Lot 4364
Napoleon I. Manuscript Letter Signed ("Nap") as Emperor of the French, Paris, January 24, 1811, 1½ pages (one sheet), small quarto. To the Duke of Feltre (Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke), Napoleon's minister of war, regarding 104 desertions from the regiments of the Army of Ilyria. Napoleon is surprised that French troops would desert abroad and he demands a report on what has been done regarding the deserters and an inquiry into the reasons for the desertion. Napoleon orders a report sent to Count Otto, his ambassador in Vienna and contemplates whether in light of his marriage (to Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria in 1810), he might pardon the deserters, some of whom he knows regret their actions, or to recall them from Gratz and other places in Austria, where they are profoundly miserable, and reunite them with their regiments in Illyria. Napoleon refers to a missive he has sent to the Duke of Ragusa inquiring why he did not take measures to prevent the desertions, and to the colonels regarding what they might know about the desertions in their regiments. The letter has been matted and housed in a two-sided frame and mounted on a pedestal that swivels so that both sides can be read. A very attractive presentation.
After the French victory of 1809 over Austria, Napoleon formed the Illyrian Provinces from a stretch of territory along the Dalmatian coast, including Carniola, western Carinthia, Gorz (modern Gorizia), Istria, and parts of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik). Auguste Frédéric L.V. de Marmont, who was awarded a marshall's baton and the title Duke of Ragusa in 1809, served as governor of the Illyrian Provinces until 1811. On April 5, 1814, the Duke of Ragusa would become infamous for the defection of his army corps to the Allies, leaving the road to Fontainebleau, where Napoleon was stationed, undefended, thus precipitating Napoleon's first abdication and his comment, "Marmont gave me the final blow." From his betrayal, the verb "raguser" (to betray) entered the French language.
Estimated Value $1,500 - 2,000.
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| Realized $1,898 |
