Editing Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (section)

==Marriage to Napoleon==
{{Napoleon series}}

===Life as empress===
Marie Louise was excited as Napoleon’s wife and settled in quickly in the French court.<ref name="dsa76">de Saint-Amand, p. 76</ref> She developed a close friendship with her ''[[Première dame d'honneur]]'', the [[Louise Antoinette Lannes, Duchess of Montebello|Duchess of Montebello]],<ref name="dsa76"/> while most of the daily affairs were handled by her ''[[Dame d'atour]]'' [[Jeanne Charlotte du Luçay]]. Napoleon initially remarked that he had "married a womb" to an aide, but their relationship soon grew. He "spared no pains" to please her and claimed at one point to prefer Marie Louise to his first wife Joséphine;<ref name="dsa76"/><ref name="dsa80">de Saint-Amand, p. 80</ref> while he had loved Joséphine, and though he claimed Joséphine remained his greatest friend even after their amicable divorce, and that he still would choose her, whereas with Marie Louise, there was "Never a lie, never a debt" &mdash; presumably a reference to Joséphine's rumoured [[Extramarital sex|extramarital affairs]] and reputation as a spendthrift.<ref>Markham, Felix, ''Napoleon'', p.245</ref> Marie Louise wrote to her father: "I assure you, dear papa, that people have done great injustice to the Emperor. The better one knows him, the better one appreciates and loves him."<ref name="dsa94">de Saint-Amand, p. 94</ref> However, the marriage was not without tension; Napoleon sometimes remarked to aides that Marie Louise was too shy and timid, compared to the outgoing and passionate Josephine, with whom he remained in close contact, upsetting Marie Louise.

The excitement surrounding the wedding ushered in a period of peace and friendship between France and Austria, who had been largely at war for the last two decades. The people of Vienna, who hated Napoleon only months before, were suddenly in full praise of the French Emperor.<ref name="dsa39">de Saint-Amand, p. 39</ref> Flattering letters were sent between Napoleon and Emperor Francis, Empress Maria Ludovika Beatrix and Archduke Charles during the wedding festivities.<ref name="dsa44"/><ref name="dsa80"/><ref name="dsa61">de Saint-Amand, p. 61</ref>

During public occasions, Marie Louise spoke little due to reserve and timidity, which some observers mistook for haughtiness.<ref name="dsa128">de Saint-Amand, p. 128</ref> She was regarded as a quiet woman and never interfered in politics.<ref name="dsa130">de Saint-Amand, p. 130</ref><ref name="dsa129">de Saint-Amand, p. 129</ref> Privately, she was polite and gentle.<ref name="dsa140">de Saint-Amand, p. 140</ref>

Napoleon arranged for Marie Louise to participate in some carefully selected charity assignments, most notably the [[Société de Charité Maternelle]], for which he made her Honorary President.<ref>Christine Adams, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9dceL4HYOewC&dq=Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9+maternelle+empress&pg=PA202 Poverty, Charity, and Motherhood: Maternal Societies in Nineteenth-Century]''</ref>

===Birth of first child===
[[Image:Marie Louise von Österreich Napoleon Zweite.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Marie Louise with her son, the [[Napoleon II|King of Rome]]]]
Marie Louise became pregnant by July 1810 and gave birth to a son on 20 March 1811.<ref name="dsa95">de Saint-Amand, p. 95</ref><ref name="dsa98">de Saint-Amand, p. 98</ref> The boy, [[Napoleon II|Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte]], was given the title ''King of Rome'', in accordance with the practice where the heir apparent to the Holy Roman Empire was called the [[King of the Romans]].<ref name="dsa98"/> Napoleon was delighted that his wife survived the ordeal and said: "I had rather never have any more children than see her suffer so much again."<ref name="dsa98"/>

Marie Louise was devoted to her son; she had him brought to her every morning and visited him in his apartment in the course of the day.<ref name="dsa141">de Saint-Amand, p. 141</ref>

===Resumption of war===
In May 1812, a month before the [[French invasion of Russia]], Marie Louise accompanied Napoleon to [[Dresden, Germany|Dresden]], where she met her father and stepmother.<ref name="dsa145">de Saint-Amand, p. 145</ref> Emperor Francis told Napoleon he could count on Austria for the "triumph of the common cause", a reference to the impending war.<ref name="dsa145"/> A minor rivalry began to develop between Marie Louise and the Empress of Austria, who was jealous at being upstaged in appearance by her stepdaughter.<ref name="dsa148">de Saint-Amand, p. 148</ref> It was also in Dresden where she met [[Adam Albert von Neipperg|Count Adam Albert von Neipperg]] for the first time.<ref name="dsa154">de Saint-Amand, p. 154</ref> Napoleon left Dresden on 29 May to take charge of his army.<ref name="dsa155">de Saint-Amand, p. 155</ref>

Marie Louise then travelled to [[Prague]], where she spent a few weeks with the Austrian Imperial family, before returning to Saint Cloud on 18 July.<ref name="dsa159">de Saint-Amand, p. 159</ref> She kept in touch with Napoleon throughout the war.<ref>Chastenet, p. 202–214</ref> The invasion of Russia ended disastrously for France. More than half of the ''[[Grande Armée]]'' was destroyed by the [[Russian Winter]] and [[guerrilla]] attacks. After the failed [[Malet coup of 1812|Malet coup of October 1812]], Napoleon hastened his return to France and reunited with his wife on the night of 18 December.<ref>Chastenet, p. 235</ref>

