James Fitzjames: the Mystery Man of the Franklin Expedition

by William Battersby

James Fitzjames was a hero of the early nineteenth-century Royal Navy. A charismatic man with a wicked sense of humour, he pursued his naval career with wily determination. When he joined the Franklin Expedition at the age of 32 he thought he would make his name. But instead the expedition completely disappeared and he never returned. Its fate is one of history's last great unsolved mysteries, as were the origins and background of James Fitzjames – until now.

Fitzjames packed a great deal into his thirty-two years. He had sailed an iron paddle steamer down the River Euphrates and fought with spectacular bravery in wars in Syria and China. But Fitzjames was not what he seemed. He concealed several secrets, including the scandal of his birth, the source of his influence and his plans for after the Franklin Expedition.

In this first complete biography of the captain of the HMS Erebus, William Battersby draws extensively on Fitzjames' personal letters and journals – most never published before – as well as official naval records, to strip away 200 years of misinformation and half-truths and enables us to understand for the first time this intriguing man and his significance for the Franklin Expedition.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Adventure

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Allegra · Rating 5 out of 5]

got mad at the end of this book when james fitzjames died tragically in the arctic but that’s on ME like what did i EXPECT!!!!!! rip flamboyant king happy pride month

[William Battersby]

Best not to say - I wrote it...

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched book about an important member of the disastrous Franklin Expedition who, for the longest time, has been critically misunderstood and whose merits have been unappreciated by most scholars. James Fitzjames was neither born in England or, as the events of his life would attest, a gentleman. What he was was so much more interesting and the the author's greatest achievement is his ability to make the reader feel a sense of loss for this charming and ambitious individual who left for a distant, then unexplored land, never to be seen again, alive or dead. I'd give this book five stars if it wasn't for the fact that it could really use a glossary. Fitzjames life is a whirlwind of different personages, places and ships, and a sort of dramatis personae section would've of really helped me remember who was who. A timeline of his career would also have been welcome. Besides these nitpicks, James Fitzjames is fortunate to have such a methodical and eloquent biographer.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Fitzjames' origins are pretty mysterious, but William Battersby does a great job of sounding out the possibilities of his background and his life, and you get both the sense of how earnestly interested (and fond!) Battersby is of his subject, and what Fitzjames was like as a man. (In short, a daring, exuberant, loveable dumbass. Since when is bringing a cheetah on as a ship's pet ever a Smart Idea, Jems???) Very enjoyable until the inevitable tragedy of the Franklin Expedition made me Sad, as usual.

[Torin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried for this historical man so many times

[sashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Modern scholarship has given us the opportunity to strip away almost 200 years of prejudice and misconception. Let us hope that we can, and now celebrate a portrait of a talented and charismatic man who overcame prejudice to create for himself the life he was determined to lead."

The last time the outside world ever saw James Fitzjames was on my birthday (albeit many, many years before I was born). I'm taking it as a sign that was he was always meant to become my most beloved historical blorbo.

I went into this believing there was next to nothing known about him, and that's true to an extent. The scarcity of these sources makes the unorthodox ones that survive even more interesting than Fitzjames' own diaries may have been.

Through this book, we see him through the eyes of everyone who loved him. And boy was he loved (minus Crozier but that was a him problem I think). The boy had rizz out the wazoo. And it came across effortlessly, no matter how little we actually know about him, though I have to note Battersby did a fair job of mitigating bias despite his obvious fondness for JFJ.

So glad I was able to find my copy of this and finally finish it. Fitzjames led such a buckwild life from the moment he was born. He grew past his painful backstory and became so much larger than life; and the proof of it is in the legions of people to
this day making everything from playlists to kpop style photocards of him. They loved him then, and we love him now.

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I feel utterly miserable now.

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

a solid 3.5 for me. i love how it's obvious that battersby set out on a personal mission to correct the misconception of who james fitzjames really was. despite being lesser known, fitzjames seems to have left more historical records than crozier, so this had a lot more details and personality imbued into it. the events leading up to the start of the expedition in 1845 was wonderfully detailed and is a great resource for anyone learning about the franklin expedition.

on the other hand, battersby's personal crusade to defend fitzjames also feels off-putting at times. the holier-than-thou tone eventually becomes grating and the neat conclusion seems like it was written with the intent to refute every single historian who dared make assumptions about james fitzjames.

[Molly Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved learning about this funky little guy!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a fun and fascinating biography on a man who lived an adventurous life. I actually feel like I would have liked to go drinking with this guy, I think he'd be a riot at parties (some of his pranks are absolutely nuts is all I'll say).

My only critique may be that given the extreme lack of primary sources available on this guy, I'm not entirely as confident with some of the material as the author is. For example, suggesting the existence of a Portuguese nurse. Do we know that for certain? Not really. Still, perhaps a reasonable inference to be made.

Excellent read, just wish we had more information (what do those X's mean, hmmmmmmm?).

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is impossible not to like this man.

