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The rentrée continues apace...
... here at the Fondation Napoléon, as more new content flows onto napoleon.org. As well as our latest article of the month - Fiona Parr's study of French and British reaction to Napoleon's death and the Retour des Cendres - we have also added a new First Empire recipe to our Bon Appétit! section. During the period, potatoes gradually became more and more important in a French family's daily meals: this week we bring you a recipe for an unusual-sounding dessert cake made using these versatile tubers. We also have details of a new website - supported by the Fondation Napoléon - which features biographical details of some long-living veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, plus news of a new museum opening in Brussels, Belgium. We continue the letter with information on the new exhibition taking place at Malmaison (the second of two "Destin Souverains" exhibitions taking place in France this autumn), plus the usual 200 and 150 years ago.
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ARTICLE OF THE MONTH
"The death of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Retour des Cendres: French and British perspectives", by Fiona Parr
Reaction to the death of Napoleon was unsurprisingly intense and emotional. Perhaps more surprising, however, was the level of feeling and the manner in which it manifested itself on both sides of the Channel. In this article, Fiona Parr explores the impact that the exiled emperor's demise and the Retour des Cendres had on individuals both British and French, and in doing so conducts a study of how Napoleon's posthumous image developed during the mid-nineteenth-century.
Those looking for further details on the Retour des Cendres, and in particular the construction of Napoleon's tomb, should take a look at Michael Paul Driskel's As befits a legend: building a tomb for Napoleon, 1840-1861, which includes some fascinating early project proposals and in-depth analysis of the minefield of issues surrounding the emperor's momentous return to France.
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SEEN ON THE WEB
Les derniers soldats de l'Empire
Frédéric Mathieu, author of Ils ont vaincu Napoléon et le temps and Napoleon, les derniers témoins, has - with support from the Fondation Napoléon - launched a website offering in-depth details and data entries of the last remaining witnesses to the Napoleonic wars. Taking 1879 as his cut-off point, Mathieu's database contains nearly 3,800 names and includes birth dates, birth places, death dates, and even in some cases the rank they obtained. There are also some fascinating early photographic portraits to be found, and a whole host of statistics to satisfy the local historian or genealogist in search of a family member.
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NAPOLEON.ORG
Bon Appétit! Potato cake
At the beginning of the 19th-century, the potato was still to take over the family dinner table and continued to be considered like other varieties of sub-vegetables reserved for animal feed. Nevertheless, this hardy tuber's easy cultivation and clear nutritional benefits, coupled with occasional waves of famine and devastating crop failure, would ensure this humble vegetable's domination of the gastronomic scene in the years to come. Such was its dominance that its role was not limited to savoury dishes: this dessert recipe for potato cake includes lemon zest, eau de vie, and plenty of sugar. And for those who cannot get enough of napoleon.org's period recipes, restaurants in Sarzana, Italy, are offering diners the chance to sample period-inspired dishes as part of the Sarzana Napoleon festival (22 - 25 September).
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Places, Museums and Monuments: Le Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits, Brussels, Belgium
A branch of the Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits, run by the Aristophil Society, is set to open in Brussels, Belgium, on 23 September. The Fondation Napoléon has worked closely with Aristophil on a number of occasions relating to the correspondence project, and this new museum, whose collections include documents relating to the Napoleonic occupation of Belgium as well as the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, offers the general public the opportunity to view rare manuscripts and text-based documents that would otherwise be hidden away in private collections.
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WHAT'S ON
"Destins souverains. Joséphine, la Suède et la Russie", Rueil-Malmaison, France
As a complementary exhibition to "Destins souverains: Napoléon Ier, le Tsar et le Roi de Suède" (which opens on the same day at Compiègne), "Destins souverains. Joséphine, la Suède et la Russie" focuses primarily on the French empress Josephine, the strong personal ties that bound the three dynasties and their descendents, and how these ties moulded Europe, post-Napoleon. The exhibition, like the one taking place at Compiègne, opens on 24 September. Visitors paying the full tariff for the exhibition qualify for reduced entry at Compiègne, upon presentation of their full-fare ticket.
