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THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN n° 703, 28 FEBRUARY-6 MARCH, 2014
REMAINS AND EVIDENCE
Sometimes men let their memories fail them, perhaps through omission, but mainly by hiding on purpose what seems difficult to categorize. The recent demolition of Kutuzov's statue in Ukraine is a good example. He was a man looking towards Europe and with a serious knowledge of Turkey; yet in the current turmoil in Ukraine, and probably at the instigation of a wrong judgement, it has seemed a good idea in today's uncertain times to destroy such a figure from the past. But profanations have never helped to build the future.
French Institutions seem equally uncomfortable when facing the past, even if the bicentenary of the French Campaign is going through great moments in spite of a relative silence from the authorities. The local commemorations throughout the country are proof that from Chaumont to Golfe-Juan, Napoleon is the ‘talk of the town'. This 2014 agenda may sometimes be ignored by French Institutions, however it is still happening and even goes further: for instance in the USA, Standford University has just put its resources on the French Revolution online, in collaboration with the French National Library (BnF). Also in Italy on the Island of Elba, the first residence of the French Emperor in exile, the preparations are in full swing to celebrate the bicentenary of Napoleon's arrival on the island… There is one same idea behind all these re-enactments, exhibitions, shows or even the new availability of digital archives online: to remember. These remains from the past are here, and at the Fondation Napoléon we do our best to bring them to you: even with the Emperor's seal!
Marie de Bruchard
Web editor of napoleon.org/fr
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EXHIBITION > JOSÉPHINE AT THE LUXEMBOURG MUSEUM IN PARIS
This exhibition presents objects from all around the world (from the Hermitage Museum to the King of Sweden's private collection and the most famous pieces held in Malmaison and at the Louvre). These works show Joséphine's remarkable artistic passions, and shed some light on her fascinating character. From 12 March to 29 June, 2014.
2014 FRENCH NATIONAL COMMEMORATIONS BOOK > (ALMOST) NOTHING ON NAPOLEON
The French Ministry of Culture has just issued its 2014 guide for official 'national' commemorations. Of course the 100th anniversary of the First World War takes the lion's share, which is normal. However - one might be tempted to say ‘as usual' - almost no Napoleonic commemorations are mentioned. In any case, there is nothing (absolutely nothing) about the French Campaign. Only Josephine's death (29 May) and the First Restoration (April) are linked to the First Empire. As to events linked to the Second Empire, only the creation of the International Workers' Association (1864) and the Encouragement Society for French Horses (same year) are present.
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PREPARATIONS OF THE BICENTENARY OF THE EMPEROR'S PRESENCE ON ELBA
199 years ago, on 26 February, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte left the Island of Elba and prepared to land several days later in Golfe-Juan (France), to begin the Hundred Days. An organisation committee has been created to commemorate the presence of the Emperor on this small Island of the Mediterranean. Their website (only available in Italian) gives a detailed programme of the commemorative events, starting in April 2014. Check the list of festivities in English on napoleon.org. Last but not least, you can join a trip to Elba organised by the 'Académie Napoléon' from 2 to 5 May, 2014.
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DIGITAL ARCHIVES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
The Standford University Library and the French National Library (BnF) are putting online the “Archives of the French Revolution”. HD images of about 14,000 documents, mainly prints, but also illustrations, medals, coins and other objects representing different aspects of the Revolution are now available online for free.
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FONDATION NAPOLÉON DIGITAL LIBRARY > A DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH OF ST HELENA (1815)
This map was sold in England from 1815 onwards. It showed the residence of the defeated Emperor in exile to any person curious about him. Here is the second version of the map. The first version comprised a few errors which were corrected here. On the first map, the Emperor's residence was wrongly situated at the place of the Governor's residence, in the most agreable part of the island, instead of Longwood. If you zoom in, you will also see the 'Maison Balcombe', Napoleon's first residence on the island before he was moved to Longwood; and there are some charming details, including a great variety of trees.
200 YEARS AGO > TREATY OF CHAUMONT
At the beginning of February 1814, Napoleon had sent Caulaincourt to Châtillon to negotiate a possible peace treaty with the Coalition, based on the Treaty of Frankfurt (see Bulletin n° 701). But his enemies had other plans in mind. No doubt the allies were somewhat taken aback by the Emperor's unexpected victories during this first phase of the French Campaign. They were also facing internal dissent, as Blücher and Schwarzenberg's movements were not well coordinated. Moreover, the allies met in Chaumont at the end of February to examine the project of a new alliance against Napoleon, at the initiative of the British Minister Castlereagh. This treaty, signed on 9 March but dated 1 March, stipulated that each member of the Coalition – namely Prussia, Russia, Austria and the United Kingdom – vowed to continue its war effort and would refuse to sign any separate peace treaty. It also envisaged that, should France attack them again during the next twenty years, the Coalition would automatically be reactivated.
150 YEARS AGO > VICTOR DURUY PLEADS FOR FUNDING FOR A SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION IN MEXICO
In February 1864, the troops' morale in Mexico was not at its highest. Soldiers who had already fought for a few years had no idea when they were to return – if ever – to France, and all were expecting the arrival of Archduke Ferdinand-Maximilian to give a meaning to what they had been going through. Indeed, after the fall of Campeche on 27 January, 1864, which brought the State of Yucatan into the Empire, Mexico had reached “complete pacification” - at least according to the Moniteur of Thursday 3 March, 1864. Rumours that the Archduke would back out and eventually not go to Mexico were immediately denied (see the Moniteur on 4 March, 1864).
In this context, the French scholar and Minister of Public Instruction, Victor Duruy, published a plea to Napoleon III in the Moniteur on Monday 29 February, 1864, for 200,000 francs, to fund a similar scientific expedition in Mexico to the one of the Egyptian Campaign under Napoleon I. Duruy wrote: “the previous results obtained 60 years ago guarantee the results of this new expedition. […] What was accomplished on the banks of the Nile by the one who was to become Napoleon I is to be accomplished again in Mexico under Napoleon III”. Duruy's description of the wonders of Mexico waiting to be discovered is very eloquent indeed: according to him, no scientific field should be left wanting, whether it be philology, natural and physical sciences, history, palaeontology, volcanic studies, botany or even the then new field of anthropology. Mexico is presented as “a brand new field of exploration for modern science… incomparably superior to Egypt for the richness of its natural circumstances”.
Did the readers of the Moniteur at the time find the parallel with the Egyptian Campaign enthusiastic or worrying, considering its issue? 150 years later, it seemed somewhat premonitory.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Lucie Louvrier
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 703, 28 FEBRUARY-6 MARCH, 2014
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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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MAGAZINE
RECENTLY PUBLISHED
- ROBERTS Carey, Star-Spangled Sailors - A Stirring Account of the Brave Watermen Defenders of Chesapeake Bay in the War of 1812, 2011
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.
- Herculanum, French Opera by Félicien David at the Château de Versailles [08/03/2014]
SEEN ON THE WEB
- The Irrepressible Napoleon Bonaparte in the Nigerian Observer
- Queen Louise of Prussia, the Woman who fought off Napoleon
- The Echoes of the Battle of Trafalgar at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, with images of HMS Victory
- Striking pictures of 1860s Paris by photographer Charles Marville, currently on show in NY (USA)
- Muskets fire in Ogdensburg during re-enactment of the War of 1812
- Maryland's War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission supports creation of interactive battlefield maps and KeyCam
- War of 1812 (USA) - Remembering war casualty
- War of 1812 (USA) - Exhibit dedicated to Star Spangled Banner Flag's maker
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
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