Reading about other figures around this time and before, it is easy for them to come across in the historical record as so dour and serious – mainly because of the kind of documentation that survives (official letters, carefully composed notes, paintings and portraits that portrayed a certain image). But Fitzjames was just such an intriguing character of a man. Everything from the illegitimacy of his birth to an English aristocrat and an unknown woman in Brazil, to his unconventional promotion through the naval hierarchy, to his part in the Euphrates steamer expeditions and the Opium Wars, and then eventually to his mysterious disappearance with the Franklin expedition. It was all such a whirlwind to have been packed into his short life.

The research into this book is amazing because, as is frequently said throughout it, so many records were lost or just not uncovered. Fitzjames was full of contradictions and the image of the ‘posh, well-educated Victorian, English aristocrat’ stuck to him when he was...none of those things. In the snippets of his diaries and letters, he comes across as so bright and entertaining and charming. The drag shows, the keeping of a pet cheetah, the impersonations and extended practical jokes... I literally never knew what to expect next when reading this.

I definitely agree with the conclusions in the book that he felt very ‘modern’. I have not come across another figure quite like him while reading non-fic history. Everything about the Franklin expedition absolutely enthrals me, and to fill in details about the people involved, and their own extraordinary lives, is so intriguing.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally this was a very good read. I tend not to read much nonfiction but I'm in the pits of my Terror obsession so this had to happen. It gave me a lot of new information and was overall very educational whilst remaining readable and interesting. I did have a few issues though which I'm going to list because I can't be bothered to type a whole paragraph:
- I felt like sometimes assumptions were made and run with in the space of actual confirmed fact. A lot of the time these assumptions were explained very well, which made it all the more obvious when something was just stated without evidence.
- Sometimes the whole colonialism aspect of Fitzjames' life and role in the military was glossed over. It felt like Battersby was trying to defend his actions instead of just acknowledging that this was a particularly ugly part of British history that Fitzjames was a part of. He's a deeply flawed person who participated in these awful things (e.g. Opium Wars) but that doesn't mean he isn't an interesting person to write/read about who also did some good things.
- Constant connections to the Franklin expedition. I know that a lot of people (myself included) first heard about Fitzjames because of this and picked up the book because of this, but I was reading to learn about Fitzjames' life as a whole. I didn't need the Franklin expedition dangled in front of me constantly like I wouldn't read the book without it. The entire book was interesting and, if anything, these constant references pulled me out of what were otherwise very interesting chapters.

Anyway, despite this long list, I promise I did actually really enjoy it.

8/10

[Amolhavoc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commendably well-researched labour of love. Veers a bit towards the uncritical, but demonstrates the importance of not taking previous writers' assumptions about a historical figure at face value, nor of judging the origins of someone in the past by the professional and social positions in which they eventually ended up. Really readable, and highly recommended for polar and maritime nerds.

Also, by remarkable coincidence, JFJ was in the news yesterday! It looks like he did get eaten after all - no surprises there but still sad: https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

[jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

shoutout to william battersby for being the OG james fitzjames fangirl. jfj's life is interesting enough that reading this was genuinely like reading a novel. i read this shortly after the fitzbones discovery (which i have not yet recovered from thank you very much) and i was clapping and cheering at all the dundy appearances (normal person behaviour!!). to leave the terror fandom moment behind tho i get why battersby felt like he had to "defend" jfj from some of the criticism leveled at him re: the expedition and also the incorrect assumptions abt his background but i do think a sliiiiightly more critical lens would not have been amiss. as much as we like to imagine our favourite fictionalized victorian naval officers and play with them like dolls, the actual historical people were still. u know. officers in the royal navy during peak imperialism. curious to see what the jfj scholars currently working do next bc i am seated for more info!! and some of battersby's conclusions are kinda wild. 4 stars, might have gone higher with it if the pillow fight story had been featured. happy belabour me woefully weekend besties <3

[J. Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read about an adventurer few have heard of. Battersby makes Fitzjames come alive, so that we feel as if we're there when Fitzjames sets up his practical jokes, or bats swarms of mosquitoes on the river in Iraq. It's amazing what he and his comrades went through during the Euphrates Expedition, and surviving this, it's crazy that he went on to volunteer for and organize the Franklin Expedition, which of course took Fitzjames's life. Well written, interesting and full of information about the early 19th century, this is a great book that I truly enjoyed.

[Crawfish Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a very interesting book about a fascinating man. Although this is probably especially interesting for those interested in the Franklin expedition, I'd recommend it for anyone interested in discussion of the exploration conducted by Victorian England. Doesn't quite get 5 stars as the author had a tendency to propose theories based on flimsy facts and then pretend they were established fact. Although I feel this was justified in certain things (such as discussion of Fitzjames' illegitimacy) there were some parts when Battersby's theories were more wild than could be supported.

[quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

he gaslit and girlbossed his way into the royal navy then died under mysterious circumstances. king! <3 but for real this book is lovingly and carefully written and does a wonderful job of characterising a man who was so unknown for so long, battersby's research is insanely thorough and everyone should go read the edited chapters published on the jfj website that correct some mistakes and go into even more detail !