===Collapse of the Empire===
[[File:Napoleon bids farewell to his Guard at Fontainebleau on 20 April 1814 (1825), by Horace Vernet.jpg|thumb|''Napoleon Bids Farewell to His Guard'' by [[Horace Vernet]]. In April 1814 Napoleon attempted to abdicate in favour of his son with Marie Louise as [[regent]]]]
The weakened French position triggered the [[War of the Sixth Coalition|Sixth Coalition]]. [[Prussia]] allied with Russia and declared war on France (the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] was already at war with France), but Austria stayed out due to relations between the Imperial families.<ref>Herre, p. 154</ref> On 30 March, Marie Louise was appointed Regent as Napoleon set off for battle in Germany.<ref>Chastenet, p. 243</ref> The regency was only ''de jure'', as all decisions were still taken by Napoleon and implemented by his most senior officials, including [[Charles-François Lebrun, duc de Plaisance|Lebrun]], [[Joseph Bonaparte]], [[Talleyrand]] and [[Anne Jean Marie René Savary|Savary]].<ref>Herre, p. 159</ref> Marie Louise tried unsuccessfully to get her father to ally with France.<ref>Chastenet, p. 249</ref> Austria too joined the opposition to France. She maintained a correspondence with Napoleon, informing him of increasing demands for peace in Paris and the provinces.<ref>Durand, p. 121</ref> Napoleon was decisively defeated in [[Battle of Leipzig|Leipzig]] on 19 October and returned to Saint Cloud on 9 November.<ref>Archontology.org</ref>

On 23 January 1814, Marie Louise was appointed Regent for the second time.<ref name="durand124">Durand, p. 124</ref> On 25 January, at 03:00 in the morning, Napoleon embraced Marie Louise and his son for the last time.<ref name="durand124"/> He left to lead a hastily formed army to stave off the Allied invasion from the north.<ref>Durand, p. 125</ref>

As the Allies neared Paris, Marie Louise was reluctant to leave. She felt that as the daughter of the sovereign of Austria, one of the allied members, she would be treated with respect by Allied forces, with the possibility of her son succeeding the throne should Napoleon be deposed.<ref name="durand128">Durand, p. 128</ref> She was also afraid that her departure would strengthen the royalist supporters of the [[Bourbons]].<ref name="durand128"/> Marie Louise was finally persuaded to leave by [[Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke|Henri Clarke]], who received the order from Napoleon: "I would prefer to know that they [the Empress and the King of Rome] are both at the bottom of the Seine rather than in the hands of the foreigners."<ref name="durand129">Durand, p. 129</ref> On 29 March, the court left Paris.<ref name="durand129"/> The Allies entered the city the following day.

Marie Louise and the court moved to [[Blois]], which was safe from the Allies.<ref>Durand, p. 135</ref> She did not expect her father to dethrone Napoleon and deprive her son of the crown of France.<ref>Durand, p. 136</ref> On 3 April, the Senate, at the instigation of Talleyrand, announced the deposition of the Emperor.<ref>Herodote.net</ref> Marie Louise was unaware of this until 7 April, and was astonished to discover the turn of events.<ref name="durand138">Durand, p. 138</ref> She wanted to return to Paris, but was dissuaded from doing so by physician [[Jean-Nicolas Corvisart]] and the Duchess of Montebello.<ref name="durand138"/>

===Exile of Napoleon===
Napoleon abdicated the throne on 11 April 1814 in [[Fontainebleau]].<ref>Durand, p. 143</ref> The [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|Treaty of Fontainebleau]] exiled him to [[Elba]], allowed Marie Louise to retain her imperial rank and style and made her ruler of the duchies of [[Duchy of Parma|Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla]], with her son as heir.<ref>Article V, [[:s:Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)]]</ref> This arrangement was later revised at the [[Congress of Vienna]].<ref name="de Saint-Amand, p. x">de Saint-Amand, p. x</ref>

Marie Louise was strongly dissuaded from rejoining her husband by her advisors, who fed her accounts that Napoleon was distraught with grief over the death of Joséphine.<ref>Durand, p. 153</ref> On 16 April, her father arrived at Blois to meet her.<ref>de Saint-Amand, p. vi</ref> At the advice of Emperor Francis, Marie Louise departed Rambouillet with her son for Vienna on 23 April.<ref>de Saint-Amand, p. vii</ref> At Vienna, she stayed at [[Schönbrunn Palace|Schönbrunn]], where she received frequent visits from her sisters, but rarely from her father and stepmother.<ref>Durand, p. 164</ref> She met her grandmother, [[Maria Carolina of Austria|Maria Carolina]], who disapproved of her deserting her husband.<ref>Durand, p. 165</ref><ref>de Saint-Amand, p. i</ref> Distressed at being seen as a heartless wife and indifferent mother, she wrote on 9 August 1814: "I am in a very unhappy and critical position; I must be very prudent in my conduct. There are moments when that thought so distracts me that I think that the best thing I could do would be to die."<ref>de Saint-Amand, p. viii</ref>