Napoléon III –
Niveau collège - Fiche élève 3
Le rapatriement du corps de Napoléon III en France : un sujet de débat entre la
France et l’Angleterre
French want Napoleon remains back
A French government minister has visited a Hampshire abbey asking for the remains of Napoleon III
which are buried there to be returned to France.
Christian Estrosi* wants them sent back by 2010 to mark the 150-year anniversary of Nice becoming
part of France under Napoleon III.
The former French president and emperor - nephew of Napoleon I - died in exile in Britain.
The monks at St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough have denied the request.
The deposed president first lived in Kent when he came to Britain and when he died he was originally
buried in Chislehurst.
'Frank' discussion
Napoleon III spent the last three years of his life in exile in England, with Empress Eugenie and his
only son, after he was captured and deposed during the Franco-Prussian war in 1870.
When his son - also Napoleon - died in 1879, the empress built a monastery and imperial mausoleum
in Farnborough.
Abbot* Cuthbert Brogan said the bodies of Napoleon III and his son were moved to the imperial crypt
at St Michael's Abbey in 1888.
The empress was also entombed there when she died in 1920.
Mr Estrosi laid a floral tribute to the emperor, after which he met with the abbot.
"It was private conversation between me and the minister that was frank and I think he left with a fuller
appreciation of what's here and why it should continue to be here," Abbot Brogan told the BBC.
Mr Estrosi has been quoted in the French press as saying he was grateful to London for everything it
did for the imperial couple, but that France also has a claim to the remains.
Story adapted from BBC NEWS, December 11, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/hampshire/7138228.stm
* Christian Estrosi: A French politician, mayor of Nice since 2008
*abbot: abbé
Activity 7
Read the article and find the English synonyms of the following words.
Rests – refuse – bury - lay flowers on a tomb – thankful - right
Activity 8
Read the article again and answer the following questions.
Why does Mr Estrosi want Napoleon III’s remains back to Fance?
Where and when did Napoleon III die?
Where is he buried today ?
How long has he been buried there?
What about his wife and son ?
Does Abbot Brogan agree to send Napoleon III’s body back to France? Why?
Activity 9
Read the two following sentences.
Napoleon III’s remains have been buried in St Michael’s Abbey since 1888.
Napoleon III’s remains have been buried in St Michael’s Abbey for 120 years.
a) Translate them into French.
b) Translate the following sentences into English.
1. Napoléon I est enterré aux Invalides depuis 1840.
2. Napoléon I est enterré aux Invalides depuis 168 ans.
3. La ville de Nice est française depuis 1860.
4. Mr Estrosi est maire de Nice depuis mars 2008.
5. La France essaye de trouver un accord avec les anglais depuis quelques années
Activity 10
Debating Society
Debate with the class about the issue: Should Napoleon III be buried in France or in England?