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In this week's letter...
There's a lot going on! We're featuring the catalogue from the exhibition Napoleon et l'Europe as our book of the month: an indispensable guide to the monumental exhibition taking place in Paris. On the subject of exhibitions, we have an interview with Pauline Bulot, who is in charge of the Fondation Napoléon collection, about her role in loaning objects to the wide-ranging exhibition Bonaparte at the Scheldt in Antwerp (Belgium). Then there are details of three upcoming events: a commemoration of the War of 1812 in Queenstown (Maryland, USA); an exhibition of treasures from Napoleon I's Imperial residences, in Macao (China); and an exhibition of watercolours at the Bonaparte family home in Corsica. We're also highlighting Michael Broers' interesting article about Napoleon and Europe's frontiers from Napoleonic la Revue,our digitised quarterly, which is free to access. This week's 200 Years Ago looks at Napoleon's efforts to recoup the army after the Russian defeat in preparation for the conflict in Germany, and in 150 Years Ago, our attention is on the political situation in Prussia. The right hand side is packed with things this week, too. As well as the new book of the month, we have several new publications: A Short History the Crimean War, one about Wellington's victories in the Peninsular War and another about the little-known plight of French prisoners kept in the bay of Cadiz in the same period. We also have two articles in our press review section, and some interesting things seen on the web, including a fascinating video about objects made by French prisoners of war during the Napoleonic Wars.
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Book of the Month
Napoléon et l'Europe Exhibition Catalogue (in French).
During nearly fifteen years in power, Napoleon made an indelible mark on France. But another question emerges: how was Europe changed throughout the wars, conquests and the final collapse of the regime? In this sumptuous and fully illustrated catalogue of the exhibition, various Napoleonic scholars look at the manifold facets of Napoleon's influence in Europe, from administration of conquered territories to his influence on art and ideas. Contributors include the Fondation's very own Thierry Lentz and Pierre Branda, as well as eminent Napoleonic scholars, including Jacques-Olivier Boudon, Michael Broers, and director of the exhibition, Emilie Robbe.
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Interview with Pauline Bulot, Person in Charge of the Fondation Collection
This week, we interviewed Pauline Bulot about her role in the exhibition 'Bonaparte at the Scheldt' at the Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp, (Belgium). Here she tells us about the procedures involved in loaning objects from the Fondation collection, her role in the logistics of it and also her favourite piece.
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What's On
War of 1812 Commemoration in Queenstown, USA
The unveiling of a sign commemorating the hijacking by the British of the Queenstown packet, a boat which operated across the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore and Queenstown in Maryland, during the war of 1812. Re-enactors in War of 1812 military garb will take part, and there will also be period music.
Napoleon and the Decorative Arts: Treasures of the Imperial Palaces, Macao, China
This exhibition presents a selection of 125 masterpieces that adorned the Napoleonic palaces during the First French Empire. The variety of objects illustrate how Napoleon imposed his aesthetic sensibilities upon many aspects of life during this period and how the Empire-style has become one of the grandest and most opulent in the history of Fine and Decorative Arts.
Les Maisons des Bonaparte à Paris 1795-1804 - Watercolours by Christian Benilan, Ajaccio, Corsica
An exhibition of watercolours of the various residences owned by the Bonaparte family in Paris after Napoleon I's rise to power, painted by the contemporary artist Christian Benilan.
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Napoleonica la Revue
'A Turner Thesis for Europe? The Frontier in Napoleonic Europe', by Michael Broers
An article from our online journal Napoleonica la Revue. This resource brings together articles written by Napoleonic scholars from all over the world, and is accessible for free online. This week, we've chosen an article topical to the current crop of exhibitions across Europe which examine Napoleon's influence and designs for the various regions that fell under his aegis.
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200 Years Ago
After the devastations the Grande Armée underwent in Russia, it became imperative for Napoleon to reconstitute the army. Two sénatus-consultes were delivered, on 11 January and 3 April respectively, with the aim of speeding up the mobilisation of troops. A decree on 5 April, whilst upholding the departmental executive of the Garde Nationale, created the possibility of temporarily drafting men from there into the army. In total, 92,000 men from the Garde Nationale served in 1813. In addition to this, troops posted in Naples were also ordered to move northwards towards Nuremberg and thousands of men also joined up voluntarily. Another problem that Napoleon faced was generating enough money to fund the army. Calculations (which later proved to be incorrect) showed that 35 million francs remained from the army budget of 1812. However, when these funds were demanded by the Emperor, it became apparent that such amounts were not available, so the the Emperor was forced slash over 44 million francs from the Imperial budget to bolster military finances.
150 Years Ago
For a few weeks, the German diets (meetings of legislative bodies), including the Prussian one, were agitated by the differing political movements, especially with regards to Bismarck's co-operation with Russia over the Polish crisis. Other pressures, mostly economic, also worried the Chancellor's adversaries, who saw his politics as taking a more autocratic turn. Nevertheless, Le Moniteur of 5 April, 1863 noted: “the Easter holiday has meant that news sources have dried up”. However, it did manage to report that “the Prussian government has forbidden the entry of many newspapers into Prussia which have published articles critical of Bismarck's politics.” The German National Association encouraged the German population to come together and commemorate the constitution of Empire on 28 March, 1849. It also tried to orchestrate the expression of anti-Bismarck sentiment throughout the various German states. However, the authoritarianism of the Chancellor and Prussian domination hardly suffered from this badly organised movement. Soon, the Second Schleswig War would be underway and Prussian expansionism would become a force to be reckoned with.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Andrew Miles
Historians and web editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 665, 05-11 APRIL, 2013
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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 the prolongation of its 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
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'NAPOLEON ET L'EUROPE' AT THE MUSEE DE L'ARMEE
- The exhibition is now open! Buy your tickets online.
napoleon.org-related content:
- Painting of the Month, from the exhibition: Bonaparte Crossing the Great St Bernard Pass
- Interview with E. Robbe, Director of the Exhibition
- Object of the Month, from the exhibtion The Uniform and Epaulettes worn by Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar
MAGAZINE
Just Published
- A Short History of the Crimean War, by Trudi Tate
- Salamanca 1812: Wellington's Year of Victories, by Peter Edwards
- Recordando un Olvido: Pontones Prisiones en la Bahia de Cadiz 1808-1810, by Lourdes Márquez Carmona
Seen on the web (external links)
- Archaeologists search for an 1812 wreckage in Charleston harbour
- A short film of objects made by French prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars from the BBC
Press Review
- Another article about the plot to rescue Napoleon by submarine
- History of the Scheldt divisions in 1810
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 and the Decorative Arts: Treasures of the Imperial Palaces [ Macao, China 14/04/2013 - 14/07/2013]
- Les Maisons des Bonaparte à Paris 1795-1804 Watercolours by Christian Benilan [ Ajaccio, Corsica 05/04/2013 - 07/07/2013]
Other Events
- War of 1812 Commemoration in Queenstown, USA [Queenstown, MA, USA 06/04/2013 - 06/04/2013]
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
Napoleonica Archives is now online!
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
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