The Second Funeral of Napoleon

In Short

This narrative account documents the 1840 repatriation of Napoleon’s body from exile to his final resting place at the Invalides in Paris. It follows the journey from the exhumation on St. Helena to the elaborate, often gaudy, funeral ceremonies in the French capital. Written with a sharp, skeptical eye, the work critiques the political theater surrounding the event, contrasting the cold reality of a corpse with the frantic, performative nationalism of the French public and the calculated pragmatism of the ruling class.

The Story

The story begins with a diplomatic arrangement: the French government, led by the King, asks for the return of Napoleon’s remains from England. The English government agrees with polite indifference. In France, the news triggers a fever of public excitement. While the masses clamor for their fallen hero, the political elite—men like Thiers and Guizot—view the event through a lens of cold utility, masking their own agendas with public displays of devotion.

The Prince de Joinville leads the expedition on the frigate Belle Poule. Upon arriving at St. Helena, the French mission meets with the English authorities, who prove remarkably cooperative. The exhumation itself is described with clinical precision: the decaying body, the multiple coffins, and the careful transport of the "precious burden" to the quay. The interactions between the English and French are marked by a formal, stiff politeness, as both sides manage the logistics of a ghost’s return with efficient, if detached, professionalism.

As the ships return to France, the narrative shifts to the atmosphere in Paris. The capital undergoes a radical transformation. Streets are filled with temporary, flimsy monuments—plaster statues and painted canvas meant to imitate marble and gold. The author, observing from the crowd, notes the dissonance between the reality of the cold, frosty winter and the artificial fervor of the preparations. He witnesses the arrival of the funeral car, a massive, ornate machine, and the long, freezing wait of the spectators.

The climax occurs within the chapel of the Invalides. The author, tucked away in the cold, observes the arrival of the dignitaries—judges, politicians, and soldiers—and the staged nature of their grief. When the coffin finally passes, the moment is fleeting and anticlimactic. The Prince de Joinville delivers the body to King Louis Philippe, who accepts it in the name of France. There is a brief exchange of words, a clatter of instruments, and then the ceremony concludes. The lights go out, the dignitaries depart, and the author returns to his home for dinner. The spectacle that had dominated the national consciousness for weeks vanishes as quickly as the funeral fires, leaving only the memory of a cold, expensive, and ultimately hollow pageant.

How It Unfolds

The diplomatic request The French government asks England for the return of the Emperor, a request granted with mutual, cordial good-will. The author notes that the English authorities facilitate the process with a "laudable fashion" of brevity and logistical efficiency.

The exhumation at St. Helena The French mission arrives at the island to collect the body from the tomb. The account details the careful soldering of the leaden coffins and the respectful, if somber, procession to the shore.

The voyage home The Belle Poule departs for France, carrying the remains along with old veterans of the Emperor’s service. The Prince de Joinville maintains strict discipline, though the author questions the necessity of the crew’s performative military posturing.

The transformation of Paris The city prepares for the arrival by erecting thousands of temporary, gaudy decorations. Sculptors work through the night to build a mile-long avenue of plaster victories, which the author views as "sham splendors."

The day of the funeral The author endures a biting, freezing winter morning to witness the procession. He observes the crowd’s anxieties, the ridiculousness of the military displays, and the physical discomfort of the soldiers standing in the frost.

The final ceremony Inside the Invalides, the chapel is packed with officials and flickering candles. The coffin moves past in an instant, the King receives the remains, and the grand event abruptly terminates, leaving the city to return to its ordinary business.

The People

Napoleon I remains the central, silent figure—an "imperial idol" whose presence is felt everywhere but who is, in reality, merely a box of bones. He is the catalyst for the entire pageant, yet he lies motionless, unable to witness the theatrics performed in his name.

The Prince de Joinville serves as the executor of the state’s will. As the young commander of the Belle Poule, he navigates the diplomatic and military requirements of the voyage. He is careful to maintain the dignity of the mission, but the author finds his need to constantly demonstrate his courage and military readiness to be a form of unnecessary swagger.

King Louis Philippe represents the cautious, pragmatic state. He oversees the return not out of personal conviction, but as a calculated political move to appease the public. His acceptance of the coffin is a formal act of state, devoid of the raw, emotional worship displayed by the common people.

The "Grandmother" and her family are figures of natural humanity. Their fear of being "slaughtered" by the French crowd highlights the irrational anxieties that permeate the public consciousness during such mass events. Their presence provides a grounded, domestic contrast to the cold, artificial posturing of the elite.

The bureaucrats and politicians—Thiers, Guizot, and the various judges—act as the stage managers. They are the "tulips" of the garden, enjoying the sunshine and the attention, keeping their true opinions hidden while they fling "handfuls of incense" upon the altar of public opinion to maintain their own positions.

In Its Own Voice

"It is no easy task in this world to distinguish between what is great in it, and what is mean; and many and many is the puzzle that I have had in reading History."

The author introduces the central challenge of the narrative: deciding whether Napoleon is a hero worth emulating or a base figure whose life is not worth the ink spent recording it.

"He and Louis XIV. divide the worship of the place between them."

While observing the interior of the Invalides, the author notes how the religious sanctity of the space has been usurped by the deification of the Emperor.

"Real feelings they have, but they distort them by exaggeration; real courage, which they render ludicrous by intolerable braggadocio."

In summing up his observations of the French people during the funeral, the author identifies the inherent tendency of the nation to ruin genuine sentiment through excess.

What It's Really About

The work is a skeptical investigation into the mechanics of national memory. It questions how a society manages the legacy of a figure like Napoleon, arguing that the French nation, in its rush to reclaim its hero, has traded genuine reverence for hollow, expensive spectacle. The book explores the tension between "real" history and the "works of fiction which go by that name," positing that public commemorations are often less about the deceased and more about the psychological and political needs of the living. It highlights the tendency of modern states to use the dead as props to maintain the "balance of power," suggesting that the grandeur of the funeral was a distraction from the fundamental instability of the French political order.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate a dry, incisive, and deeply observant style will find this an excellent companion to the more earnest historical accounts of the Napoleonic era. It provides a rare, intimate look at the 1840 funeral through the eyes of a contemporary witness who refuses to be swept up in the prevailing frenzy. You will experience the biting cold of the Paris streets and the stifling, incense-filled air of the Invalides chapel, all while being guided by a narrator who is simultaneously amused, annoyed, and deeply thoughtful.

The book is particularly rewarding for those interested in the "behind-the-scenes" of history. It strips away the mythic layers of the Napoleonic legend to reveal the grubby, chilly, and often farcical reality of state ritual. While the prose is rooted in the 19th century, the author’s critique of empty political displays, the vanity of the ruling class, and the absurdity of hero-worship remains remarkably fresh. It is not a long read, but it is a dense one, filled with sharp observations on human nature that persist long after the funeral fires have gone out. It asks the reader to look past the "gilt paper" of history and see the real people, and the real power structures, underneath.