Get the Emperor's attention
Louis Pasteur, born in 1822 in Dole, was already an eminent professor of physics and chemistry when Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte proclaimed the Second Empire in 1852. Deeply Bonapartist, Pasteur stayed more and more frequently in Paris. He entered the Academy of Sciences December 8, 1862. This is a reward for refuting the so-called "spontaneous generation" thesis through the discovery of "animalcules", which will soon be called microbes. The gates of the Tuileries , where the courtiers of Napoleon III and Eugénie flocked when the imperial couple stayed in the capital, are now open to them.
Pasteur manages to transmit to the Emperor, through his ministers, a file concerning his research on putrefaction and fermentation . Napoleon III, infinitely more cultured than most of his contemporaries, a lover of all kinds of science, was fascinated by the work of Pasteur.
He strongly encourages him to continue his experiments , and the state pays for the expansion of the scientist's laboratory. After honoring him with a face-to-face interview, the Emperor commissioned him in 1863 to study wine diseases . Delighted with this confidence and this manifest interest in his work, Pasteur set to work with ardor and multiplied the experiments, samples from wine merchants and surveys from winegrowers. He strives to discover the causes of diseases, and especially to develop remedies.
Captivate the Empress
Recommended to the Empress by the chemist Dumas, but also by Conti, Councilor of State and Secretary to the Emperor, Pasteur receives an invitation to Compiègne , privileged residence of Eugénie for the organization of her famous "series". As soon as the summer season returns, it invites around sixty people to share in the activities of the imperial couple. The guest list is constantly changing, in weekly rotations, by series of personalities.
Being invited to the Empress series thus becomes the sign of a highly prized distinction . Pasteur is embarked on the third series of the year 1865 , to the delight of Napoleon III, impatient to see the progress of the research of his dear Pasteur.
Pasteur tells his wife every day about his enchanting stay , through an abundant correspondent. He calls Napoleon III a man "utterly extraordinary », and is immediately under the spell of Eugenie , this sovereign full of grace, an accomplished and very spiritual hostess.
He is all the more impressed by the intelligence and curiosity of the Empress as she seems very interested in his discoveries . He engages with her in passionate conversations about cholera or public education. Showing a passion for microscopy , Eugenie asks Pasteur and doctor Long, physiologist, to prepare an experiment on blood circulation. So that the small society can observe a drop of blood under the microscope, they prick themselves without hesitation with a needle.
Pasteur arguing that the experiments are likely to be repeated, he admits that frog's blood would do just as well. Immediately, the Empress instructed her chamberlain to flush out some specimens:difficult in this season. The requested frogs will arrive too late in the apartment since it is a new occupant who, getting up in the middle of the night, will be very surprised to feel a cold and viscous mass under her feet!
Eugenie, who is decidedly enthusiastic about biological presentations, asks Pasteur why he does not patent his discoveries . Napoleon III approves. The scientist, whose disputes with the Academy of Sciences are numerous, retains the suggestion. He is also happy to see that Napoleon seems very interested in his new pasteurization technique. , allowing wines to be preserved…
First fan of the imperial couple
Louis Pasteur, who became close to the imperial family , now speaks directly to the Emperor or Empress. He is flattered to see that the sovereigns understand the economic and scientific interest of his research. In 1866, Pasteur published his Studies on wine , which he dedicated to Napoleon III. The Emperor thanks him in writing , November 11, 1866:
My dear Mr. Pasteur,
I had not forgotten your interesting experiences on wine treatment. They are brilliantly exposed in your book. The industry, I am convinced, will sooner or later profit from it, and you will have done it a very great service. Receive my thanks, for the homage you have kindly paid me for your work and believe in my feelings.
Napoleon.
Pasteur feels very close to the imperial family, and is delighted to learn that one of his acquaintances, Augustin Filon, has been appointed tutor to the Prince Imperial , says Loulou :
You have the gifts of wit and intelligence befitting your noble mission. I am sure that you will endeavor to have the same degree of those of heart and character. This is how you will manage to develop in your young pupil the greatness of soul of the Emperor and the holy virtues of the Empress. This is my dearest wish.
In January 1868, the imperial couple went to the Sorbonne and distinguished Pasteur by a visit to his laboratory . In October of that same year, the scientist suffered a brain attack . He remains paralyzed on the left side, but his intellectual capacities are intact. Napoleon III, certainly thinking that a holiday would be beneficial to him, suggested that he go experiment with his methods of graining as part of his work on the resolution of diseases affecting silkworms , including the devastating pebrine .
Pasteur enthusiastically accepts, and wins the Villa Vicentina , on the Adriatic coast. This vast estate had belonged to Elisa Bacciochi , sister of Napoleon I st , and Elisa's daughter bequeathed it to the Prince Imperial. The silkworm farms succeeded "wonderfully", as Pasteur himself wrote in the summer of 1870, and he dedicated this success to the Empress .
The serious defeat of the French army against the Prussian army at Sedan , which sounded the death knell of the Second Empire in 1870, greatly moved Pasteur. He reaffirms, through a letter to Marshal Vaillant, minister of the household of the fallen Emperor, his unwavering devotion :
Grant me a favour, that of naming me when you write to H.M. the Empress among the people who will eternally remember her kindness and that of the Emperor (…) the Emperor can confidently await the judgment of posterity . His reign will remain as one of the most glorious in our history.
Louis Pasteur will be one of the first to personally send a letter of condolence to his friend Eugénie on the death of Napoleon III in 1873. He will never forget the benefits of the imperial couple...
Sources
♦ Eric Anceau:Napoleon III
♦ Jean des Cars:Eugenie, the last empress:Or the tears of glory 
♦ Charles-Eloi Vial:The Last Fires of the Monarchy 
♦ Maurice Vallery-Radot:Pastor 