Erected in 1927 “to the valour of French youth”, the monument evokes the memory of the young recruits of 1814 who bore the name of the Empress (Marie-Louise) by associating with it that of the Bleuets of the Great War, young soldiers of the class 17.
The bronze group, sculpted by Maxime Real del Sarte, represents a soldier of the imperial guard wearing a shako and a poilu of 1914-1918 both holding a laurel wreath as a symbol of glory.
This monument commemorates both the battle fought by Napoleon on the Craonne plateau in March 1814 and the fighting of the Great War, one hundred years later, at the same place…