[TJL · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, be warned:

This book has a lot of padding in it. The author goes to great pains to give large biographies of people related to Fitzjames in some way, as well as historical events, and it is painfully obvious that this is an attempt to distract from the fact that not a lot is or can be known about certain parts of this man's life.

This book could have easily cut at least 50 pages worth of writing and not lost anything of value to learning about Fitzjames.

(Also, the author does something that personally REALLY bugs me in historical nonfiction, and that's making leaps about what a person was thinking or feeling at a given time when it is objectively not important. I understand venturing a guess if you're trying to explain why Fitzjames did something important; saying things like "Oh, he must have been so impressed by this Admiral because everybody was" is not even sorta-kinda relevant. All it does is drag out the word-count.)

[Shenoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this much quicker than I thought I would. The author has a way with words that isn't too flowery, as apposed to other biographies or historical accounts that I've read. The facts (or lack of them in Fitzjames' case) are presented in a straightforward manner and any commentary or guesswork is adequately noted and explained.

Having read The Terror and seen the show, I wanted to know why they added certain things and changed things about Simmons' Fitzjames for the series. It's clear that someone read this book (it being published after The Terror was) and decided to weave this interesting character into the storyline in a more prominent and accurate way. He seems like such an interesting man and I hope that so much more information about the Franklin Expedition can be unearthed in the coming years. If only some personal journals were found. . .

[lonnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very interesting book in my journey of learning more about the Franklin Expedition and polar exploration in general. From what I'd gathered from other books on the topic, I had a basic knowledge about James Fitzjames, though my main exposure to him was his fictionalized counterpart in the tv show The Terror. But the real Fitzjames was an even more interesting person. From his illegitimate birth (and efforts to keep it secret), his shrewd cleverness, ambition and (sometimes slightly fishy) ways of working his way up the Navy's career ladder, you really get a sense of who he was. This biography does a great job at bringing Fitzjames to life again and you really end up liking him for his bravery, sense of humor and openmindedness for other religions, however, it also doesn't gloss over that he did make his name by being part of the British Empire's colonialist machinery (with his training as gunnery officer playing an important role in the Opium War), adding the important nuance to make this a thorough and informative biography.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a very good job at documenting Fitzjames' life; it's well researched and pieced together in an excellent narrative. As for the character of Fitzjames, himself, I actually find him a particularly obnoxious man and one whom I probably wouldn't entertain much thought of, especially with his prankish thievery. He was a worldly man who strove to greatness to die in the Arctic and, given recent archaeological findings, was cannibalized! Such a strange end to a lively man. The author does a great job at bringing this man to life on the pages and knowing his fate made the narrative all the more poignant. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the life of Commander James Fitzjames.

[Elaine O'Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read. If, like me, you’ve had your interest piqued by seeing The Terror on BBC tv then this makes for informative background reading. James Fitzjames’ story, a birth shrouded in mystery, his struggle to rise through naval ranks without wealth and patronage, is touching and full of human interest. William Battersby presents his research and the facts uncovered, in a very readable style. I couldn’t put it down. As Fitzjames’ death ended in circumstances as shrouded in mystery as his birth, the is some conjecture but Battersby brings to life the bravery, humour and tenacity of his subject. I highly recommend the book.

[Claire Cordeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I bought this book after being unable to buy Crozier’s bio because it was out of print. I’m so glad I did! Fitzjames’ life feels like a major action adventure story. The author drew me in by creating an image of how compelling he was. It’s now difficult to look at his serious daguerreotype without thinking of the practical jokes and what a fun loving and charismatic character he must have been. I totally cried at the end knowing his fate. So wish things would have turned out differently for him and the rest of the crew.

[Alex]

Interesting but one should be aware it’s hard not think that the authors clear personal interest in Fitzjames biases some of their interpretations. On the flip side I can appreciate the passion for the subject.

[Minette Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating read - a wonderfully light touch that creates a fantastic biographical portrait. A real must for any naval/ polar history enthusiast

[Laurel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
the author is a bit too infatuated of the Captain Fitzjames, but it's a nice read

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

why did it have to end like that he should have lived forever ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Aaron George · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one of many Arctic exploration books I have read, I did not expect much from this one. In fact, it sat unread on my nightstand for several months while I debated what I could possibly gain from another story of 19th century Royal Navy blundering.
Having read the book, I feel somewhat embarrassed about prejudging it. The author has done a great job of researching and compiling details of a very interesting man. And then he has similarly done a great job of writing the story in an engaging, thought-provoking manner. Many of these young naval officers led quite compelling lives, considering the social constructs of 19th century England, and obviously Fitzjames himself provided a ready supply of intriguing adventures, but Battersby clearly has a talent for storytelling. He brings back to life a man whose zeal for adventure, and thirst for glory landed him in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Well worth reading for any enthusiast of tales of tragically miscalculated exploration.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. It was such a joy reading about an very interesting man and his search for an identity. The writer wrote his story so well,feels very personal and the writer clearly admires James Fitzjames. I will admit I did fall in love with Fitzjames.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An affectionate biography of an interesting, vivacious character in history.

I mean my god when my dude was my age he was getting shot in China! What are the rest of us doing with our lives??