It’s all about to get controversial! Day 5 of #MarshalAdventCalendar is Napoleon’s ultimate frenemy and the marshal who went on to gain a throne and actually keep it: Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte.
I’m doing my best to be concise but this will be a longer thread!
I’m doing my best to be concise but this will be a longer thread!
Bernadotte was born in Pau and was the son of the prosecutor. He was intended for a law career but this was halted (spot the theme) by the death of his father. Instead he enlisted.
He rose as high as a commoner could under the Bourbons… then the Revolution came.
He rose as high as a commoner could under the Bourbons… then the Revolution came.
The new opportunities provided by the Revolution meant that Bernadotte could gain extremely rapid promotion and showcase his ability as a commander. He performed well at Fleurus and Theiningen before he eventually had to leave Germany for Italy instead.
There he met Napoleon with whom he began an uneasy working relationship. Bernadotte undermined N by sending deliberately differing addresses to the directory, while Napoleon blocked Barras’s attempt to make Bernadotte the commander in chief of the Army of Italy.
Things got more complicated when Bernadotte married Napoleon’s ex-fiancé Desiree Clary and carefully sat on the fence during the Brumaire coup. He and Napoleon continued to undermine each other at almost every step.
Despite this, Bernadotte became a marshal in 1804. His first couple of years went well but then came Auerstadt, when he failed to come to Davout’s aid and left him facing a force nigh 3 times his size.
This is generally accepted to be down to lack of clarity of orders, not spite
This is generally accepted to be down to lack of clarity of orders, not spite
The situation was not helped by the fact that Bernadotte and Davout mutually detested each other. Incandescent, Davout wanted to fight a duel and Napoleon claimed that were it not for consideration of Desiree, he’d have had Bernadotte shot.
After taking part in the Pursuit of the Three Marshals, Bernadotte’s humane and honourable treatment of Swedish prisoners was to change his life. Charles XIII needed an heir and in 1810 Bernadotte was chosen for that role by some of those prisoners.
Napoleon initially wanted the Swedish crown to go to Eugene but it was out with his control and he had to accept that it would go to Bernadotte, whom he released from his oath of allegiance. This began the ultimate decline of their relationship.
In 1812, Sweden joined the Sixth Coalition and Bernadotte fought against his former comrades until Napoleon’s defeat.
He went on to rule Sweden for 26 years and became extremely conservative, despite his Jacobin history and ‘death to tyrants’ tattoo.
He went on to rule Sweden for 26 years and became extremely conservative, despite his Jacobin history and ‘death to tyrants’ tattoo.
Many Bonapartist commentators call him a traitor and consequently rank him as one of the worst marshals. I’ll finish off with Napoleon’s words:
“He became a sort of Swede and never made any promise to remain true. I can accuse him of ingratitude, but not of treason”.
“He became a sort of Swede and never made any promise to remain true. I can accuse him of ingratitude, but not of treason”.
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