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HomeMedals and TokensThe Death and Return of an Emperor: Commemorative French Napoleonic Medals

The Death and Return of an Emperor: Commemorative French Napoleonic Medals

By Tyler Rossi for CoinWeek …..

“It is my wish that my ashes may repose on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people, whom I have loved so well.”

 

Such was the first request made in the Last Will and Testament of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, and a broken man. For one who strode across the continent defeating enemies and overthrowing regimes, Napoleon died an ignominious death on the island of St. Helena. Loved and reviled, Napoleon passed away after six years of exile on the tiny island, 7,247 km from his beloved Paris in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwestern coast of Africa.

Contrary to Napoleon’s final wishes, however, Governor Hudson Lowe decreed that his body would be laid to rest on the island. Despite claims to the contrary, the emperor suspected that the British would not follow his request, so he stated “…in the event that orders have been given for my body to remain on the island, which I do not believe is the case, have me buried in the shade of the willows where I used to rest … near the fountain where they go to fetch my water every day.”

France, July Monarchy, 1840 Æ Medal. Dies by Bovy (35.57g, 41mm) Dated 5 May 1821 and 15 December 1840. OBV: Legend (NAPOLEON EMPEREUR) around the uniformed bust to left REV: Legend around, view of the tomb of Napoleon on St. Helena. Image: Roma Numismatics.

This medal was struck in 1840 but uses the dual dates of 1821 and 1840 to commemorate Napoleon’s Tomb at St. Helena and his final return. A handsome specimen, this example displays traces of the original gilding common to this type. Recently, several examples in high grade sold at auction for $150 to $200 USD. It is important to note that while some examples were gilt, most were plain bronze.

Now known as the Valley of the Tomb or Napoleon’s Valley, this clearing remained the emperor’s last resting place until 1840 when King Louis Philippe I petitioned the British government for permission to return the dead emperor to France. As early as October 1830, popular petitions began circulating aimed at returning Napoleon’s remains. On May 12, 1840, a bill was introduced by French Interior Minister Charles de Rémusat to the Chambre des Députés to appropriate one million francs “for translation of the Emperor Napoleon’s mortal remains to the Église des Invalides and for construction of his tomb.” This move tied neatly with Louis Philippe’s mission to reclaim “[a]ll the glories of France” when he opened a museum of history in the palace at Versailles.

The most current theory of Napoleon’s death, posited in 2007 by American, Swiss, and Canadian researchers, is that the former emperor “died of a very advanced case of gastric cancer that stemmed from an ulcer-causing bacterial infection in his stomach”. The researchers also concluded that there was absolutely no chance of Napoleon surviving even if he were on the mainland and received the most cutting-edge medical care. In fact, they claim that “even if treated today, he’d have been dead within a year”.

EXPLANATORY SKETCH OF THE PAINTING “THE DEATH OF NAPOLEON” Artist(s): JAZET Jean-Pierre-Marie, STEUBEN Charles (baron).

Immediately after the emperor’s death at 5:49 pm on the sixth of May, 1821, Lowe relinquished formal control of the corpse to Archibald Arnott, Napoleon’s surgeon while on the island. Prayers were recited over the body, which was then subsequently cleaned and dressed. A death mask was made one day later, on the seventh, which is now kept at the Musée de l’Armée in Paris.

Death mask of Emperor Napoleon Cast by François Carlo Antommarchi Held at the Musée de l’Armée, Paris.

Napoleon’s remains were exhumed on October 15, 1840, and to confirm that the body remained and was intact, his coffin opened on the 16th. Carried by La Belle Poule, a first-class frigate with a battery of 60 guns, Napoleon’s remains left St. Helena and arrived at Cherbourg on November 30. Transferred to La Dorade, the coffin steamed up the Seine to Courbevoie, a small village outside of Paris.

The opening of Napoleon’s casket on St. Helena in October 1840, by Nicolas-Eustache Maurin.
France, July Monarchy, 1840 Æ Medal. 41.5mm OBV: Laureate bust of Napoleon right REV: a port-side ship portrait of La Belle Poule Note: edge stamped with antique lamp mark.

This rare medal illustrates La Belle Poule under full sail on its journey to collect Napoleon’s remains. At a 2018 auction, the above example sold for $500. This type also was struck in bronze with the same 41.5mm dimensions and is valued between $150 to $200. Unfounded fears of a British attack, whetted by deteriorating Anglo-French relations in the aftermath of the anti-semitic Damascus Affair, prompted the French to send a heavily armed vessel. These fears proved unfounded as no attempt was made by any British vessel. Later in 1880, a similar medal was struck using a similar very similar reverse die, as can be seen below.

