The Death of the Prince Imperial - Zulu War 1879


Join Chris Green (The History Chap) for this forgotten story from the the Anglo-Zulu war in South Africa in 1879, when in a minor skirmish Napoleon Bonaparte’s great nephew, Louis-Napoleon, the Prince Imperial was killed.

Join my Membership Channel to get exclusive videos (& more)
   / @thehistorychap  


Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was the heir and great hope to restoring the Napoleonic legacy in France, was aged just 23, when he was killed by the Zulus.

But what was the relative of France’s greatest military general doing fighting the Zulus in a British colonial war?

This is the story of the Death of the Prince Imperial, and with it the dreams of a Bonaparte revival in France.


Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0;30 The French Second Empire
1:30 The Prince Imperial
2:53 Woolwich Military Academy
4:35 Anglo-Zulu War
6:35 Prince Imperial in South Africa
7:25 Lt. Carey
9:00 The Last Patrol
10:45 Death of the Prince Imperial
14:28 News of the Death
17:03 Carey’s Court Martial
18:48 Memorials
19:55 End of Bonaparte Dreams]
20:48 The History Chap

Join my Supporter's Club
https://www.thehistorychap.com/Suppor...

#thedeathoftheprinceimperial #princeimperial #princeimperialzuluwar
Louisnapoleonbonaparte #zuluwar1879


Following the Franco-Prussian War, the French Second Empire was overthrown.
Louis-Napoleon’s father, the Emperor Napoleon III (nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) fled into exile in England with his wife and son.

Louis-Napoleon, the Prince Imperial attended Woolwich Military Academy where he excelled but as a frenchman with a desire to one-day return as Emperor and lead his country, he could not join the British army.

Nevertheless, when the Anglo-Zulu War broke out in 1879, he asked to accompany the British army as an observer.

On the 1st June 1879, the Prince Imperial went out on a patrol with an escort of just 7 men.

They were ambushed by a small party of Zulu warriors and in the brief skirmish that followed, the prince Imperial was thrown from his horse whilst the rest of the patrol fled.

Utterly alone, the Prince Imperial turned to face his pursuers.

He reached for his great-uncles Austerlitz sword, but found that it was no longer in it’s scabbard.
Instead he drew his revolver and as the Zulus closed in he fired 2 shots.

They were the only shots anyone in that patrol fired.

Seven Zulus surrounded him. Zulu survivors, said that he fought like a lion.

Eventually, exhausted and losing blood, he sank into a seated position.
In a short stabbing frenzy it was all over, the Prince Imperial was dead.

The last great hope of a Bonaparte revival in France lay dead and deserted in a dried up river-bed in Zululand.

Follow me at:
www.thehistorychap.com
Instagram:https://bit.ly/3iySrAj
Facebook:https://bit.ly/37IUfkH
   / thehistorychap  
My name is Chris Green ("The History Chap") and I am on a mission to share the amazing history of Britain so that we can appreciate where we have come from and why we are here.

History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens.
So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life.

My aim is to be chat as if I were having a coffee or meal with you. Jean in Maryland, USA recently wrote: "Chris, is the history teacher I wish I had at school!"

Just for the record, I do have a history degree and continue to have a passion for the subject I studied.

Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.