Zenon Vantini by Pamela Sambrook

Author:Pamela Sambrook [Sambrook, Pamela]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Europe, General, Modern, 19th Century, Social History
ISBN: 9780718848378
Google: JoMwEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: ISD LLC
Published: 2021-05-27T22:10:59+00:00

In addition to these general duties each of the six orderlies were given special assignments: for example, Senno was given security duties around the stables and gardens of the Mulini; Perez acted as ‘courier’ in charge of incoming and outgoing mail; Bernotti was given control over the little harbour of Marciana Marina; and Vantini (then only seventeen years of age) and his senior officer Capitaine Jacques Roul were assigned to special duties regarding Madame Mère. They were to organise her transport around the island, accompany her wherever she went (in carriage or sedan chair) and generally to act as her bodyguard. Since Madame Mère insisted on being with her son wherever he went, one of the two orderlies assigned to her accompanied her every day to the Mulini palace and on frequent journeys to the country retreats. Zenon Vantini would see a good deal of both the emperor and his mother.

In charge of all financial matters under Napoleon was the emperor’s treasurer, Baron de Peyrusse, and other members of the domestic staff included Napoleon’s personal chief secretary, a medical doctor and a pharmacist. The day-to-day running of the households was in the charge of a quartermaster-general and two palace quartermasters. The Mulini palace might be modest, but the status attributed to it is demonstrated by the number of personal and household servants surrounding Napoleon. There were 67 in all, most of whom were young, as his previous servants in France had families and therefore had remained in France. For the preparation and serving of food and drink, he employed a butler, butcher, chef, roasting cook, several footmen/wine waiters, a plate man, two assistants and three boys. For the care of the house, he had an upholsterer, storekeeper, housekeeper and two linen maids. On his personal staff were three bodyguards and three valets de chambre. Almost all these servants were accommodated in the newly built block next to the Mulini.

Napoleon kept impressive stables, including 78 carriage horses for the fifteen various vehicles brought with him from Fontainebleau. He also brought over 23 riding horses, eight of which were reserved for Napoleon himself, including Wagram, his famous Arab, and Le Tauris, given to him by Czar Alexander in 1807, which he chose as his mount on his return to France in 1815. The stable and carriage staff numbered 22.

The coachmen and postilions were provided with red jackets decorated with gold. Napoleon evidently did not like the orderlies’ pale blue uniform, as described earlier by Pons de l’Hérault, for he ordered that they were to have a new uniform: ‘a green coat with hussar-style cuffs, red trim, and bees on the lapel; green vest and trousers; riding boots; black collar; silver epaulettes and shoulder braid on the right shoulder. When they are wearing shoes the vest and trousers are to be white.’18

Convinced that the Allied powers would try to assassinate him, Napoleon planned his bedroom at the Mulini with two access doors. The orderly whose duty it was to stay overnight in the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.