Imperial Elites and the Modernization of the Rural Areas of the South-Eastern Bassin Parisien. The Berthier de Wagram and the Canton of Boissy-Saint-Léger from 1830 to the Crisis of 1929 In 1831, the son of field marshal Berthier and second prince of Wagram inherited Grosbois, an immense estate in a rural location, but under Paris’ sphere of influence. However, he had to legitimate his rank and title by his distinguished status as landlord and castle owner. Following Louis Philippe’s views regarding the "république des propriétaires", he did his best to represent less affluent landlords under the titles of pair de France, conseiller général and captain in the National Guard. In order to win votes, the price to pay was a very conservative management of his land. With the accession of the Second Empire, this type of decentralized representation was reversed. Under the name of Wagram, the prince was no longer required to be a mediator for the civilian population, but to become the voice of the policies of Napoléon III. As mayor of the village, he then promoted hygiene and public education. The prince also enlarged his estate, now settled in large allocations, and developed on his own farm high quality livestock for the Parisian market, thus providing the local population the means of using innovative, mechanical farming techniques. However, after the fall of Napoleon III and the rise of democracy, the relationship between castle and village was weakened, especially after the prince’s death in 1886. As a consequence, his property was divided up amongst his inheritors. His son, moreover, had to contend increasingly with the rejection of the electors and with conflicts with his neighbours. Therefore, during the Belle Époque, to compensate for the loss of local political power, the third prince elected a more cosmopolitan and luxurious way of life, in which the estate was reduced to a modern secondary residence. This trend would only continue to be reinforced by the following generation until the final sale of the property.