Two days had passed since magnificent celebration of the New Year held at Versailles. The shattering of the newish feeling of the year would happen relatively quickly. With the recent expansion of the French Empire, at the hands of her enemies, a growing majority of noble men were concerned that France was playing with fire and was about to be burned. Fearing such a majority, the nobles helped elect a great portion to the Senate. The control of the Senate by the Bonapartists fell from an overwhelming fifty-two percent to a more reasonable 48.62; while the Conservative and Reactionary parties carried 39.92 and 8.82 respectively.
Whatever dire consequences these warnings from the Senate would have were not heeded at Versailles by the court of Napoleon II. A more pressing matter than the Senate had risen, one that would certainly anger the Conservative and Reactionaries who wished to stop further conflict. On January 6th, 1852, the British ambassador to France, a Henry Richard Charles Wellesley (a nephew of the Duke of Wellington) delivered a letter explaining a state of war existed between the nation of Great Britain and France. Holding back much anger, the palace guards allowed Wellesley to leave Versailles without being arrested.
France and the Napoleonic administration had been planning on another war with England’s as soon as the first war had been concluded in November 1846. Orders were quickly dispatched by express rider to the armies to move into their pre-designated spots for a second invasion of the British Isles. News would soon reach Versailles that would require the countermanding of the previous orders. Britain had assembled a might coalition to combat the “aggressive nature of Napoleon II, who is no better than his bastard of a father” according to the London Times. One by one, the ambassadors of Prussia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Ottoman Empire stated that a declaration of war existed between France and their respective states. Though one particular nation would wait until all other nations had stated their intent, and that nation was Russia; who ending up announcing a declaration of war existed with France on January 8th.
Immediately dispatched were sent to the French ambassadors within our allies at Washington, Bern, Munich, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Athens. Napoleon II had worked hard to improve his relations with the rest of Europe, something his father had ignored or blatantly refused by appointing Bonaparte family members as kings of existing or newly created countries. The work vested into such a task was ruined within minutes, as the United States, Switzerland, Bavaria and Scandinavia refused to aid France in its defense. Only the miniscule Portugal and even minuter Greece – the countries with the most to gain from a French victory – dared to aid her.
Though one positive event did slip through the turbulent times without much fight from the conservative and reactionary base, on January 7th, a universal healthcare (trinket) reform was passed.