Empress Eugénie
Memories of İstanbul
 The European nation with which Turkey has had the longest
standing friendship is undoubtedly the French. This friendship soared to unprecedented
heights under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, and peaked
again during and after the Crimean War.
Sultan Abdülaziz’s visit to Paris in 1867 and the return visit by the Empress
Eugénie in 1869 reflected the warm relations between the two empires.
Eugénie was a remarkable woman who stood out among not only previous queens of France
but contemporary queens of other European countries. The daughter of a Spanish aristocrat,
she combined beauty, intelligence, breeding and political acumen, and was a woman who did
full justice to her crown. She was tall, with a neck spoken of admiringly at the time as
swan like, and her courtesy and eloquence were matched by equally skilful penmanship. Her
memoirs of İstanbul, where she arrived early in October 1869, are written in a lively
style. She describes the magnificent welcoming ceremony, the bosphorus (which she likens
to an early paradise), the architecture and furnishings of the Turkish palaces, the
hospitality and courtesy of the Turks, the delicious food and elegant costume of the
ladies. Reading this account of that bygone world is like listening to a fairy tale or
having a pleasant dream.
Eugénie opens her memoirs with the following words: 
The last and most pleasant days of our reign were those which I spent visiting
İstanbul. My memories of this visit will never fade so long as I live. My husband and I
were to have made this visit together, but due to the troubles besetting both domestic and
international politics towards the end, the Emperor did not see fit to leave France. He
sent me to İstanbul as his authorised representative.
Preparations for the empress’s arrival commenced in İstanbul three months in
advance. The marble in the state bathroom at Beylerbeyi Palace was changed, and the room
where she was to sleep was fitted out with the finest furniture, hangings and precious
ornaments. An elegant pavilion was erected for her use at Beykoz Meadow, and in case the
empress should visit the nearby town of İzmit the imperial hunting lodge there was
redecorated. The engine and carriages of the train by which Eugénie would travel to
İzmit were bedecked with branches and long lasting flowers.
Silk fabrics, shawls of silver thread and other valuable gifts were made ready, and
silver uniforms were ordered for the 25 oarsmen of the imperial barge placed at her
command.
Grand Vezir Âli Paşa sailed to meet the empress at the Straits of Çanakkale, and
when her steamship anchored in the Bosphorus she was welcomed by a 101 gun salute. Sultan
Abdülaziz boarded the ship and escorted the empress onto the boat which carried them to
the quay of Beylerbeyi and Dolmabahçe palaces to celebrate her arrival. Eugénie recorded
her arrival in the following words:
Our imperial vessel was a fine paddle steamer, the Aigl. In this magnificent ship I
arrived at the Dardanelles in beautifully calm weather. There I was met by a naval fleet
carrying a deputation of civil and military dignitaries led by Grand Vezir Âli Paşa.
Âli Paşa and the statesmen who accompanied him came abroad, and after exchanging
civilities we entered the Marmara Sea in a splendid procession with the fleet of Turkish
war ships. When we approached İstanbul I was met by many boats of all sizes carrying
large numbers of men and women. As we passed by these vessels lined up to left and right,
I passed another warship which saluted me. I arrived off Beylerbeyi Palace which had been
allocated for my accommodation. From my streamer I was escorted onto a richly decorated
and gilded imperial barge which carried me to several statesmen and a short rest, polite
and respectful eunuchs in ornate costumes showed me to my private suite. No amount of
praise can do justice to the charm of that earthly paradise the Bosphorus, the unique and
elaborate architecture of the palace, its order, decoration, hangings, the bed covers and
toilet sets of the rooms appointed for my use, the elegance of the bathrooms appointed for
my use, the elegance of the bathrooms supplied with hot water and fitted with marbles the
colour of the sea and porphyry, and above all the courtesy, beauty and grace of the richly
dressed palace retainers and ladies-in-waiting who served me. These lovely and gracious
people were most solicitous in their care of me. At a glance they discerned my wishes and
carried them out immediately.
The delicious food which we ate, whether at Beylerbeyi Palace or at official banquets
elsewhere, and the arrangement and embellishment of the tables, were exceptional and defy
the power of describe them.
I was awed by the jewellery, antique objects and weapons, carpets and porcelain vases
which I saw at Topkapı Palace. St. Sophia and the large mosques are among the world’s
greatest monuments.
A truly picturesque and graceful pavilion in the oriental style had been constructed
for me on Beykoz Meadow. From this pavilion I watched the splendid procession organised in
my honour by Commander-in-Chief Ekrem Ömer Paşa, one of the heroes of the Crimea. The
way in which the Turkish soldiers marched with that distinctive stately air was a sight
not to be missed. I especially liked the artillery and cavalry. There is no exaggeration
whatsoever in the descriptions of the Bosphorus by such French poets as Lamartine and
Theophile Gauter. I visited Göksu, one of the most beautiful excursion places on the
Bosphorus. One could never tire of the view from here of the historic fortress of Rumelia
and the wooded parks. From Küçüksu Palace, which has a special place in my heart, I
looked around me with delight. Later, taking the arm of the Paris Ambassador Cemil Paşa,
I set out with my entourage into the meadow to take a closer look at the women with their
graceful feraje and yashmaks, with their lace and silk sunshades, seated under the trees
on the emerald green Göksu Meadow. All the women greeted me with respect and courtesy.
Here I also encountered a party of schoolboys from Galatasaray brought here on an outing.
They were dressed like our school pupils. I spoke with them at length, and they answered
me in French most agreeably. I was happy to find that they had learnt our language in so
short a time, and I congratulated some of them.
Here I must digress to explain that one of the young boys whom the empress spoke to was
Salih Münir, who made a welcoming address on behalf of his fellow pupils when Eugénie
visited Galatasaray High School with the sultan. Salih Münir was nine years old at the
time, and just 14 years later was appointed Turkish ambassador to Paris by Sultan
Abdülhamid.
 One of
Eugénie’s interesting memories of Istanbul was her experience of being strenuously
rubbed down at the Turkish baths of Beylerbeyi Palace. The bath attendant, Vesile Hanım,
had been chosen for the duty months in advance, and taught 20 or so essential words in
French. Eugénie remembered being carried along in a sedan chair, which had been specially
made for her and can today still be seen in the entrance hall of the French Consulate in
Beyoğlu.
The French empress felt as if she were dreaming during her stay in İstanbul. At one
point in her memories she remarks: The festivities held for me in İstanbul were
extraordinary. The most magnificent was that held on the night that I returned to
Beylerbeyi Palace from Beykoz. Soldiers deployed on both shores of the Bosphorus fired in
salute as I passed, and they lit bonfires and set off fireworks of diverse colours. The
railings and gardens of all the waterfront houses were illuminated with coloured lanterns
and lamps. Rockets and wheels-of-fortune lit up the sky on both shores of the Bosphorus,
and from rafts on the water. As I watched I thought myself in an imaginary world. I will
never forget the exquisite joy of my return to Beylerbeyi Palace. Just a few months later
her husband Napoleon lll was to fall captive to the fall of the empire. Eugénie retired
to England, but 45 years later towards the end of her life she returned to İstanbul,
perhaps to refresh the memories of her youth. She was received by Sultan Mehmed V Reşad
at Dolmabahçe Palace, and retraced the steps of that pomp-filled state visit of her
youth. Upon this second departure from the city, this time on an ordinary passenger
streamer and under such changed circumstances, Eugénie could not hold back her tears.
- Source:
- By Taha Toros
SKYLIFE 10/95
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