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THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN n° 712, 2-8 MAY, 2014
BEHIND THE MASK…
The Napoleonic world has seen some beautiful ceremonies and brilliant re-enactments these last few weeks. As the excitement subsides, this first week of May brings us together under more solemn circumstances around the commemoration of the Emperor's death. We all know how much Napoleon's exile on Saint Helena and later regimes' nostalgia for the glory days of his Empire contributed to the foundations of real, passionate Napoleonic history in the nineteenth century. For some, the acquisition of one of the Emperor's death masks went beyond passion to the point of obsession. Real masks, fake masks, masks in plaster, masks in wax, even a mask in papier mâché... The infatuation with these objects is complex, at times incredible. The information we offer this week about this difficult, dazzling subject throws light on the historian's role in this narrative: from the first hypothesis to definitive authentication, from the analysis of sources to more sophisticated interpretation, with the inevitable doubts that pop up along the way… It takes time, commitment, and intellectual honesty to find our way out of the historical labyrinth.
Happy reading!
Irène Delage
LAURENT BURELLE MADE COMMANDEUR DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR
Longtime friend and supporter of the Fondation Napoléon and the Domaines nationaux de Sainte-Hélène, Laurent Burelle, Chairman and CEO of Plastic Omnium, has been made Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur. Many congratulations from us!
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5 MAY > 193RD ANNIVERSARY OF NAPOLEON'S DEATH
To mark the anniversary on 5 May, we've put together a special new dossier about Napoleon's death. This dossier brings together for the first time a wealth of new and exciting information, as well as some of the classic scholarship about the Emperor's death. We've got the first English translation of an article by Jacques Macé debunking the myths and conspiracies surrounding Napoleon's burial; a brand new article by our Fondation Napoléon librarian Chantal Prévot about the mysterious affair of Napoleon's death masks; and a selection of images related to and a commentated bibliography on the death itself. We're proud of this new resource, so do pop over to have a look…
COMMEMORATIONS AT INVALIDES
At 6.30pm on 5 May, a mass will be led by Monseigneur Luc Ravel, Bishop to the French Armed Forces, in the Cathédrale Saint-Louis at the Hôtel des Invalides to commemorate Napoleon I and the fallen soldiers of his Grand Army.
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BOOK OF THE MONTH > THE BURNING OF MOSCOW: NAPOLEON'S TRIAL BY FIRE 1812, BY ALEXANDER MIKABERIDZE
As soon as Napoleon and his Grand Army entered Moscow, the capital erupted in flames that eventually engulfed and destroyed two thirds of the city. For thirty-five days Napoleon stayed, making increasingly desperate efforts to achieve peace with Russia. Then, almost surrounded and with winter fast approaching, he abandoned the capital and embarked on the long, bitter retreat that destroyed his army. Alexander Mikaberidze paints a vivid picture of the harsh reality of life in the occupied city and of this crucial turning point in Napoleon's campaign.
> Professor Alexander Mikaberidze will give a lecture at the Fondation Napoléon on 28 May 2014 at 5.30pm about “Napoleon as a Global Figure”. The lecture will be in English and space is limited, so be sure to reserve your place in advance!
> Our French book of the month is Lacépède. Savant, musicien, philanthrope et franc-maçon, by Bernard Quilliet.
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BICENTENARY OF NAPOLEON'S ARRIVAL ON ELBA
To mark the bicentenary of Napoleon's arrival, Portoferraio and the Island of Elba have organized a host of commemorative events throughout the summer of 2014. On the 200th anniversary itself, Napoleon's arrival on the island will be re-enacted in Portoferraio harbour at 4pm on 4 May. If you're around Elba for the weekend, be sure not to miss the choir of the Anglican church of St George's, Paris (conducted by Peter Hicks, manager of international relations at the Fondation Napoléon) giving a concert of music related to, inspired by and liked by Napoleon in the Portoferraio Cathedral on 4 May, or the commemorative mass to be held in the Church of the ‘Misericordia' in Portoferraio on 5 May.
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DIGITAL LIBRARY > SPECIAL BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE/FONDATION NAPOLEON BIBLIOGRAPHY ON ELBA
In commemoration of Napoleon's arrival on the island in the Tuscan archipelago, we are posting this thematically structured bibliography of fully downloadable works related to Napoleon's time on Elba, compiled by our own Fondation Napoléon librarian, Chantal Prévot in partnership with France's premier library and their digital resource, Gallica. It's a fascinating collection of primary material related to the three hundred days on Elba. Enjoy!
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ANNIVERSARIES > BIRTH OF EMPRESS EUGENIE
Eugénie de Palafox Guzman, future Empress of France, was born on 5 May 1826. This portrait by Winterhalter is one of the most famous of Eugénie, but why not also take a look at our French site's images of the Empress?
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 710, 18-24 APRIL, 2014
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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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EVENTS
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
WHAT'S ON
- Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris [29/01/2014 - 04/05/2014] - final days!!!
- "Le bivouac de Napoléon": Luxe impérial en campagne [13/02/2014 - 12/05/2014]
- La Nuit aux Invalides 2014 [24/04/2014 - 24/05/2014]
- Re-enactment in Hoogstraten in Belgium [01/05/2014 - 05/05/2014]
JUST PUBLISHED
- SCICLUNA, Joe, By Order of Napoleon: The Taking of Malta, Kindle edition, 2014
SEEN ON THE WEB
- Podcast: Napoleon in Russia
- Josephine's letters to General Berthier at auction in Paris
- Preparations afoot for the Battle of Waterloo re-enactment!
- Programme announced for the International Napoleonic Society Congress 2014 in Havana, Cuba
- Concert from Kendal South Choir inspired by Nelson and Lady Hamilton
WAR OF 1812
- Star-Spangled 1812 Spectacular to be Baltimore's Biggest Tourism Event
- War of 1812 archaeologist to speak at Ogdensburg Symposium on April 26
- 1812 Replica Cannon to be fired in Sault, Ontario
- War of 1812 and Dartmoor Prison Songs performance in New Scotland (May 6)
- British raid on Essex, Massachusetts to be commemorated on May 10
- Seven historic cannons in Patterson Park, Baltimore to be restored
- Toymaker fighting Canadian artist over trademark of her name for a War of 1812 doll
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
The library is open on Mondays and Tuesdays from 1pm to 6pm and on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 3pm. The library is closed on Wednesdays.
Online database catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
NAPOLEONICA LES ARCHIVES
Site of digitised Napoleonic archival material:
The working papers or 'imprimés' of the Napoleonic Conseil d'Etat, the correspondence of Vivant Denon, etc.
http://www.napoleonica.org
Contact: napoleonica@napoleon.org
NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
International peer-review interdisciplinary e-review on the history of the two Empires, bilingual French-English, 3 issues per year, free access.
Read the review on Cairn.info
Contact: napoleonicalarevue@napoleon.org
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