N & E
Napoleon & Empire

Charles Leon, a.k.a. Count Leon

Pronunciation:

Arms of Charles Leon, a.k.a. Count Leon (1806-1881)

The natural son of Napoleon I and Eléonore Denuelle de la Plaigne, little Charles Léon was born on December 13, 1806.

His historical importance - which he himself had nothing to do with - was not insignificant, since the child, by the very fact of being born, revealed to the Emperor that he was not sterile. This led to his divorce from Joséphine.

For this service rendered, so to speak, the child was given the title of Count Léon (according to other sources, it was a courtesy title, which he awarded himself in adulthood...).

His life is of little interest, as he proved to be a spendthrift and a beggar, particularly during the Second Empire...

Count Léon died in Pontoise on April 14, 1881, so destitute that his neighbors paid for his coffin. He is buried in the common grave of the town cemetery.

"Charles Léon, a.k.a. Count Leon". Nineteenth century engraving.

"Charles Léon, a.k.a. Count Leon". Nineteenth century engraving.

Other portraits

Charles Leon, a.k.a. Count Leon (1806-1881)
 Enlarge
"Charles Léon, a.k.a. Count Leonn". Nineteenth century photograph.