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In this week's letter...
we bring you a brand new painting of the month, Vernet's depiction of the Clichy Gate at the Defence of Paris on 30 March, 1814. Then there is information on a talk happening in London, organised as part of the British Academy lecture series, and the International Napoleonic Society's annual report. On a more lighthearted note, there is information about a new download about the Napoleonic wars, as told by Wellington and Napoleon's horses! This week's 150 Years Ago looks at the opening of the London Underground and its influence on the Paris Metro, and 200 Years Ago focuses on the Prussian General Yorck and his treachery at the end of the Russian Campaign. For more ‘just published', don't forget to check out the right-hand side, where there are new books: one on American military history, a study of the London Foundling hospital, and a new publication in Italian about Napoleon and Umbria. You'll also find a link to a new article by historian Alan Forrest.
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Painting of the Month
The Clichy Gate, The Defence of Paris, 30 March 1814, by Horace Vernet
Horace Vernet was a Bonapartist and profoundly patriotic, and he sought to evoke the Napoleonic era in his numerous works, which often have Napoleon as their central figure. Here he celebrates not only the will and the courage of Marshal Moncey (1754-1842), a famous military character, but also anonymous Parisians who rallied to the defence of their city when the allied forces of the 6th coalition attacked on 14 March, 1814. This painting belongs to a series of depictions of great battles led by the ‘nation', just like those of the Battle of the Navas de Tolsa (1817; Palace of Versailles Museum) and the Battle of Jemmapes (1821, National Gallery, London).
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International Napoleonic Society
The International Napoleonic Society has published its annual report for 2012, which you can read here.
BBC History Event
As part of the British Academy lecture series, BBC History Magazine will be hosting a talk entitled 'Napoleon and Nelson: The Admiral and the Emperor'. It will feature historians John Sugden and Alan Forrest (author of Napoleon: a biography), and a discussion. For more details, click here.
Just published...
Warhorses of Letters, by Robert Hudson and Marie Phillips, is a fun, fictional account of the Napoleonic wars told through the eyes of Nelson and Napoleon's horses. It is now available to download.
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150 Years Ago
10 January, 1863 saw the opening of the the world's first underground train line in London, which ran from Paddington to Farringdon Street - serving just seven stations. Construction had started in 1860 and the line was intended as an easier way of transporting both goods and people through the city. Le Moniteur for January surprisingly doesn't mention the opening, perhaps because of its coincidence with the arrival in England of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, soon-to-be wife of the Prince of Wales.
On the other side of the Channel, however, an underground railway had been proposed in Paris as early as 1855, by Edouard Brame and Eugene Flachat, nearly concurrently with the plans that were being developed in London, with a similar view to alleviating goods traffic in the city - which relied heavily on buses and trams. Parisians had to wait until 19 November, 1871 for an urban rail network to be commissioned, though plans met with constant opposition from the city council and it wasn't until 1896 that they actually came to fruition, with building commencing in 1898 under the direction of Fulgence Bienvenue. In contrast with the London Underground, nine metro lines were under construction concurrently. The first Paris metro line opened on 19 July, 1900.
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200 Years Ago
Le Moniteur of 17 January, 1813 echoed indignation at the ‘treachery of General Yorck'. Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg was a general in the army of the King of Prussia who had been forced to help the troops of the Grande Armée during the Russian Campaign, as per the treaty of Tilsit. He had, however, signed the Convention of Tauroggen two weeks earlier on 30 December, 1812, which brought about a truce with Russia and integrated the division he led into the Russian army. Yorck thus became a traitor in the eyes of the French, but the later people insisted on seeing Yorck's action as independant of the Prussian King Friedrich-Wilhelm III's orders. Officially, Yorck was arrested and brought before a court martial. Two months later, the Franco-Prussian alliance had completely broken down and the general was released. During the week that followed the news of his defection, and in a spirit of devotion to the Emperor, the mayors of Saint Denis, Neuilly, Melun, Laon and Versailles, outraged by Yorck's treachery, paid homage to Napoleon by financing the equipment of cavalry officers to fill the ranks of the Grande Armée which the Prussian side-switching had further thinned out, on top of the terrible losses incurred during the retreat from Russia.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 652, 11-17 JANUARY, 2013
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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.
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MAGAZINE
Just Published
- The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Military and Diplomatic History, ed. Timonthy Lynch
- Childcare, Health and Mortality at the London Foundling Hospital, by Alysa Levene
- Umbria Napoleonica, by C. Coletti and C. Galassi
Seen on the web (external links)
- Napoleon: Son of the revolution, by Alan Forrest
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.
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