From time to time, we intend to present some, let us say lesser known stories - but not the least interesting about Napoleon, his marshals and generals and his immediate family. [1] A personage closely associated with Napoleon was Berthier. AT right, Bertier. A great deal has been written about him. We all know about his crucial role in making the Grande Armee click and we don't need to expand any further on that. We also know about his blind devotion to Napoleon and his absolute obedience to him. Well, not quite absolute obedience. On more than one occasion, he had the courage to stand up to Napoleon. In 1806, on the day Napoleon had decided to execute Prince von Hatzfeld, the governor of Berlin, because of his alleged intelligence with Hohenlohe, Berthier had the courage to tell him: " Your Majesty can not execute a man who belongs to one of the best families in Berlin on so little evidence: guessing is not acceptable, you don't want that. " And he was able to obtain a meeting between the Princess von Hatzfeld and the Emperor. [2] There Were Other Times After the Battle of Jena and the Campaign of 1806, when Napoleon wanted to bring his army into Poland and tried to stimulate the enthusiasm of his generals, Berthier did not hide their desire - as well as his own - to return to France. Napoleon, who at times could be rather crude, answered: "Then you would be happy to go and p... in the Seine!". In Russia, another time, the Prince of Neuchatel, expressing the idea that it would be wise to withdraw, triggered an outburst from his Master: "Go on, I don't need you, you are only a.... Go back to France, I don't need anyone here." At the end of the retreat from Russia, he had the courage to show his master the state of decomposition of the Grande Armee. Then, when Napoleon, frightened by Malet's conspiracy, decided to return to Paris, and turned the command of what was left of the Grande Arm6e to Murat, Berthier strongly desired to go with Napoleon who answered: "That is impossible, it is necessary that you stay with the King of Naples. I am perfectly aware that you are good for nothing, but no one believes it and your name has positive effect on the army..." But deep inside, Berthier was obedient not only in his public life as major-general but also in his private life. Like all the marshals, he had been magnificently rewarded. He had a huge fortune and that is what on occasions drove him to desperation. One day in 1812, Baron M6neval, Napoleon's secretary, found Berthier in tears, moaning: "What the use of so much wealth, mansions, land, if we have to constantly make war and compromise all that!" For many years, that meticulous, tireless worker had a mistress that he worshiped. At right, La Visconti. After the Campaign of 1797, Berthier had met Giusippina Visconti, quickly fell in love, and adored and adulated her. Separated from her while in Egypt, he devoted a tent to her cult: under her portrait burned some perfumes. [3] La belle Visconti (the beautiful Visconti), "la betise de Berthier" (i.e. Berthier's folly) according to Napoleon - was Italian, and married to an "accommodating" nobleman. The Emperor, on April 1st 1806, wrote to his major-general, sending him a copy of the Moniteur [4] that contained his appointment as Prince of Neuchatel: "You can see what I have done for you. I only attach one condition to it: that is that you should get married ... Your passion has lasted too long ... that has become ridiculous. I do not want an old companion in arms that posterity will place by my side, remain the victim of such a folly. Consequently I want you to get married; otherwise I won't see you anymore." Berthier was 53 years old. Embroiled with the complexities of the Campaigns of 1806 and 1807, he resisted by simply ignoring Napoleon's wish! But Napoleon's patience had limits. So, the latter took the initiative and in February 1808 - some two years after the order to marry was given to Berthier - he asked the brother of the King of Bavaria for thehandof his daughter Elizabeth for Berthier. The wedding was celebrated on March 9 ... Desperate was the unfortunate major-general! He was torn apart between Elizabeth who was 24 but not beautiful, and la Visconti who, mature and very shrewd, had not opposed the marriage. In fact, she was quite sure that she could keep control of her conquest. To Berthier, further torn apart between his idol Napoleon and his other idol, his mistress that Napoleon despised, the situation appeared as hopeless. Well not quite. Suddenly, la Visconti's husband died. If he only had had the decency of dying earlier: "I have missed my happiness!" exclaimed Berthier, who in his distress decided to use a last stratagem: that was to introduce his mistress into his household by renting for la Visconti a house adjacent to his hotel. Surprisingly, Elizabeth went along with the game and tolerated her husband's old passion. She even went a step further as she decided to use the Visconti to her own advantage. On occasion, the league of the two women played against the husband-lover. Then, not a spring chicken anymore, la Visconti declined. She became obese to a point that was hard to hide and Napoleon, sarcastic to the extreme with a woman he despised, commented on many occasions "Ah! Toujours belle! Toujours belle!" (Ah! Still beautiful! Still beautiful). But that did not cool off Berthier's passion as he still cared very much for her. Finally la Visconti became paralyzed and that was the end of Berthier's passion. So that tragicomic domestic drama of a menage a trois finally ended and Elizabeth was rewarded for her patience. She finally reestablished herself in her rightful role as Berthier's wife. Berthier became Elizabeth's faithful companion until his accidental death in Bamberg on June 1, 1815. ENDNOTES [1] We should realize that the so-called gros-bonnets, as they were called by the subaltern officers, too often distinguished themselves more by their bravery than by their honesty. This is a subject to which we will return in a future article. [2] The princess obtained the pardon of her husband. Duroc and Caulincourt supported Berthier. [3] Thiebault, Memoires, (1893), p. 322. [4] "Le Moniteur" was the official Napoleonic journal. Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 4 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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