted emperor was on the verge of death

At the end of April, Napoleon began his journey into exile. Having said goodbye to the guards loyal to him, Bonaparte, accompanied by a small convoy, set off for the port of Frejus - here the emperor was waiting for a ship to the island. Among the foreign emissaries assigned to him was Count Shuvalov, a Russian lieutenant general, adjutant of Alexander I, sent by the Russian tsar to control the security and safety of Napoleon.

The road to the port lay across the entire territory of France, and if near the capital the former monarch was shouted "Long live the emperor!" So, driving through Provence, Napoleon heard swearing and curses in his address, and having entered the town of Orgon, he was exposed to real danger, which almost took his life.

The enraged crowd, which, by the arrival of the motorcade, specially built a scaffold from the gallows in the form of a stuffed Napoleon, rushed to the carriage with the intention of publicly dealing with the exile. Having crushed the escorts and foreign emissaries, the townspeople were already close to their goal, but the onslaught of Pavel Andreevich Shuvalov, who came to the rescue, slowed down the process of the planned reprisals. Thanks to the pause that arose, the coachman managed to take the carriage out of the crowd, and, having dispersed the horses, broke away from its pursuers.

Boundless Russian generosity, or what Count Shuvalov went to to save Napoleon's life

Having let go of the victim, the townspeople, distraught with rage, almost tore the Count himself to pieces. Shuvalov was saved by the fact that he managed to say who he is and what his mission is. When the crowd learned that there was a Russian general in front of it, the people's anger was quickly replaced by exultation with joyful exclamations of "Long live our liberators!"

Having safely left the troubled Orgon, the count on another carriage caught up with Napoleon's cortege, after which he respectfully asked Bonaparte to exchange carriages and outerwear. To the surprised eminent Frenchman, the general explained that this was necessary for safety: in the event of an attempt on the life of the intruders, the count would suffer, while Napoleon would save his life without risking it. When asked why he did this, Shuvalov replied: “I am fulfilling the will of my Emperor Alexander, who entrusted me to accompany you to the place of exile in full health. It is my duty of honor to carry out the imperial order."

How Napoleon Bonaparte thanked the Russian general

A few days after the trick with changing overcoats and exchanging carriages, Napoleon, alive and well, was taken to the southeast of France to the port city of Frejus. From here, on the British frigate "Indomitable" Bonaparte was to go into exile on the Elbe. Before boarding, the French emperor gave Pavel Andreevich his own saber - with this gift he expressed his gratitude to the count for his life, protected on the way.

You should know that the First Consul of the French Republic practically never parted with the luxurious weapon made of the Damascus saber, received in 1799 for the Egyptian campaign. The fact that Napoleon presented a very valuable thing for himself to a Russian general was an expression of genuine gratitude that the emperor could not convey in any other way. By the way, a gift with a personalized inscription on the blade in honor of Bonaparte has survived to this day and is in the State Historical Museum in Moscow.

After the saber was handed over to Pavel Shuvalov, the frigate sailed away, taking Napoleon, as it seemed, for a long time from French land. However, as it turns out later: in less than a year, the emperor will return to his homeland that had exiled him and for 100 days again become the ruler of France.

It is also important that France was very popular in Russian high society. The nobles were fluent in the language, sometimes to the detriment of their native language. And there are very specific reasons why French became the native language of the Russian elite.