Bonaparte Claimant: Victor Napoleon (1862-1926)


Figure 1.-This is the Princess Victor Napoleon with her children. Prince Victor married rather late in life. He married Princess Clémentine of Belgium (1872–1955) at Moncalieri (1910). She was daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium and Marie Henriette of Austria. They had two children. Their daughter was Princess Marie Clotilde Eugénie Alberte Laëtitia Généviève Bonaparte (1912–1996). Their son was Prince Louis Napoléon (1914–97). -

Prince Victor was the oldest son of the Prince joseph Napoleon (1822-91), the heir apparent, and his wife, Princess Marie Clothilde of Savoy, daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. He was born in the Palais Royal of Paris. The Second French Empire was very well established at the time. Two younger siblings would soon follow: Prince Louis (1864–1932) and Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte (1866–1926), later the Duchess of Aosta. At the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession to the throne behind the Prince Imperial and his father. The Empire came to an end with the abdication of the Emperor Napoleon III during the Franco-Prussian War (1870). The boys were raised in both France and England where for several years they lived in exile. Here we see Prince Victor and his youngr brother in exile in Britain about 1875 (figure 3). Knee pants for boys were becoming increasingly common in the 1870s, but both boys wear long pants. Victor became the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne (1879-1926). He was thus known as Napoléon V by Bonapartists.

Parents

Prince Victor was the oldest son of Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, Prince Français, Count de Meudon, Count di Moncalieri ad personam, 3rd Prince von Montfort (commonly known as Prince Napoléon and occasionally as Prince Jérôme Napoléon (1822 – 91). His mother was Princess Marie Clothilde of Savoy, daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy. Prince Napoleon was the second son of Jérôme Bonaparte, king of Westphalia, by his wife Princess Catherine of Württemberg.

Childhood

He was born in the Palais Royal of Paris. The Second French Empire was very well established at the time. At the time of his birth, he was third in the line of succession to the throne behind the Prince Imperial and his father. The Empire came to an end with the abdication of the Emperor Napoleon III during the Franco-Prussian War (1870). The boys were raised in both France and England where for several years they lived in exile. On the previous page we see Prince Victor and his youngr brother in exile in Britain about 1875 (figure 3). Knee pants for boys were becoming increasingly common in the 1870s, but both boys wear long pants.

Siblings

Two younger siblings would soon follow: Prince Louis (1864–1932) and Princess Maria Letizia Bonaparte (1866–1926), later the Duchess of Aosta.

Claimants

Victor became the Bonapartist pretender to the French throne (1879-1926). He was thus known as Napoléon V by Bonapartists. Prince Victor was appointed to head the house of Bonaparte when he was 18 years old. Prince Imperail Napoléon Eugène died and left this provision in his will designating his grandson rather than his son (1879). At the time many Bonnapartists preferred his younger brother, Prince Louis, a colonel in the Russian Imperial Guard. The Prince Imperial's decision to bypass Prince Victor's father led to a falling out between father Victor nd his father.

Exile

Royalists and Bonapartists continyed to have following in France. The French Republic to remove disruptive ekements, xpelled the princes of the former ruling dynasties. Prince Victor left France for exile in Belgium (May 1886) [Chase]

Drefus Affair (1894-1906)

There are accounts that suggest that the royalists/Bonpartists had some opportunity to overrthrow the Republic in the early-20th century. This sounds far fetched to us, but we do not pretend to lnpw enough about French politics to realy know. President Félix Faure died (1899). France was already in turmoil as a result of the Drefus affair (1894-1906). Political factions were attempting to use the crisis to advance their parties. Prince Victor announced to a delegation from the Imperialist committee that he was going to restore the Empire when he felt that the time was favourable. He explained he would head of the movement with his brother, Prince Louis, fighting at his side. He believed that this would be "bringing to the Bonapartist forces his prestige and his military talents as well as his rank in the Russian army". The Duke of Orléans, rival claimant to the throne, also had forces available and they were ready to cross the French frontier at same time as the Bonapartist forces. As far as we can tell, this was all purely imaginary. The anticipated uprising in France never materialised. Still at least one author believes that the French Third Republic survived one of its gravest crises.

Marriage

Prince Victor married rather late in life. He married Princess Clémentine of Belgium (1872–1955) at Moncalieri (1910). She was daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium and Marie Henriette of Austria. We suspect that the trrible relvations about Leopold's reign of terror in the Congo damaged his daughter's marriage prospcts. They had two children. Their daughter was Princess Marie Clotilde Eugénie Alberte Laëtitia Généviève Bonaparte (1912–1996). She married Comte Serge de Witt and had one child. Their son was Prince Louis Napoléon (1914–97).

Final Years

Prince Victor died in exile in Brussels (1926). The French author Charles Maurras was with him. Desribing Prince Victor's service as pretender, "... he had not offered any new ideas since 1884 and no radical alternatives to republican governments. [Gildea, p. 78.] Prince Victor was succeeded as the Bonaparte heir by his only son Prince Louis.

Sources

Chase, Israel Smith. Library of Universal History (1897).

Gildea, Robert. The Past in French History (Yale University Press: 1994). .







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Created: 11:00 PM 8/4/2017
Last updated: 11:00 PM 8/4/2017