Hugo Has Arrived

Hugo's father was a battle-hardened general under Napoleon, and his mother was the daughter of an ancient, prestigious family. Their union should have been a classic fairy tale of prince and princess, or perhaps the sweet romance of a powerful CEO and a wealthy socialite.

However, their marriage took place during the unique era of the French Revolution; a clash between a republican general and a traditional aristocrat was inevitable.

"The Republic is the future of France!"

"The House of Bourbon is the only legitimate authority in France!"

"You are feudal and backward!"

"You are barbaric and cruel!"

"You are ignorant!"

"You are ridiculous!"

(The "barbaric and cruel" remark referred to the extreme rule of the Jacobins, while "ridiculous" referred to Napoleon's restoration of the monarchy.)

In the end, Hugo's parents chose to go their separate ways, and under his mother's guidance, he became a Royalist. As soon as the House of Bourbon was restored, Hugo published numerous articles praising the monarchy.

To the isolated Bourbon royal family, Hugo appeared as the very light of France, and because he was so young, they immediately dubbed him a "child prodigy."

Yet, as he grew older, Hugo began to lean toward the liberals. During the July Revolution of 1830, he passionately praised the revolutionaries and hoped for the establishment of a republic.

To Louis Philippe of the House of Orleans, this was nothing short of treason, and he attempted to marginalize him.

Subsequently, Hugo wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, satirizing the Church and feudal royal power. The enraged Church and King threw him into Arkham Prison, where he was, for a time, a cellmate of Louis Bonaparte.

(This segment did not happen in actual history, but as history changed, following France's capture of Texas and the suppression of the uprising in Lyon,