"François d’Orléans, Prince of Joinville: Artist & Sailor" Topic

"François d'Orléans, Prince of Joinville, is perhaps best known to Napoleon fans as the commander of La Belle Poule, the ship that returned Napoleon's remains to France in 1840. The Prince of Joinville – the son of a French king – had a storied naval career, was a notable painter of watercolours, and wrote some delightful memoirs. You might remember him from my post about vintage photos of French royalty, in which he stood out as one of the princes who served in the American Civil War. Here's a closer look at his life and his art.

François d'Orléans, Prince of Joinville, was born at the Château de Neuilly on August 14, 1818. He was the seventh of his parents' ten children, eight of whom lived to adulthood. His father, Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, was a member of the junior branch of the reigning House of Bourbon of France (the junior branch was in line to succeed to the French throne if the senior branch died out). His mother, Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily, was a niece of Marie Antoinette (the queen who was executed in the French Revolution) and a first cousin of Austrian Emperor Francis I. Thus Joinville was a second cousin of Napoleon's second wife, Marie Louise…"

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Armand

Interesting find. Thanks Armand.

A votre service mon ami…

Armand