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Manuscript Account by Napoleon's Valet Describing the Empero

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:600.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,200.00 USD
Manuscript Account by Napoleon's Valet Describing the Empero

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Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
6pp, 7 x 8.75", ALS in French, ca 1841. To Jerome-Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (Napoleon's youngest brother) describing the exhumation of Napoleon's body on St. Helena (Ste. Hélène) in October 1840 and its transport back to Paris. Marchand documents the excellent state of preservation of Napoleon's body, even after burial for nearly 2 decades.

Louis Marchand (1791-1876) was Napoleon's young valet, only 26 when Napoleon's exile began, and executor of his will. Napoleon is reported to have treated Marchand like a son, leaving him 400,000 francs in his will. Napoleon wanted to be buried on the banks of the Seine, but the British would not allow his body to be returned to France after his death, so he was buried in the "Valley of the Willows" on St. Helena. Nearly two decades later, Jerome and Louis-Philippe arranged to have the remains returned to France. Further disputes necessitated a second "temporary burial" until the permanent tomb at Les Invalides was completed two more decades later (1861). 

Condition: With an acceptable translation.