Editing Prosper Mérimée (section)

==Advisor to the Empress and Senator of the Empire (1852–1860)==
[[File:Empress Eugénie in Court Dress (Guillemet after Winterhalter, Musée d'Orsay).jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Eugénie de Montijo|Empress Eugénie]] in 1853]]
In December 1851, President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was prevented by the French Constitution from running for re-election. Instead, he organized a coup and became Emperor [[Napoleon III]]. Mérimée accepted the coup philosophically, because he feared anarchy more than a monarchy, and because he saw no other practical option.{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|page=232}} While Mérimée accepted the coup, others, including Victor Hugo, did not. Hugo described his last meeting with Mérimée in Paris on 4 December 1851, just before Hugo went into exile: "'Ah', said M. Mérimée, 'I am looking for you'. I answered, 'I hope that you will not find me'. He extended his hand, and I turned my back. I have not seen him since. I consider that he is dead... M. Mérimée by nature is vile". The services of Mérimée were welcomed by the new Emperor; on 21 January 1852, soon after coup, he was promoted to officer of the Legion of Honor. The new Emperor gave a priority to the preservation of historic monuments, particularly the restoration of the cathedral of Notre-Dame, and Mérimée kept his position and for a time continued his tours of inspection.{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|pages=324–325}}

Mérimée, without seeking it, soon had another close connection with the Emperor. Eugénie Montijo, the daughter of his close friends the Count and Countess of Montijo, had been invited to an event at the Palace of Saint Cloud, where she met the new Emperor. In November 1852 she was invited to the [[Palace of Fontainebleau]], where the Emperor proposed marriage to her. They were married fifteen days later at the Tuileries Palace, and she became the [[Eugénie de Montijo|Empress Eugénie]]. Honors followed immediately for Mérimée; he was made a Senator of the Empire, with a salary of 30,000 francs a year, and became the confidant and closest friend of the young Empress.{{sfn|Mortier|1962|p=3717}}

The mother of the Empress, the Countess of Montijo, returned to Spain, and Mérimée kept her informed of everything that the Empress did. He became involved in the court life, moving with the court from imperial residence to residence, to [[Biarritz]], the [[Château de Compiègne]], the [[Château de Saint-Cloud]] and [[Palace of Fontainebleau|Palais de Fontainebleau]]. It soon became clear the Empress was not the Emperor's only romantic interest; Napoleon III continued his affairs with old mistresses, leaving the Empress often alone. Mérimée became her chief friend and protector at Court. He was obliged to attend all the court events, including masked balls, though he hated balls and dancing. He told stories, acted in plays, took part in charades, and "made a fool of himself", as he wrote to his friend Jenny Dacquin in 1858. "Every day we eat too much, and I am half dead. Destiny did not make me to be a courtesan..."{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|pages=358}} The only events he really enjoyed were the stays at the Château de Compiègne, where he organized lectures and discussions for the Emperor with leading French cultural figures, including [[Louis Pasteur]] and [[Charles Gounod]]. He met prominent visitors, including [[Otto von Bismarck]], whom he described as "very much a gentleman" and "more spiritual than the usual German".{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|pages=345–352}}

He gave very little attention to his role as Senator; in seventeen years, he spoke in the chamber only three times.{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|page=357}} Mérimée had intended to devote a large part of his time to writing a major scholarly biography of [[Julius Caesar]]. However, when he informed the Emperor of this project, the Emperor expressed his own admiration for Caesar, and took over the project. Mérimée was obliged to give the Emperor all of his research, and to assist him in writing his book. ''The History of Julius Caesar'' was published on 10 March 1865, under the name of Napoleon III, and sold one hundred forty thousand copies on the first day.{{Sfn|Darcos|1998|page=399}}