| |
| |
A word from the President...
This year, the Fondation Napoleon has even more to offer to indulge your passion for all things Napoleonic.
Some things are continuing, like the website napoleon.org, which is constantly being updated, and our weekly bulletins in English and French. We now also have our digital library which is being constantly added to, three issues of our online revue, and more... Our ‘traditional' library (with over 10,000 books and 50 journal subscriptions) is also ready and waiting to welcome visitors in our new home at 7 rue Geoffroy St Hilaire (Paris); don't hesitate to come and work here, or even just simply browse the collection.
Another innovation for 2013 is the Fondation's Napoleonic studies circle; a series of intimate dialogues between historians and an audience, focussing on original themes and ideas. It will be under the direction of general Robert Bresse, former director of the Army Museum, Paris, and an old friend of the Fondation, and it will have Michel Inglebert as general secretary, who is well known among Napoleonists in the Ile-de-France. These talks will take place in our new conference room. The official programme will be revealed at the beginning of March. Booking will be required.
2013 is set to be a year of conferences and talks: one on 1813 organised by the Souvenir Napoleonien, with whom we are in partnership (18 - 19 March, in Paris); and another dedicated to general Bertrand, in commemoration of the bicentenary of his nomination as grand marshal of the Palace, organised by the Châteauroux museums (16 November, Châteauroux). And there's more: books, meetings, the history prizes and scholarships and undoubdtedly some surprises along the way.
Finally, we have decided to prolong “Operation St Helena”. The high rate of inflation that has struck St Helena means it is imperative that we continue to raise more money.
Wishing you all a happy New Year 2013.
Victor-André Masséna, Prince d'Essling
President of the Fondation Napoleon
|
|
|
| |
Book of the Month
Alexander I: The Tsar who Defeated Napoleon, by Marie-Pierre Rey
Alexander I was a ruler with high aspirations for the people of Russia. Cosseted as a young grand duke by Catherine the Great, he ascended to the throne in 1801 after the brutal assassination of his father. In this biography, Marie-Pierre Rey illuminates the complex forces that shaped Alexander's tumultuous reign and sheds new light on the ruler known to his people as “the Sphinx.” The Fondation Napoleon was happy to have supported the translation of this important new study.
|
|
|
| |
The Napoleon III Commemoration Mass
The mass commemorating the death of Napoleon III will be celebrated on 9 January, 2013 at St Augustin's Church, Paris at 6pm. The nearest metro stop is Saint-Augustin.
The 1813/2013 Tour
This year, EHQ Tours is offering a trip to Germany, to commemorate the campaign of 1813. It begins in Berlin, then moves on to Dresden and then on to tours of the battlefields, where Napoleon met with the combined forces of Russia, Austria and Prussia. The battles of Dresden, Bautzen, Lutzen and more will all be recounted, as well opportunities to see the tourist sights that eastern Germany has to offer. The tour will take place from 8 - 18 May, 2013.
Booking is essential. Click here for more details.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
200 Years Ago
On the 8 January, 1813 le Moniteur published the following edict: "the custom of calling actors and demanding they appear on stage after the performance they have played in has become markedly ribald, and a cause of disorder not in keeping with the tranquility that should reign at theatrical productions. From now on, this is to be banned”. Napoleon Bonaparte accorded great importance to the dramatic arts, and under his control the new rules pertaining to the theatre 1807 were put into force. The creation of an “agence general des spectacles” had put the theatres, numbers of which were dwindling, under the supervision of the Minister for the Interior, by means of the presence of censors and police during the shows. However, this edict wasn't really censure in its strictest sense.
The decision of 1813 recalls a preoccupation that Napoleon had already expressed to Fouche on 27 October, 1807 “the free tickets issued at the four big theatres are the main cause of the disorders which have taken place in the stalls. My intention is that the custom of distributing of these tickets should stop completely on 1 November”. Lack of sanctions meant that this phenomenon, which disrupted the end of shows, continued. Because of the free tickets, hired audience members were turning the end of shows into “professional uproar”, either favourable or unfavourable to certain writers and actors. This practice endured right through the 19th century.
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
150 Years Ago
Le Moniteur of the first week of January 1863 contains numerous articles about the late Cardinal Morlot, who died on 29 December, 1862. Born François-Nicolas-Madeleine Morlot on 28 December, 1795, Morlot rose to prominence as a clergyman under the Restoration, being made bishop of Dijon in 1820. However, he supported Louis-Napoleon and the re-establishment of the Empire; this support undoubtedly influenced his election to the cardinalate in 1850. He maintained a good relationship with the Emperor, and was bishop to the court. Though he supported his friend Bouvier's theology handbook, which was condemned by the Holy See, and shared the moderate views of his colleague Dupanloup, he was never outwardly critical of the Pope, and generally stayed out of the altercations between liberals and ultramontanists. He was made archbishop of Paris in 1857 after the assassination of Monseigneur Sibour, and dedicated a lot of his energy to revising the catechism and religious instruction, which was ‘always the object of his preoccupations'. Le Moniteur also mentions his particular devotion to the poor and his regular visits to orphanages, workhouses and hospitals, as well as being the President of the Société du Prince Impérial. His funeral took place on 8 January, 1863 at Notre Dame.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 652, 04 - 10 JANUARY, 2012
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
You can still donate online to the project via the Friends of the Fondation de France in the US here
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter !
MAGAZINE
Just Published
- Moments of Extraordinary Violence and Intensity, by Nancy Becker
- Emir Abd el-Kader: Hero and Saint of Islam, by Ahmed Bouyerdene
Seen on the web (external links)
- The Empress Josephine discussed on Radio 4's Great Lives.
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.
Tours
- A series of visits organised by the Centro Romano di Studi Napoleonici.
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.
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The new library opening hours are:
Monday and Tuesday 1pm – 6pm and
Thursday to Friday 10am – 3pm.
Closed Wednesday.
Online catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
ACCOUNT DETAILS
To change your email address, unsubscribe, and sign up for the French information bulletin.
|
|
