The little boy was given the title King of Rome and his birth was heralded by a salvo of 101 cannon shots.
Napoleon II Bonaparte, the only legitimate son of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, was born on today’s date in 1811. A lavish ceremony was arranged for the birth of the French emperor’s first child. Napoleon was at the peak of his power at that time, reigning over 70 million subjects and most of the territory of continental Europe.
The little boy was given the title King of Rome (French: Roi de Rome), similar to the titles previously held by the heirs of the Holy Roman Emperors. The birth of the King of Rome was heralded by a salvo of 101 cannon shots. Napoleon II’s mother was Marie-Louise, who was 20 at the time.
Napoleon set forth on his fateful campaign against Russia already the next year. The last time he saw his son was on 24 January 1814, when the boy was less than three years old.
