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BACK IN THE SADDLE!
We the team of the napoleon.org Newsletter are delighted to be back and hope you enjoy the promising upcoming season, which we think is rich and exciting. Of course, it's the opposite side of the coin to Austerlitz and Friedland, but we're raring to get stuck into this key moment in European history and hope you'll find much that is stimulating and enjoyable.
Within the wealth of events, studies, conferences and varied approaches to the two Empires, the Fondation Napoléon will be bringing its own diverse and, we hope, interesting contribution. Here are just a few of the highlights to come. On 14 September at 3pm, under the Dôme of the Invalides, there will be a musical premiere of L'Écho à l'Empereur, an original work for hunting horns, as part of the Journées du Patrimoine (European Heritage Open Days), and in partnership with the Foundation for the Advancement of the Musical Horn. Then on 3 October, our series of talks here in our Paris offices will be starting up again. Also in October, the Fondation Napoléon will be participating in a special exhibition dedicated entirely to Duroc and organized by the French city of Pont-à-Mousson. In November, a significant part of our collection will depart for Kazakhstan where a great “Napoleon” exhibition will be taking place in Astana, in a partnership with the French national museum body, the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (and for most of us Kazakhstan is not exactly next door, so we will keep you updated in this letter… it'll be almost as if you were there). In December, there will be our annual History Awards Prize Ceremony. From January onwards, we will be participating in several events related to the French Campaign of 1814. On 25 and 26 March, we will be organising an international symposium on “Diplomacy and Diplomats in the Time of Napoleon”. In May, Volume X of our Correspondance générale of Napoléon will be released. And don't miss either our regular additions to the Digital Library all through the year.... Fondation staff will thus be multitasking, here and there, in France, in Europe, and on other continents. And of course, the Operation St Helena is going on. It is currently entering its final phase on the island - the completion of the works in the “Generals' Wing” is planned for the beginning of the summer 2014 - and this will continue in France with the restoration of the furniture and the preparation of the final exhibition.
And there'll be many more things to tell you, many more interests to share with you, many more events to make you experience, along way..
Here's to a great Napoleonic autumn and a fantastic Napoleonic 2014!
Thierry Lentz, Director of the Fondation Napoléon.
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BOOK OF THE MONTH
Rodolphe Kreutzer, La mort d'Abel, Choeur de chambre de Namur / Les Agrémens, Guy Van Waas, Ediciones Singulares, 2012.
This month's book is a book/cd of Rodolphe Kreutzer's famous opera The Death of Abel. The opera itself was based on an curious libretto, set halfway between opera and oratorio, and it was first performed at the Napoleonic Académie Impériale de Musique on 23 March, 1810, portraying in spectacular manner, the biblical story of Cain's murder of his brother, Abel, in a deadly fit of jealousy.
Beautifully produced by the Palazetto Bru Zane, the book includes four articles (in both French and English) and the opera libretto (in both French and English). And inserted in the book's covers are two cds of a performance of Kreutzer's opera by the Belgian group Les Agrémens and the Choeur de chambre de Namur directed by Guy Van Waas. Soloists include tenor Sébastien Droy and baritones Jean-Sébastien Bou and Alain Buet.
On a completely different subject, you may also be interested by Rafe Blaufarb's excellent book on The French Army 1750-1820, Careers, Talent, Merit. Read more about it here.
GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Don't forget you have until 30 September to apply for a grant. Every year the Fondation Napoléon encourages the study of the First and Second Empires by awarding six research grants to six French and non-French students in the first year of their PhD (or MPhil intending to go on to PhD) on a First or Second Empire subject. Each research grant is worth 7,500 Euros. More information here.
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WHAT'S IN STORE FOR YOUR NAPOLEONIC AUTUMN?
- Today is the last of a three-day conference at the University of Exeter (UK) on "The Paris Fine Arts Salon, 1791-1881". Last minute information here!
- "Waterloo: The Battle That Forged A Century": a major scholarly conference at King's College, London, on 11 and 12 September 2013. More information here.
- 12-15 September: European Heritage Open Days
Now is the time of year to visit and discover special historical places, sometimes otherwise closed to the public. If you are in England, why not visit the Providence Chapel in Charlwood, Surrey ? Originally built c. 1797 as a barracks for the troops assembled to repel an invasion by Napoleon, it was moved to Charlwood in 1815. Or visit the Mission in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, attended by Napoleon III during his stay there. If you are in France, check here for more information. Why not take this opportunity to rediscover Napoleon III's Private Study which was recently re-opened in Fontainebleau after restoration work? And if you are in France or even south of the UK, then the city of Boulogne-sur-Mer has a lot in store for you: coastal batteries, forts, a column of the Great Army, and even several Napoleonic trails: thirteen sites will remind you of Napoleon's presence between 1802 and 1811.
- The Napoleonic Historical Society Conference 2013 will take place from 13 to 15 September. It will be held in historic Alexandria, Virginia (USA). More here.
- In London, don't miss Dr Neil Faulkner's talk on « Redcoats : The Rise and Fall of British Battlefield Supremacy, 1759-1815 » on 26 September at the National Army Museum, as part of their lunchtime lectures.
