War and Peace · Character
The King of Rome
Also known as the so-called King of Rome, Napoleon's son
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 215
A child’s curls and quiet, almost sacred expression lend him the air of a painted cherub brought briefly to life. At play, he seems both entirely young and strangely burdened by the grand title attached to him.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- child
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 215
- Books
- 1
Known as the King of Rome, he is presented as Napoleon’s young son and heir, a child seen more through the hopes projected onto him than through any independent action. Tolstoy’s image of him playing with a stick and ball turns an innocent pastime into an emblem of inherited sovereignty. His brief appearance captures the distance between a boy’s ordinary world and the imperial destiny others would assign him.
Description
He is a curly-headed boy with a delicate, composed face whose expression recalls the Christ child in Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. His small, youthful build and soft features give him a tender, almost ethereal presence. He is shown at play with a simple stick and ball, set against the refined impression of a royal child; the text does not specify his eye color or clothing details.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Napoleon Bonapartefather and son
Napoleon responds tenderly to the portrait of his young heir and orders it shown to the Old Guard, while then having it removed so the child will not see a battlefield.
Story so far
BOOK 1War and Peace
Appearances
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