Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon III, Josephine, Marie-Louise, Eugenie, King of Rome, Prince Imperial, Consulate, First Empire, Hundred Days, Second Empire, Napoleonic Empire
The Fondation Napoléon (founded in 1987) is a registered charity committed to the encouragement of the study of and interest in the history of the First and Second Empires and the preservation of Napoleonic heritage.
OPERATION ST HELENA Project summary: February 2012 With the first contracts signed and preparations now fully underway to begin the Longwood restoration project, we can - as promised - bring you a breakdown of the financial figures from the appeal. As of 1 February 2012, the total stands at 1,063,600 euros raised, a fantastic sum which will enable to us to full renovate and restore the "Generals' Wing", as well as the furniture and interiors of the rooms once occupied by Napoleon. The document, available in PDF format, will be updated every month, allowing you to follow the project as it progresses.
NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE Issue n° 12: "War and Administration" This war and administration-themed issue of Napoleonica. La Revue (number twelve in the series) has some prime examples of wide-angle, multi-disciplinary analysis, including articles from Jean-Marc Lafon, Thierry Lentz, Thierry Couzin, Jean-Philippe Rey, and Pascal Cyr.
PAINTING OF THE MONTH The Battle of the Pyramids, by Louis François Lejeune By 1806, the date on which this painting was exhibited, the French army's victory over Mourad-bey's Mamluks had already entered into legend. Lejeune's panoramic interpretation however offers a clear depiction of the French army's formation and helping the viewer to understand the strategy used by Bonaparte. This painting is currently on display as part of "The Wars of Napoleon: Louis François Lejeune, general and painter" exhibition on at the Château de Versailles.
WHAT'S ON "1812, la campagne de Russie: Regards croisés sur une guerre européenne" The Fondation Napoléon, in partnership with the Souvenir Napoléonien, the Centre de Recherche en Histoire des Slaves de l'Université Paris I, the Archives Diplomatiques, and the magazine L'Histoire, is organising an international conference on the subject of the Russian campaign of 1812. The conference, scheduled for 4 and 5 April, will feature papers from some of the preeminent historians of the Napoleonic period. Registration for the event is set to open on 15 February, via napoleon.org.
BOOK OF THE MONTH Napoleon, by Alan Forrest In this his recent biography on Napoleon, Alan Forrest, Professor of Modern History at the University of York (UK), has written an exceedingly readable account of the emperor. And by starting with a chapter on the Retour des Cendres, he leaves readers in no doubt that this is going to be a discussion on Napoleon and his legend. If you haven't read a biography of Napoleon recently, this one's for you.
NAPOLEON.ORG Interview with Alan Forrest With his new work on Napoleon our latest book of the month, napoleon.org spoke to Alan Forrest about his take on the Napoleonic biography. The author, who has written extensively on the effects of war during the period, take some time out to explain his thinking in writing a new biography of the emperor, and describe some of the challenges he faced during the process.
FONDATION NAPOLEON The Fondation Napoléon on Facebook The Fondation Napoléon, intent as ever to play an active role in the social media revolution and the development of history resources on the internet, has a Facebook page. On it you will find daily updates on the history of the two empires - in English and in French - from both napoleon.org and further afield.
ARTICLE OF THE MONTH "Digital History and the Fondation Napoléon: an overview", by Hamish Davey Wright The branch of humanities that is digital history - the fusion of the past, the present and the future - continues to incite discussion and analysis in the press. This article considers some of the challenges surrounding the digitisation process that is taking place and puts into this context three of the Fondation Napoléon's digital services: Napoleonica.org, the Digital Library source agregator, and the digitised documents from the foundation's own collections.
OBJET D'ART OF THE MONTH Honorary drumsticks presented to the drummer of Arcole The revolutionary suppression of all Ancien Régime orders and decorations was to prove a serious headache for government authorities in need of an acceptable form in which revolutionary distinctions could be awarded. Honorary weapons had previously been used on occasion to symbolise national recognition, but it was General Bonaparte - during his campaigns in Italy and Egypt - who standardised this practice.
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Primary source material, international online journal, lists of online sources: for researchers and students.
If you are a fan of the fine arts, then this is the section for you.
