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One of Napoleon's heirs just married an Austrian countess, who is descended from Napoleon's second wife. Check out the lavish reception in the medieval palace where the French emperor himself once lived.
One of Napoleon's heirs just married an Austrian countess, who is descended from Napoleon's second wife. Check out the lavish reception in the medieval palace where the French emperor himself once lived.
Dominic-Madori DavisOct 22, 2019, 18:58 IST
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FRANCOIS GUILLOT / Getty Images
Prince Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, a descendant of the famous conqueror, has married an Austrian countess, Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg.
Coincidentally, Countess Olympia is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise, who married Napoleon Bonaparte in 1810 to help end conflicts between France and Austria.
The French prince is a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte; Prince Jean-Christophe currently works as a private equity professional at The Blackstone Group in the United Kingdom, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The royal's marriage to Countess Olympia has made headlines throughout the world, as it was revealed that his Austrian bride is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria - also known as the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Still, Jean-Christophe stressed that this union is out of love, not history.
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"It's a story of love rather than a nod to history. When I met Olympia, I plunged into her eyes and not into her family tree," Jean-Christophe said in an interview after their engagement, according to the Daily Mail.
The countess wore a gown by Oscar de la Renta with white pumps — and of course, a diamond tiara. Perhaps most notably, her engagement ring contains a 40-carat diamond from the crown of Eugenie de Montijo, Napoleon III's wife and the last empress of France.
Jean-Christophe is a descendant of military general Napoleon Bonaparte, the first emperor of France. Napoleon Bonaparte was known for implementing Napoleonic Code, also known as French Civil Code, and leading the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted from 1803 to 1815. In 1815, Bonaparte was forced to abdicate power, and was exiled to the island of Elba.
French Civil Code "forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and stated that government jobs must be given to the most qualified."
The Napoleonic Wars allowed for the French empire to expand into other countries such as Italy, Sweden, and Spain.
But a year later, in 1816, Napoleon fled back to Paris and returned to power — only to abdicate once more, after his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo. He was then exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he later died.
Countess Olympia, meanwhile, is the great-great-great niece of Archduchess Marie-Louise, the second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Marie-Louise, a member of the house of Hapsburg, was the eldest daughter of Francis I of Austria and a niece of Marie-Antoinette, the former queen of France.
Historians generally agree that Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Louise were in a loveless marriage, in a political union that aimed to end conflicts between France and Austria.
After Napoleon's death, Marie-Louise married twice and is now buried in Vienna.
But now, nearly 200 years later, the House of Hapsburg and Imperial House of France are unified once more, this time in a decidedly loving ceremony. As Jean-Christophe said, the relationship between himself and his now-wife is "a story of love," rather than a "nod to history."
That said, the French prince did admit that the two were later "able to smile at this historical coincidence."
