Neapolitan Army

The Neapolitan Army appears in The Count of Monte Cristo not as an active fighting force in the story's present, but as a historical and political reference point that illuminates the characters' pasts and the volatile era in which they live. Its mention underscores the theme of shifting loyalties during the Napoleonic Wars and the Bourbon Restoration, a period when military service could be a path to honor or a source of lasting shame.

Historical and Political Context

The Neapolitan Army is invoked in the context of the Napoleonic era's aftermath. In a conversation at the Villefort dinner table, the Marquise de Saint-Meran, a staunch royalist, expresses her contempt for Napoleon, whom she calls "the Corsican" and an "usurper." She contrasts the devotion of her own family, who sacrificed for the exiled king, with the opportunism of those who served the emperor. The discussion turns to the fate of Napoleon, who after his abdication was sent to the Island of Elba. The Comte de Salvieux mentions that the Holy Alliance plans to remove him further, to Saint Helena, a remote island "on the other side of the equator, at least two thousand leagues from here." This geopolitical maneuvering directly involves the Kingdom of Naples, as Napoleon's brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, was its king. The proximity of Elba to Naples and Corsica is noted as a strategic concern, highlighting the Neapolitan Army's potential role in any Bonapartist resurgence.

Character Connections and Betrayal

The Neapolitan Army is most directly linked to the character of Fernand Mondego, later the Count of Morcerf. During the Napoleonic Wars, Fernand serves in the French army and is present at the Battle of Ligny. After Napoleon's defeat, he deserts his post and follows a general who is going over to the English. This act of betrayal, which would have led to a court-martial under Napoleon, is rewarded by the Bourbons. Fernand's subsequent career is built on this foundation of treachery. He later serves in the Spanish war of 1823, where he meets Danglars, and then in Greece under Ali Pasha, whom he ultimately betrays. The Neapolitan Army, as part of the broader military landscape of the era, provides the institutional framework within which Fernand's initial act of disloyalty occurs, setting him on a path of opportunistic advancement that culminates in his exposure and disgrace.

Narrative Significance

The references to the Neapolitan Army and the broader political situation serve to deepen the novel's exploration of justice and retribution. The count of Monte Cristo's vengeance is not merely personal; it is framed as a form of divine or historical justice, punishing those who profited from the corruption and treachery of the age. The Neapolitan Army, as a symbol of the unstable political order, is part of the world that the count seeks to expose and overturn. The novel's final message, "Wait and hope," suggests a faith in a providential order that will ultimately right the wrongs of history, a theme that is given weight by the tumultuous political backdrop against which the characters' lives unfold.