Eugénie : The empress and her empire by Desmond Seward (PDF)

Description

From 1853 to 1870 Eugénie de Montijo was Empress of the French, sharing the Second Empire with her husband Napoleon III.The last woman to reign over France, she personifies the allure glimpsed in Winterhalter’s portraits and the music of Jacques Offenbach. It was ‘eighteen years of self-indulgence, folly and wild gaiety, of love affairs and unbelievable elegance’, a survivor wistfully recalled. ‘For a short time, too short a time, it seemed as if we were glittering ghosts from the splendours of the eighteenth century.’ In many ways the Second Empire was a final flicker of the ancient regime.This meticulously researched portrait reveals the empress as a nineteenth century fashion icon who possessed an intelligent and politically shrewd mind, whose splendour faded from view along with the Second Empire.Praise for Eugenie: The empress and her empire:‘Successfully persuades us that any history of the nineteenth century which ignores her impact is hardly worth reading’ – Literary Review‘A brilliantly told biography that resurrects Eugénie and her Empire in all its shimmering glitziness’ – Daily Mail‘This is revisionist history at its best’ – Andrew RobertsDesmond Seward is a British popular historian, best known for The Hundred Years War, never out of print since 1978, The Monks of War, The Wars of the Roses and Richard III – all republished by the Folio Society. His latest is The Demon’s Brood, a history of the Plantagenet kings in one short volume.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐The Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, is virtually forgotten today. I knew of her mostly through (1) the reference in Gone With the Wind (Scarlet and Rhett’s daughter is named after Eugenie, although the daughter is never called by that name), (2) the famous Winterhalter portrait of Eugenie with the ladies of her court and (3) her portrayal by Loretta Young in the 1938 movie, Suez. None of those, of course, told me much about the real person. I had no idea what I was missing.Eugenie was a remarkable woman, beautiful, intelligent, charming, absolutely fearless, and an early feminist. She was actually a Spaniard, from a well-to-do family and blessed with a very dynamic mother. Eugenie’s sister married a very wealthy Spanish nobleman, and her mother was determined to find an equally grand husband for Eugenie. That was such a well-known fact that Eugenie gained a reputation as an adventuress. Her marriage to Louis-Napoleon (Napoleon III) was very controversial and, in many quarters, very unpopular.The history books tell us of the rise and fall of Napoleon III, but Eugenie’s influence and her power are fluffed off, in favor of discussions of her beauty and wardrobe. She deserves better. As one example, she attempted to better the lives of poor people in general and women in particular, providing education and job opportunities (such as insisting the French postal service hire women), even helping female prisoners. She also supported female artists, such as Rosa Bonheur.She was politically astute, and twice served as Napoleon’s regent. She herself at times seemed to have a better view of reality than he. She did have a dark streak, certainly, that included what the author constantly refers to as a bad temper. She also had an interesting “obsession” with Marie Antoinette, whose fate she (and many others) feared she would follow. This is perfectly reasonable, however, when we read of how the French viewed Eugenie, especially as Napoleon’s reign faltered, blaming her for anything that went wrong, no matter how preposterous.It’s impossible not to admire this woman. At age 93, she had more energy than many people at 23, but she certainly was not always happy.There were many surprises in this book. For instance, how many people could imagine that the life of the French Empress was actually saved by an American?There were a few minor disappointments in the book, some of them personal for me that may not bother other people. For instance, the author mentions that after her exile, Eugenie “renewed” her friendship with the Empress Elizabeth (Sissi) of Austria-Hungary. That was the first mention of Sissi, and I had been waiting to hear of her, being a huge follower of Sissi’s. When had the two met earlier? Other than referring to Sissi as a “slightly unbalanced wanderer,” the author really has precious little to say about her or their friendship. Also, earlier in the book, there is a mention of Eugenie traveling to Scotland in part to visit her friend, the Duchess of Hamilton, who had not been mentioned earlier. Who was she? I wanted to know. There are several such characters who pop up suddenly and then disappear.I should also mention that I did get a bit irritated with numerous mentions of Eugenie having a furious temper, describing her as being hysterical or ranting. However, in each instance, it seems she had a perfect right to be upset. For instance, in one case, her husband literally chased after another woman, leaving Eugenie abandoned in front of hundreds of people. Can you imagine how the average husband – let alone an emperor — would react if his wife got up and ran after another man and left the husband alone in front of everyone? Why is it wrong for a woman to be upset when she is publicly humiliated? And keep in mind that her husband did this to her all the time. I would sooner think something was wrong with her if she didn’t become angry.

⭐I knew very little about the Empress except she was a fashion icon in her day. It’s just so sad how she was treated. At times I skipped tedious geographical detail to get to the human aspects of her life.

