
Few traces remain of the ancien régime. Louis XV engaged the architect Gabriel (of the Petit Trianon) to enlarge the modest hunting lodge into a grand chateau. He died before his plans were realized, and it was under Louis XVI that it was completed.

When Marie Antoinette arrived in France for her marriage to Louis XVI, it was to Compiègne that she was delivered.
After Napoleon was crowned emperor in 1804 and all the royal palaces became his property, he decided to revamp Compiègne with the help of Berthaut, who had collaborated on Josephine's Malmaison and who had trained with Percier and Fontaine. Ultimately, Fontaine was called in to supervise.

Napoleon and Josephine each had their own apartment which were renovated and furnished between 1807-1809. The Emperor's included this opulent bedroom




and today

But it's really Josephine's apartment where all the action is. Ironically, she never inhabitated it as she was already repudiated by Napoleon (for being barren) by the time of completion. However, she was an active participant in their design....
Her dining room with faux antique marble walls



The boudoir-bathroom

In 1809, Napoleon married the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria who arrived at Compiègne in late July. The Petit Salon was fitted especially for her with blue moire upholstery as a reception room in 1812.
