Louis Bonaparte Forced to Abdicate Dutch Throne by Napoleon
In 1806, Napoleon made his brother Louis Bonaparte King of Holland. Louis proved popular by learning Dutch, founding the Rijksmuseum, and aiding flood victims, but resisted Napoleon's demands for troops and trade blockades. After the 1809 British invasion of Walcheren, Napoleon deemed Louis incapable and occupied the Netherlands. Louis abdicated on July 1, 1810, fled to Bohemia, and Napoleon annexed the territory. Louis died in Italy in 1846, but is remembered fondly in the Netherlands for his reforms.
Key facts
- Louis Bonaparte became King of Holland in 1806.
- He attempted to learn Dutch and called himself King Lodewijk.
- He founded the Royal Academy of Sciences and the Rijksmuseum collection.
- He personally aided Leiden after an 1807 gunpowder explosion.
- He resisted Napoleon's Continental System and conscription demands.
- The British Walcheren expedition in 1809 weakened his position.
- Louis abdicated on July 1, 1810 and fled to Bohemia.
- Napoleon annexed the Netherlands into the French Empire in 1810.
Entities
Artists
- Louis Bonaparte
- Napoleon Bonaparte
- Hortense de Beauharnais
- Napoleon III
- Carlo Bonaparte
- Letizia Bonaparte
- Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck
- Charles-François Lebrun
- William I of the Netherlands
- Lorenzo Bartolini
- Engel Hoogerheyden
- Mattheus Ignatius van Bree
- Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein
Institutions
- Rijksmuseum
- Royal Academy of Sciences
- Royal Palace of Amsterdam
- French Army
- British Royal Navy
- House of Orange-Nassau
- Château de Versailles
- Sotheby's
Locations
- Corsica
- France
- Netherlands
- Holland
- Leiden
- Rotterdam
- Walcheren
- Antwerp
- Haarlem
- Bohemia
- Austrian Empire
- Amsterdam
- Paris
- Florence
- Italy
- Saint-Leu-la-Forêt
- Vlissingen
- English Channel