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IT'S THE LAST WEEK...
... of preparations for "Napoleon: Revolution to Empire", the new exhibition set open in Melbourne, Australia, and the excitement is building. You can follow all the latest developments on our Facebook page, where you will find some lovely behind-the-scenes photos taken at the gallery. You don't need an account to view the photos or follow the updates, and the page is updated everyday with Napoleonic news and links. The opening day of the exhibition will also include an introductory symposium outlining the key themes on display. Back to the letter, and you will find our latest book of the month, which takes a look at the life and time in captivity of a certain Reverend Lancelot Charles Lee, as well as a selection of contemporary accounts on the lives of other détenus during the Napoleonic period. The reading material does not stop there though, for we also have Peter Hicks' article on the Consulate and contemporary political theory, taken from issue n° 13 of Napoleonica. La Revue. For those looking to exercise the ears more than the eyes, we also have a couple of 1812 podcasts produced by the English wing of the Russian radio station The Voice of Russia. And for our London area readers looking to step outside in June, we have news of Apsley House's Road to Waterloo Festival, which will be taking place every weekend that month. The Treaty of Bucharest forms the crux of our 200 years ago text, whilst 150 years ago sees Otto von Bismarck arrive in Paris.
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FONDATION NAPOLEON NEWS
"Napoleon: Revolution to Empire" symposium
The exhibition "Napoleon: Revolution to Empire" - co-organised by the National Gallery of Victoria and the Fondation Napoléon - is set to open in one week, and the opening day will see a number of international and local speakers introduce the key themes of the exhibition at a symposium organised by the venue. Speaking at the event on behalf of the Fondation Napoléon alongside Ted Gott and Gerard Vaughan, representatives of the NGV, will be Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling ("Martial Lapeyre and Creation of the Fondation Napoleon"), Peter Hicks ("Coronation and music"), Karine Huguenaud ("Collections of the Fondation Napoléon"), and François Houdecek ("Russia 1812"). And don't forget to take a look at our Facebook page for some behind-the-scenes photos from the exhibition (a Facebook account is not required to access them).
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BOOK OF THE MONTH
Napoleon's Prisoner: a country parson's Ten-Year detention in France, by John Parry-Wingfield
In 1802 there was a short interlude of peace in the Napoleonic Wars between Britain and France, during which many British of all classes travelled to France. A year later Napoleon resumed hostilities and decreed that all British citizens travelling in France should be interned. One such détenu was the Reverend Lancelot Charles Lee who remained interned for eleven years, mainly in Verdun. This book includes letters which he wrote from France to his cousin, painting a vivid and colourful picture of the life of the détenus and of Lee's state of mind. Napoleon.org has also prepared a selection of complementary texts offering further details on the lives of those imprisoned in France. The French book of the month is De l'empereur au roi. Correspondance d'Eugène de Roussy (1806-1830), by Chantal de Loth and François Houdecek, project manager for the publication of the Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
"At the end of the 18th century, you cannot do what they did in the middle of the 17th". Napoleon, Lacretelle, Jordan and Bonald: the Consulate and contemporary political theory", by Peter Hicks
Right from the Constitution of An VIII, the jury in France was out as what they thought Napoleon was doing in government. Was he a Caesar, a Cromwell, a Dictator, a Consul, a King, or indeed a Kingmaker? Peter Hicks' contribution to issue n° 13 of Napoleonica. La Revue explores contemporary thought regarding Bonaparte's consulship at the turn of the century.
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SEEN ON THE WEB
The Voice of Russia Radio
The Voice of Russia is a radio station which today broadcasts in thirty-eight different languages and maintains a website available in thirty-three languages. As part of the 1812 bicentenary events being organised this year, the website features a series of articles on the history of the war from a Russian perspective as well as a number of English-language podcasts. "The year 1812. An epoch in sound" explores the marching music and battlefield instruments heard during the Battle of Borodino, whilst "Special Forces of the 1812 war" takes a look at the Russian special task forces and one particular partisan figure - a certain Alexander Figner - who fought during the conflict. These podcasts can be streamed or downloaded from the Voice of Russia website (both links are external).
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WHAT'S ON
The Road to Waterloo at Apsley House, London, UK
This year, Apsley House is marking the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo with a Waterloo Festival, to be held every weekend in June. Various events have been organised for the four weekends, including combat re-enactments, discussions on the daily life of a solider during the Napoleonic wars, and an opportunity to meet the Prince Regent and hear his account of the event.
200 YEARS AGO
The Treaty of Bucharest
On 28 May 1812, Russia, eager to free up troops for Napoleon's impending invasion, signed the Treaty of Bucharest with the Ottoman Empire, thereby bringing to an end the Russo-Turkish war which had been waging since 1806. The Sultan found himself forced to agree peace, despite having hoped to hold out until invasion when Russian forces would be diverted elsewhere. Although Alexander was required to return Moldavia and Wallachia to the Turks, he secured in compensation territory in Besarabia and access to the Mediterranean, and most importantly, could turn his gaze back to the Grande Armée that had massed on his western border.
150 YEARS AGO
Otto von Bismarck becomes Prussian ambassador in Paris
By 31 May 1862, Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian statesman who would later become the architect of German unification, had arrived in Paris to take up his post as the king's ambassador to Napoleon III. His early impressions were to prove unfavourable; he wrote to Albrecht von Roon - Prussian Minister of War - shortly after handing over his letters of credence on 1 June, noting "I have arrived safely, and am living here like a rat in an empty barn, confined by the cold, rainy weather." His amicable relationship with the French emperor eventually saw the latter tentatively float the idea of a Franco-Prussian alliance, to be agreed at the expense of the Austrians, but Bismarck was to prove non-committal. His stay in Paris was short, and in September 1862 he was recalled to be appointed Minister-President.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 628, 25 - 31 MAY 2012
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© 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
Just published
- Waterloo: The French Perspective, by Andrew Field
- Redcoats: the British soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, by Philip Haythornthwaite
Press review
- The Age: Ted Gott on Napoleon crossing the Alps
- History Today Student Page: The Napoleonic Era
- Reviews in History: Poverty, Gender and Life-Cycle under the English Poor Law, 1760-1834, by Samantha Williams
Seen on the web (external links)
- Voices of Russia Radio: "The year 1812. An epoch in sound"
- Voices of Russia Radio: "Special Forces of the 1812 war"
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
- "Napoleon: Revolution to Empire", Melbourne, Australia [02/06/2012 - 07/10/2012]
Full details
Festivals
- Waterloo Festival: Road to Waterloo, London, UK [02/06/2012 - 24/06/2012]
Full details
- 1812 Napoleonic Weekend, Lucca, Italy [01/06/2012 - 03/06/2012]
Full details
Talks
- "Napoleon: Revolution to Empire" introductory symposium, Melbourne, Australia [02/06/2012 - 02/06/2012]
Full details
NAPOLEON.ORG
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
Napoleonica is currently offline because of maintenance. Please accept our apologies for the interruption.
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