Summary
Between 1809 and 1811, Napoleon's empire stood at its greatest extent. In
1809, Napoleon turned 40, and became concerned at his lack of an heir. Hoping
that a younger woman would conceive more readily, he had his marriage to
Josephine annulled and started looking for a suitably aristocratic second
wife. Alexander I turned Napoleon's inquiries about his sister down, and
Metternich stepped into the breach, offering Archduchess Marie Louise of
Austria as a wife. In 1811, the new empress gave birth to a son, Napoleon II,
known as the "King of Rome".
By 1810 to 1811, Napoleon's empire included nearly all of Europe except for the
Balkans. It was comprised of an enlarged France (which had swallowed Belgium and
Holland, parts of Germany, and the Italian coast all the way to Rome) and
various puppet nations actually ruled by Napoleon or by a Bonaparte subservient
to Napoleon. In addition to those lands he ruled over directly, Napoleon held
alliances with Austria, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, and a greatly reduced Prussia.
Essentially all of Europe was now "at war" with Britain, their resources and
industry and populations being used to serve the French Empire. All of these
states, from the Empire to the Napoleonic allies, participated in the
Continental System.
Napoleon made good use of his large family, appointing his brothers and sisters
as royalty throughout Europe. When he ran out of family, he switched to more
distant relatives and the servants he believed most faithful. For instance, when
Napoleon had to transfer his brother Joseph from Naples to rule over Spain, he
made one of his leading generals, Murat, into the King of Naples. He also
made his stepson, Josephine's son, into the viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy.
Napoleon's takeovers all followed a similar script. First, his army would take a
region over. Then, Napoleon would impose his powerful influence on a
collaborationist government made up of locals friendly to France as they drafted
a new constitution. Napoleon then might impose his direct ruler, or the rule of
a family member, or leave the collaborationist government in place so long as it
remained loyal to him. From this position of power, Napoleon would encourage
numerous reforms, spreading the ideals of the revolution throughout Europe.
Josephine, who had given birth to two children by her first husband, protested
the annulment, suggesting that the lack of an heir was Napoleon's fault. Of
course, Josephine was 46 by 1810, and contrary to the public image of timeless
love, both engaged in numerous affairs. Marie Louise, Napoleon's new empress,
was 18 when they married, and quickly produced the desired heir. Napoleon's
decision to call this son the "King of Rome" greatly upset Pope Pius VII, though
the Pope stopped protesting after Napoleon had him brought to France to remain
under French custody. Oddly, Napoleon's marriage to Marie Louise, a Hapsburg,
made him the nephew-in-law of Louis XVI, the king executed during the French
Revolution.
With Napoleon now related to the king the Revolution overthrew, it seemed that
France was moving full circle. This appearance was not merely symbolic: seeking
loyal allies in France, Napoleon started making people who served him well into
nobles. Within two decades of the French
Revolution directed against aristocracy, a
new aristocracy was coming into existence.
