MAKER'S MARK S C WITH CROWN ABOVE, HANAU, CIRCA 1806, RETAILED BY CIOVINO ET FRERES TRUFFINO

Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (1778-1846), King of Holland, Grand Duke of Berg and Cleves, Count of Saint-Leu, was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, the fifth surviving child of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife, Letizia, known to history as Madame Mère. His brother installed him on the Dutch throne on 5 June 1806, a responsibility which the new king took seriously, learning the Dutch language and endeavouring to serve as more than his brother's puppet. This independence led Napoleon to force Louis to abdicate on 1 July 1810, accusing him of putting Dutch interests ahead of France's. Louis spent the rest of his life in leisurely exile. He married Hortense de Beauharnais, the Empress Josephine's daughter, in 1802. Their second son became the Emperor Napoleon III. The race in Groningen was run in celebration of the King's 30th birthday with the gold box presented to the winner.