France, Third Republic, 1880 Æ Medal. 51 mm, 65.70 g OBV: Laureate head of Napoleon right with legends on either side REV: Restrike (With additional legends) of the silver 1840 La Belle-Poule medal. Image: iNumis.

Reserving only the best for the former emperor, the French government commissioned “an enormous funeral carriage drawn by 16 black horses” to process towards the Arc de Triomphe down the Champs-Élysées and to Église des Invalides. After this massive spectacle, Napoleon’s remains rested in the Chapel of Saint-Jérôme at the Église des Invalides until his final resting place in the ornate domed chapel was completed 20 years later in 1861.

Coincidentally, while not stuck as an official series, the next two medals form part of an unofficial series documenting the journey of the imperial remains back to Paris starting when La Belle Poule docked at Cherbourg.

France, July Monarchy, 1840 Æ Medal. 68mm, 164.53g OBV: Laureate head of Louis Philippe I right with legend around REV: France received a funeral urn in a stylized galley with legend around. Image: iNumis.

This medal featuring the current king, Louis Philippe, on the obverse was struck to commemorate Napoleon’s arrival in Europe at the port of Cherbourg. Standing in a stylized galley with oars, a female personification of France receives a funerary urn that represents Napoleon’s body. Alongside her are a second hooded figure and the Gallic rooster.

France, July Monarchy, 1840 Æ Medal. Bronze – 63.5mm OBV: laureate head of the dead Emperor rests on a pillow REV: the coffin on board the paddle steamer La Dorade at Rouen passing beneath a bridge draped with flags.

Designed by Alexis Depaulis, the famed French sculptor and medalist, this medal commemorates Napoleon’s body passing through Rouen on its return journey to Paris. When translated to English, the obverse legends read: SAINT HELENE V MAY MDCCCXXI in the upper fields and I WISH MY ASHES TO REST / ON THE BANKS OF THE SEINE, / IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS FRENCH PEOPLE / THAT I HAVE SO LOVED in exergue. The reverse legends read R / SAR THE PRINCE DE JOINVILLE COMMANDING THE EXPEDITION in the upper fields and PASSAGE TO ROUEN / DEATH REMNANTS / EMPEROR NAPOLEON / DECEMBER X MDCCCXL in exergue. This medal comes in both bronze and silver varieties. While the former is valued between $150 and $200, the latter is much rarer and costs slightly over $1,000.

France, July Monarchy, 1840 Gilt Æ Medal. gilt copper 52 mm 68.73 g OBV: Laureate head of Napoleon right circled by legend REV: France greeting Napoleon’s coffin.

While dated 1830, this medal, engraved by Jean P. Montagny, was struck by the Pourrat brothers in 1840. It depicts a laureate bust of the deceased emperor on the reverse and a very busy tableau on the reverse. The reverse shows the coffin of Napoleon I as it is borne aloft by his followers. In the center, the personification of France hoists laurel and olive branches up to the sky as an angel holds the letter N on an altar.

The medals described in this article are not a comprehensive listing of the “Return of the Ashes” category. The French struck many medals commemorating the final return of Napoleon Bonaparte to Paris, a fitting tribute to an event of great national importance

I have recently discovered the vast world of Napoleonic medals and encourage all numismatists to read up on the subject to learn about this fascinating period.

Happy collecting!

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Sources

https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/napoleons-last-will-and-testament/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116131630.htm

https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/timelines/napoleons-last-days-march-may-1821-as-seen-through-the-eyes-of-the-grand-marshal-bertrand/

https://www.napoleonsthelena.com/en/the-emperor-s-tomb/

https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/key-dates/inauguration-historic-galleries-1837

https://shannonselin.com/2017/05/napoleons-body/

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About the Author

Tyler Rossi is currently a graduate student at Brandeis University’s Heller School of Social Policy and Management and studies Sustainable International Development and Conflict Resolution. Before graduating from American University in Washington D.C., he worked for Save the Children creating and running international development projects. Recently, Tyler returned to the US from living abroad in the Republic of North Macedonia, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer for three years. Tyler is an avid numismatist and for over a decade has cultivated a deep interest in pre-modern and ancient coinage from around the world. He is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA).

Tyler Rossi
Tyler Rossi
Tyler Rossi is currently a graduate student at Brandeis University's Heller School of Social Policy and Management and studies sustainable international development and conflict resolution. Before graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., he worked for Save the Children, creating and running international development projects. Recently, Tyler returned to the U.S. from living abroad in the Republic of North Macedonia, where he served as a Peace Corps volunteer for three years. Tyler is an avid numismatist and for over a decade has cultivated a deep interest in pre-modern and ancient coinage from around the world. He is a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA).

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