- Programme of the Cercle d'Etudes Napoléoniennes: our programme of conferences is now available for the autumn and winter season (in French). You can already note Jacques Jourquin's opening lecture on Thursday 3 October 2013 : « Searching for Mamelouk Ali ».
- Make (another) note... The Musée Marmottan is getting prepared for an exhibition opening early October on Napoleon's sisters. As a consequence, the museum will be exceptionnally closed from 23 September to 2 October. We will keep you updated about this exciting forthcoming exhibition.
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WHAT HAPPENED THIS SUMMER?
- There were many commemorative events and reenactments of the War of 1812, also known as the Second War of Independence, in the USA and Canada this summer. Some of you may be interested to visit the War of 1812 Canadian Veterans website with database. A commemorative plaque was unveiled in Penetanguishene in the memory of the fallen soldiers of 1812.
- in Norfolk (UK) in August, an exhibition explored the life and death of Lord Nelson with objects, artefacts, images and film.
- Also in August, our very own Peter Hicks gave a talk in Lucca (Italy), as part of a three-day series of talks about Napoleon.
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Marc Gerstein, "'Nous avons des outrages à venger': Napoleonic Medals of the War in Spain".
There are two medals of the war in Spain produced by Napoleon's Monnaie des médailles in response to France's long and brutal war to conquer and pacify that country. The medals were initiated immediately following Napoleon's brief personal campaign in Spain from November 1808 to January 1809. This study examines these medals in their immediate and specific historical contexts in an attempt to understand what role they played in Napoleon's propaganda campaign.
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CORRESPONDENCE - PUBLISHING NEWS
Many of our readers have met difficulties in trying to buy volume 9 of the Correspondance de Napoléon. Indeed, because of printing issues, Fayard, the publisher, had to reprint the volume. This new volume will be put on the market again at the end of September. The Fondation Napoleon apologizes for these problems and wishes to thank its readers for their patience.
200 YEARS AGO
On 9 September, 1813, Austria, Prussia and Russia met in the town of Toeplitz and signed the eponymous treaty there. In fact, there were two bilateral agreements, one between Russia and Austria and the other between Russia and Prussia. With Alexander I in the ascendant, the three parties reaffirmed the promise of Kalisch (see bulletin n° 659) never to treat independently with Napoleon and accepted the validity of agreements made with third parties (a reference to separate agreements with Sweden and Britain). Austria and Prussia would return to their pre-1805 power though not necessarily with identical possessions. Most importantly, in a secret article (though most of the two treaties was secret), the three countries agreed on a possible dissolution of the Confederation of the Rhine. Austria probably gained most out of the document, leaving Russia to settle the Prussian problem and holding on to her territory in Polish lands and keeping her options open regarding the future of Austrian influence in Italy. The Confederation of the Rhine was indeed dissolved in 1813 after the Battle of Nations, and was replaced by the Germanic Confederation.
For more details on the creation, evolution and dissolution of the Confederation of the Rhine, please refer to our timeline.
The full text of the treaty of Toeplitz is available online here (in French).
150 YEARS AGO
At the end of 1863, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris created, with the Emperor's agreement, its own Business School, to meet a shortage of skilled workers. The industrial revolution was in full swing, and France needed an elite capable of selling its products. In a 1986 talk, published in the Revue du Souvenir Napoléonien under the title "Napoleon III et les chambres de commerce", André Conquet underlined this concern in these words: "Already in 1860 the Compagnie Parisienne reported, with the approval of its members, and in the inimitable style of the time: 'It would be an undeniable service to the business industry to train capable men, whose instruction and intelligence it could trust.'" It was done three years later.
Read André Conquet's talk in "Napoléon III et les chambres de commerce" part I and part II (in French).
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Lucie Louvrier
Historians and Web Editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N0 680, 6-13 SEPTEMBER, 2013
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 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.org-related content:
MAGAZINE
JUST PUBLISHED
- Rodolphe Kreutzer, La Mort d'Abel, Choeur de chambre de Namur, Les Agrémens, Guy Van Waas, Palazzo Bru Zane: Ediciones Singulares, 2012.
- L. Letrun and J.M. Mongin - Chasseurs à cheval 1810-1815, Havertown: Casemate Publishers, 2013.
- André Jouineau and Olivier Lapray - French Carabiniers 1679-1871, Havertown: Casemate Publishers, 2013
- Gilles Boué - The Battle of Leipzig 1813, Havertown: Casemate Publishers, 2013.
PRESS REVIEW
History Today, September 2013, Vol 63 Issue 9:
- "Waterloo: Beyond the Battlefield" by John Bew and Mungo Melvin
- "Grétry's Lament": special dossier on the death of the famous Belgian-born composer by James Arnold.
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.
- 11-12 September: conference at King's College, London (UK), on "Waterloo: The Battle That Forged A Century". More information here.
- 12-15 September: European Heritage Open Days. French website, UK website.
- 13-15 September: Napoleonic Historical Society Conference 2013 in Alexandria, Virginia (USA).
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.
Please note that the library will be exceptionnally closed on Thursday 19 September 2013.
Online catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
ACCOUNT DETAILS
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