⭐This book about Eugenie is the most positive and readable of recent books and helped launch me on my research that led to my book, Imperial Wedding. The author is sympathetic toward Eugenie and makes her three-dimensional. She was the most overlooked woman in history, and there are many Americans who have never heard of her in spite of her degree of power and her role in sending troops to Mexico. In most respects, she was a woman who seemed very contemporary, and her anguish for the Duke of Sesto made her continue to create new dramatic episodes like a kaleidoscope. She must have been despised since her ultra-dramatic life has never been made into a movie. My book deals a good deal more explicitly with her motivations, but this earlier book introduced me to Eugenie and it is a good overview of a fascinating woman. The only missing component was her intense passion for the Duke of Sesto during the years she was Empress of the French. Nancy Becker, author, Imperial Wedding of Old Paris

⭐This book does a very good job of bringing Eugenie to life, a life that included many difficulties and sorrows. She was a remarkable woman in many ways with a clarity of vision that was astounding. The book also gave me an understanding of a nearly forgotten (for me at least) period in France and Europe. In many ways, the demise of the Second Empire made World Wars I and II “almost” inevitable. Because Seward does not necessary present the information in a linear fashion, however, it was sometimes for me a little difficult to follow. Nevertheless, I recommend this book to anyone interested in the remarkable period known as “the Second Empire” and the fascinating Eugenie.

⭐I think it should be called the Up & Down of Napoleon III and Eugenie’s participation, a good description of her as an allied and a supporter. Shows her uncanny perception of the world they lived in and her ability to suggest the right moves even in war situations. I would have liked to read more of her and her internal struggles, she was loved in Spain, there was even a song about her leaving to France ( Eugenia the Montijo , que pena, pena que te vayas the Espana para ser reina ), I yearn to read more about that, reading this book was pleasant and informative but not what I was looking for. I guess I will have to keep up looking:)

⭐capturing napoleon iii heart and becoming empress of france would lead you to think her life would be happy ever after.but eugenie had a difficult birth of her only child made made it dangerous for another child ending her sex life with husband who carry on affairs that cause her great angry and pain.she became a fashion plate ,but also put reforms to help the poor and disavantage of france.after fall of empire she lived in england for 50 years losting her husband and son.

⭐I had very little knowledge on Eugenie other then she was Empress of France and lost her only child. I’ve never been interested much in Napoleon III’s reign or his consort but decided to give this book a try. I was pleasently surprised by what I read. Like the Eugenie was Spanish or that she was probably a better politican then her husband. Eugenie went from being bascially a no body to Empress of France and only to end up in exile after her husband was defeated. It must have been heartbreaking to lose her only child. A wonderful bio.

⭐Way too long and drawn out

⭐Starts well and finishes well, especially from the 1870 war onwards, but in between Mr Seward falls into the trap of so many biographers, he falls in love with his subject. Not particularly surprising given that Eugenie was such a strident, passionate but difficult womanLouis Napoleon was the least worst option in 1848 and the fear of a repeat of 1789 (and 1792) drove the bourgeois to support his coup of 1851, allowing him to become emperor and live off the myth of his uncle. In the event he never quite lived up to that myth but, to the relief of the bourgeois, he kept the socialists out of power. However, throughout his reign there was a certain political tension, particularly in Paris, fuelled by censorship and repression. Napoleon stifled political debate.Eugenie, as a woman, as a foreigner, as the wife of the Emperor, tended to amplify that political tension rather than defuse it. It seems, with the benefit of hindsight, she may have been the wrong woman for the job.The air of political tension pervading during the empire doesn’t really materialise in Mr Seward’s book. Eugenie is just too good, it always seems to be someone else’s fault and if her volatile character is mentioned in another biography, it apparently becomes ‘suspect’.Nevertheless, well written and the sections on the Franco-Prussian war and the exile are excellent. They save the book.

⭐I enjoyed every syllable of this magnificent study of a truly exceptional woman. Eugenie and her Era will never die while this brilliantly written book is in print.

⭐Arrived In Perfect Condition. thank you very much.

⭐I was disappointed with this. Very dry and after the opening chapters a bit boring. I have a lot of biographies but donated this after I’d read it as I didn’t think I would read it again

⭐Very interesting biography of a Spanish Aristocrat who became Empress of the French in the middle of the 19 Century. Against all odds, she was able to marry the French Emperor Napoleon III. She fast became a fashion icon, gave to France a new Crown Prince and was the center of a brilliant Imperial Court. We follow Eugenie in the different Imperial residences in in Paris, Saint-Cloud, Fontainebleau, Compiegne and Biarritz. But the growing political tension in Europe will lead to war and will end abruptly the French 2d Empire. For Eugenie, it’s the beginning of her downfall. What a great story to read. I highly recommend it.

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