Empress Amelie Chapter 1 Analysis

Chapter Eight Johannes was aware that the Dowager Duchess Stéphanie de Beauharnais had returned to Paris when her nephew Louis-Napoleon reclaimed the Emperor’s throne. He knew she would be able to help him. The Emperor had arranged for the Dowager Duchess to stay at the Hôtel de Ville close to the Tuileries Palace. Stéphanie de Beauharnais had merely transferred her royal court from the Mannheim Palace where she had resided since the death of her husband to the Hôtel de Ville after the Emperor’s triumphant return to Paris. She decorated a new Salon close to the Tuileries Palace where her nephew and the new Empress resided. Her nephew consulted with her quite frequently in all matters of royal court business due to her experience in the royal …show more content…
She and her husband the Duke of Hamilton accompanied Louis-Napoleon along with her mother during his official state entry into Paris in 1852. Napoleon III’s new wife, the Empress Eugénie was also quickly becoming friends with the Duchess, and the new Empress would often stay with her when she visited Scotland. Empress Eugenie had even angered many at the French Royal Court when she insisted that the Duchess Marie Amelie take precedence and be seated with the Imperial Family during royal receptions. Johannes headed to the Hôtel de Ville directly after leaving the palace. He was stopped on the streets of Paris by a French soldier who demanded to see his papers. The soldier apologized after seeing his pass with the Emperor’s signature and urged him on his way. Stéphanie de Beauharnais’s Salon in the Hôtel de Ville Hotel was considered one of the more popular salons in Paris and served as a meeting place for the Paris elites to discuss politics, French culture, and other social matters. Due to the popularity of her salon, it was very difficult to secure an audience with the Dowager