Morny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de
Morny, Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de
(shärl ōgüst` lwē zhôzĕf` dük də môrnē`), 1811–65, French statesman; illegitimate son of Hortense de BeauharnaisBeauharnais, Hortense de, 1783–1837, queen of Holland (1806–10), daughter of Alexandre and Josephine de Beauharnais and wife of Louis Bonaparte. She was the mother of Napoleon III and—by her lover, the comte de Flahaut—of the duc de Morny.
..... Click the link for more information. and the comte de Flahaut de La BillarderieFlahaut de La Billarderie, Auguste Charles Joseph, comte de
, 1785–1870, French general and statesman; illegitimate son of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand and Adèle de Flahaut.
..... Click the link for more information. . After an army career (1830–38) during which he fought in North Africa, Morny entered politics and was elected a deputy in 1842. In 1851 he was the leading organizer of the coup that gave his half-brother, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, dictatorial powers. As minister of the interior, Morny used intimidation to assure the outcome of the plebiscite (1852) that made Bonaparte Emperor Napoleon IIINapoleon III
(Louis Napoleon Bonaparte), 1808–73, emperor of the French (1852–70), son of Louis Bonaparte (see under Bonaparte, family), king of Holland. Early Life
..... Click the link for more information. . Morny was created duke in 1862 and subsequently was president of the legislative assembly. As adviser to the emperor, he had a major influence in promoting the liberal, or parliamentary, empire.