History in Warwickshire: Napoleon III

This is Clarendon Square in Leamington, one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture outside London. Built as the town grew into a tourist resort for people flocking to take the waters of the spa. Affluent houses for affluent people like... The Emperor Napoleon III? Strange as it may seem, the plaque is accurate. The Emperor of the French really did come to Leamington Spa and stayed in this house from November 1838 to February 1839. You probably know who the first Napoleon was. He's the one who hijacked the French Revolution, declared himself Emperor and conquered half of Europe before his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon II was his son. He was briefly declared Emperor but died at the age of 21. Napoleon III was the nephew of the first Emperor and was banished along with the rest of the family in 1815. Prince Louis-Napoleon, as he was known then, was still interested in joining the family business and in 1836 he attempted to stage a coup in Strasbourg. But Strasbourg was not impressed. The prince was arrested and banished, first of all to Switzerland and then to Britain. Back in the 19th century, any enemy of the French government was a friend of Britain so he was made welcome and he decided to spend the winter in the fashionable spa of Leamington. He turned up at the Regent Hotel with his entourage in three carriages accompanied by the Campersini. Immediately, Leamington society was agog at this celebrity in their midst. He rented the house in Clarendon Square and threw himself into the social world. There were balls at the Royal Assembly Rooms. He rode to Hounds with the Warwickshire Hunt. He visited the Lord Lieutenant of the County at Warwick Castle. He made friends with a Polish Count who had been a member of his uncle's Grande Armée. He even told the Navy Club about his admiration for England. The Leamington Courier breathlessly recorded all his deeds. They even noted that he gave five pounds at a charity ball in aid of the Warmford Hospital, enough to have paid the wages of a labourer for two or three months. As suddenly as he had arrived, he was off again to spend the rest of his stay in London. But only the following year, he landed in Boulogne with 50 men and was promptly arrested once more. It wasn't until 1848 that his chance came, with the revolution sweeping through France. In December of that year, he was elected President of the Second Republic. Two years later, he staged another coup, seized the throne and declared himself Emperor. Despite his habit of trying to overthrow the government, he was actually quite a good ruler, at least on the domestic front. It was he who decided that Paris should be rebuilt, partly to remove the medieval slums which had fuelled the revolutions and also to replicate the grandeur that he'd seen in England. It's a bit of a stretch to imagine that he was inspired by the architecture of this square. After all, he did spend most of his time in London, which would have provided inspiration enough. But on the other hand, can you think of anywhere else that resembles London quite as much as this square?