200 YEARS AGO
The Battle of Bodón
As Wellington's troops withdrew from the blockade on Ciudad Rodrigo (see bulletin n° 595), the duke made a mistake. Misjudging the French advance, Wellington left his troops scattered about, to the west and south-west of Ciudad Rodrigo and within easy march of the town. A combined French reconnaissance force - under General Wathier, towards Espeja to the west, and General Montbrun, to the south-west - moved out on 25 September, and a short battle at El Bodón, to the south-west, took place. A force of 2,500 cavalry under Montbrun arrived at El Bodón and fell upon the 3rd Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General Picton, strung-out across six miles and numbering just 1,500 (one thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry) plus artillery. Believing that Wellington had kept troops in reserve, the commanding officer Marshal Marmont instructed Montbrun to just focus on one pocket of the 3rd Division stationed on the heights above El Bodón, under Colville, in order to push through on the British position. Despite repeated French cavalry charges, Montbrun's troops were repelled by the outnumbered British troops. A desperate defensive action was mounted, and after Marmont ordered troops to push through the village of El Bodón, the remaining British troops were finally forced to retreat. Under heavy fire from French artillery posted on the wings, the troops under Picton retreated in an orderly manner westwards. The 3rd Division succeeded in retreating to a stronger defensive position to the west, near Fuenteguinaldo, and Marmont halted his advance, unwilling to engage in any rash, full-scale pitched battle. The British losses numbered 149, whilst Montbrun's losses are estimated at about two hundred.
150 YEARS AGO
Cleaning up the Serpentine
On 23 September, 1861, the Moniteur Universel returned to a popular topic: Franco-British ecological one-upmanship. One of Napoleon III's pet projects, the improvement and addition of natural open space in the French capital was in no small part inspired by his time spent in London whilst in exile. The latest development concerned the purification of the Serpentine, the river that runs through Hyde Park.
"It is not that long ago that Paris envied London for its gardens and squares: today Paris has little cause to envy the British capital. The squares in Paris may be fewer in number, but they are far more pleasant than those in London, and [Parisian] parks are much more picturesque. The British are starting to understand that they have been overtaken, and are now thinking towards improving pleasure gardens they once thought beyond betterment. Initially, according to The Spectator, they wanted to marry utility and agreeability by purifying the waters of Hyde Park's aristocratic river, the Serpentine. A great many workers have already begun work on this operation of salubrity. In order to purify the waters of the Serpentine, a system used in St James Park - that is to say, the drying of the river [actually a lake] and the subsequent laying of a layer of concrete, over which would flow extremely pure water - was first discussed. The plan adopted by the commission [for the Serpentine] was proposed by an English engineer. This plan involves introducing a current to the Serpentine. It seems that the operation has thus far not met with success: the matter despoiling the river water is more visible than ever since the adoption of this system. [...] The cost of this problematic improvement is estimated at 20,000 pounds sterling, whilst the St James purification method had in its favour a successful outcome."
Further details of the project, which was first discussed in 1848 and continued to drag on into 1862, can be found in an article from the British Medical Journal from August 1859. The full story of the purification of the Serpentine can also be found on this website, "Cleansing the Serpentine". And why not take a look at the Paris parks and gardens thematic walks on napoleon.org?
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 596, 23 – 29 SEPTEMBER, 2011
Interested in the work of the Fondation Napoléon? Why not participate, either generally or in a specific project, by making a donation?
© This Napoleon.org weekly bulletin is published by the Fondation Napoléon. Reproduction or all or part of this bulletin is forbidden, without prior agreement of the Fondation Napoléon.
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OPERATION ST HELENA
The Fondation Napoléon and the Souvenir Napoléonien, in association with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have announced an international fund-raising campaign to restore and save Napoleon I's residence on the island of St Helena. All the details regarding the campaign as well as donation forms and advice for donating from outside France, can be found on napoleon.org.
FONDATION NAPOLEON ON THE WEB
Each week we offer you a "mystery" link to somewhere on napoleon.org. Click on the link to discover a part of the website you might not have visited before...
MAGAZINE
Press review
- Update: BBC article on lock of hair "belonging to Napoleon" found in Abbotsford House (with image)
EVENTS
On now and coming up
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Exhibitions
- "Les Misérables, 150 ans à Waterloo", Waterloo, Belgium [30/06/2011 - 30/09/2011] [LAST WEEK]
Full details
- "Destins souverains. Joséphine, la Suède et la Russie", Rueil-Malmaison, France [24/09/2011 - 09/01/2012]
Full details
- "Destins souverains: Napoléon Ier, le Tsar et le Roi de Suède", Compiègne, France [24/09/2011 - 09/01/2012]
Full details
Festivals
- Sarzana Napoleon Festival, Sarzana, Italy [22/09/2011 - 25/09/2011]
Full details
NAPOLEON.ORG
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