Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien
Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon entered the world on the 2nd of August 1772 at the Château de Chantilly. This estate served as the country residence for the Princes of Condé, a title he inherited from birth. He was the only son of Louis Henri de Bourbon and Bathilde d'Orléans. His mother was the sole surviving daughter of Louis Philippe d'Orléans and Louise Henriette de Bourbon. Her brother became the future Philippe Égalité, making Enghien a first cousin to the future King Louis-Philippe I. The young prince carried double descent from Louis XIV through his legitimated daughters. His parents separated in 1778 after his father's affair with Marguerite Catherine Michelot came to light. Michelot was a Paris Opera singer who bore two illegitimate daughters to the Duke of Bourbon. Enghien received private education from Abbé Millot and military training from Commodore de Vinieux.
The outbreak of the French Revolution forced the family into exile just days after the Storming of the Bastille. Enghien joined his father and grandfather abroad to raise forces for invading France. In 1792, he held command within the corps organized by his grandfather, the Prince of Condé. This Army of Condé participated in the unsuccessful invasion led by the Duke of Brunswick. The duke continued serving under his father and grandfather on several occasions. He distinguished himself repeatedly by showing bravery and ardour in the vanguard positions. The force dissolved following the peace of Lunéville in February 1801. Afterward, he privately married Princess Charlotte de Rohan near the Rhine. They took up residence at Ettenheim in Baden while waiting for political changes.
Early in 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte heard news connecting the young duke with the Cadoudal Affair. Police tracked royalists Jean-Charles Pichegru and Georges Cadoudal who wished to overthrow the regime. False reports claimed the duke made secret journeys into France with Charles François Dumouriez. No evidence existed that the duke had dealings with either conspirator. However, he stood condemned in absentia for fighting against the French Republic in the Armée des Émigrés. French dragoons crossed the Rhine secretly on the 15th of March 1804. They surrounded his house and brought him to Strasbourg before moving him to the Château de Vincennes. A military commission presided over by General Pierre-Augustin Hulin convened hastily to try him. Anne Jean Marie René Savary arrived with instructions to kill the duke. He prevented any interview between the condemned man and the First Consul.
On the 21st of March 1804 a platoon of the Gendarmes d'élite carried out the execution order. The Duke was shot in the moat of the castle near a grave already prepared. His last words were I must die then at the hands of Frenchmen. In 1816 his remains were exhumed and placed in the Holy Chapel of the Château de Vincennes. Joséphine and Madame de Rémusat had begged Bonaparte to spare the duke earlier. Nothing would bend his will despite their pleas. Whether Talleyrand or Fouché bore responsibility remains debatable among historians. Napoleon later claimed he would do the same again under similar circumstances. He inserted this declaration into his own will while in exile.
Royalty across Europe reacted with shock and dismay to the death of the Duke of Enghien. Tsar Alexander I of Russia felt especially alarmed by the event. He decided to curb Napoleon's power immediately after hearing the news. Baden was the territory of the tsar's father-in-law during that period. The German principalities formed part of the Holy Roman Empire where Russia acted as guarantor. The execution shocked the aristocracy who still remembered the bloodletting of the Revolution. Either Antoine Boulay comte de la Meurthe or Napoleon's chief of police Fouché said it was worse than a crime. They called it a blunder instead of a simple act of justice. This statement is sometimes attributed to Talleyrand rather than the politicians involved directly.
In contrast to European outrage, the execution appeared to quiet domestic resistance within France. Napoleon soon set up a military dictatorship by crowning himself Emperor of the French. Cadoudal exclaimed upon hearing the proclamation that they wanted to make a king but made an emperor instead. On his way to St. Helena Napoleon asserted he would repeat the act in similar circumstances. He stated it was necessary for the safety interest and honour of the French people. Comte d'Artois had confessed to supporting sixty assassins at Paris according to Napoleon. The execution helped him consolidate power while alienating foreign monarchies. His will contained a declaration justifying the killing as essential for state security.
Leo Tolstoy discussed the killing of the Duke in the opening book of War and Peace. A vicomte named Mortemart served as focus for Russian aristocrats gathered at Anna Pavlovna Sherer's home. The group immediately began discussing the murder of the Duc d'Enghien after his death. They claimed even partial observers ceased regarding Buonaparte as a hero following the event. Anecdotes circulated about Enghien visiting Mademoiselle George secretly in Paris. She was indeed Napoleon's mistress but no evidence linked the duke to her house. Alexandre Dumas referenced the death in The Knight of Sainte-Hermine published later. He wrote that Bonaparte desired all France to realize Bourbon blood held no special value. The Count of Monte Cristo also briefly mentioned shooting the poor Duc d'Enghien without treaty trouble. These works shaped historical memory long after the actual events occurred.
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Common questions
When was Louis Antoine Duke of Enghien born?
Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon entered the world on the 2nd of August 1772 at the Château de Chantilly. He inherited the title of Prince of Condé from birth as the only son of Louis Henri de Bourbon and Bathilde d'Orléans.
Why did Napoleon execute Louis Antoine Duke of Enghien in 1804?
Napoleon ordered the execution because police connected the duke with the Cadoudal Affair involving royalists Jean-Charles Pichegru and Georges Cadoudal who wished to overthrow the regime. False reports claimed the duke made secret journeys into France with Charles François Dumouriez despite no evidence existing that he had dealings with either conspirator.
How did Louis Antoine Duke of Enghien die on the 21st of March 1804?
A platoon of the Gendarmes d'élite carried out the execution order by shooting the Duke in the moat of the castle near a grave already prepared. His last words were I must die then at the hands of Frenchmen before his remains were exhumed and placed in the Holy Chapel of the Château de Vincennes in 1816.
Who was responsible for the death of Louis Antoine Duke of Enghien according to historical records?
Anne Jean Marie René Savary arrived with instructions to kill the duke while General Pierre-Augustin Hulin presided over the military commission that tried him hastily. Whether Talleyrand or Fouché bore responsibility remains debatable among historians though Napoleon later claimed he would do the same again under similar circumstances.
What impact did the execution of Louis Antoine Duke of Enghien have on European royalty?
Royalty across Europe reacted with shock and dismay to the death of the Duke of Enghien causing Tsar Alexander I of Russia to decide to curb Napoleon's power immediately after hearing the news. The German principalities formed part of the Holy Roman Empire where Russia acted as guarantor so the event shocked aristocracy who still remembered the bloodletting of the Revolution.