To return to the site, www.napoleon.org, please click here.   Bulletin - Bulletin                    THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN n° 718, 13-19 JUNE, 2014 A SECOND EMPIRE SPECIAL This week's letter has a strong Second Empire flavour. And it is interesting to see how the problems faced by Napoleon III and Eugénie were in many ways the same as those which presented themselves to Napoleon I and Josephine. The two French empires faced similar geopolitical problems, which could roughly be characterised as “strategies for living alongside British hyperpower”. Indeed, Napoleon III's geopolitics often inspired mistrust, as his illustrious uncle's had before him. Whilst the Crimean War (in this week's Press Review) was a joint Franco-British action, Italy and then the expedition to Mexico (the subject of this week's "150 Years Ago") showed Napoleon III acting on the world stage alone. The French-driven regime change there was perceived at its base as an attempt to lay the foundation stone of a Catholic "Latin" America (but under French influence) to face up to the Protestant Anglo-Saxon version to the north. Ironically, just as in 1815, the end of empire in 1870 brought about intimacy with the enemy, with Eugénie, the Prince Imperial (and later Napoleon III) living out their years of exile on British soil (see our article from Napoleonica). And the Prince Imperial (like the King of Rome) was tragically to die young, in a foreign land, enrolled in a foreign army (see the South-African Napoleonic route in our summer series of Napoleonic sites). In the end, the histories of the two French empires play out against a backdrop of the same antagonisms – France versus Britain, Imperial Caesarism versus Republicanism, empire versus empire on a world stage. Yes, the world had changed in technological terms – notably telegraphs, trains, steamships, gaslight and photography - but the fundamental political issues remained. Food for thought in this week's letter.   Peter Hicks Historian and International Relations Manager        ARTICLE OF THE MONTH > “HOW THE REDOUBT WAS TAKEN,” BY PROSPER MERIMEE A couple of weeks ago our bulletin contained a Salon review by Théophile Gautier, which described Prosper Mérimée's narrative of the taking of the redoubt as containing “a rare truth that only superior spirits see.” We thought it was about time we gave this riveting description of Napoleon's Russian Campaign our full attention, so we've prepared it here as our article of the month. Enjoy! > Don't miss our French article of the month, "Volta et la pile électrique" by Pierre Bianco.        WINTERHALTER PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON III AT LONDON ART WEEK London Art Week arrives in the British capital on 4th July and with it a whole host of masterworks. If you're there, don't miss the chance to see Franz Xavier Winterhalter's recently discovered studies for the majestic portraits of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie (external link), which will be presented by Philip Mould & Company. Discover more Winterhalter portraits of Napoleon III and Eugenie with her ladies in waiting here.  NAPOLEON III EXHIBITION AT FORBES GALLERY, NEW YORK It's very rare to see an exhibition about Napoleon III in English, so we are delighted to announce in this strongly Second Empire bulletin that Kip Forbes' collection of art and objets relating to the Emperor is on show at The Forbes Galleries in New York until October. There are paintings by and after Winterhalter, sculptures by Carpaux, cameos, medallions, jewels and more. If you're in the Big Apple, don't miss it!        NAPOLEONIC SUMMER READING LIST It's that time of year again, so we've put together a selection of some of the best Napoleonic books we've come across this year. From biographies of battles to biographies of Bonapartes, sweeping historical novels to the secrets of the Emperor himself, there's something for everyone to enjoy this summer on the Fondation Napoléon's 2014 Summer Reading List...        SUMMER SERIES > NAPOLEONIC SITES The next stops in our summer series take us again to the southwest of France (last week it was the Musée Napoléon de la Pommerie and the Musée Murat), and to both the First and Second Empires. Built in 1854 on a headland overlooking the ocean, the Villa Eugénie in Biarritz was the Imperial Court's summer residence. It has been welcoming guests as a luxury hotel since 1893, and since 1993 has been listed as an historic monument. Don't miss this extraordinary example of Second Empire style (external link) if you're near Biarritz this summer! Our second site takes us back to 1808, when Napoleon and Josephine made a stop at the Château de Portets (external link) on their return from Spain. This year the Château is organising a celebration of the Imperial visit, with talks, re-enactments and wine tastings. Get your tickets here (external link, in French).     > And further afield, if your travels take you to South Africa this summer, be sure to look up the "Route Napoléon", which traces the steps Empress Eugénie took in 1880 when she made a pilgrimage to the place of the Prince Imperial's death.        STUDY DAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK > NAPOLEON'S 100 DAYS: PRINT, SATIRE, SONG AND THEATRE  On 1 July, the Departments of History and French Studies at the University of Warwick will host a one-day conference about popular reactions to Napoleon's Hundred Days. Seeking to tell the wider story of Napoleon's return to power, the Warwick team will also be mounting a virtual exhibition between March and July 2015 – “100 Days in 100 Objects” – and a programme of public activities. Keep your eyes peeled for more info! NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE > THE EMPRESS EUGENIE AND THE IMPERIAL VESTMENTS AT ST MICHAEL'S ABBEY, FARNBOROUGH For this Second Empire-focussed bulletin, we thought it was time to look again at Zoe Viney's article about the Imperial Vestments at St Michael's Abbey. This fascinating article investigates the oral history tradition of the monks of Farnborough Abbey that links the “Imperial Vestments” in their care with Empress Eugénie...   IT HAPPENED ON A 14TH JUNE…  On 14 June 1807, Napoleon entered into a decisive battle. In the Battle of Friedland, as it would be known, the Emperor drove the Russian army to defeat and to the negotiating table. Our special dossier on Friedland has everything you need to know about this major Napoleonic turning point. 200 YEARS AGO > JEROME AFTER THE ABDICATION Jerome, former king of Westphalia, had opposed Empress Marie-Louise's departure for Rambouillet on 29 March 1814 when Paris was threatened by the Allies. He grudgingly followed her after the capitulation, in spite of Napoleon's order that he travel to Brittany. And although Jerome tried to force his sister-in-law to stay, he was not forgetful of his own interests: on 8 April, he therefore drew his salary for his service to the state and also the million Francs that the fallen Emperor had ordered to be paid two days earlier, matching the sums given to Joseph, Louis, Pauline, Elisa and Madame Mère. Jerome was hoping, in fact, for help from his father- and brother-in-law, the King and Prince Royal of Württemberg. His wife Catherine of Württemberg, who had remained with him in Paris since Blois, asked her family for asylum in Stuttgart on 8 April, but they refused. The Tsar, however, provided them with a passport and the former royal couple of Westphalia planned to meet up again in Switzerland. Catherine set out with their fortune, but her carriage was ambushed on 21 April by the adventurer and royalist the Comte de Maubreuil, which slowed her progress and cleaned out their kitty. In spite of the Tsar's support, she never recovered the stolen chests of jewels, which Jerome regretted bitterly, since he had wanted to continue to live in the manner to which he had become accustomed and to which he believed he had the right. The couple were eventually reunited on 30 April and, faced with the persistent refusal of Catherine's family to accommodate them, they accepted the Austrian Empire's offer to house them in Graz, in Eckensberg, from mid-June. Jerome still nursed political dreams and planned to follow his sister Elisa, who visited him at the end of July, to Bologna where he hoped to obtain control of that Papal Legation. It was precisely because of these aspirations that Metternich sent a refusal to Jerome and proposed rather to install him in Trieste, an Austrian territory, where there were already a number of French émigrés. Arriving in Trieste on 20 August, Jerome and Catherine welcomed another happy arrival: their son, Jerome Napoleon Charles, was born on 24 August. Whilst his wife's labour had been difficult, Jerome too was having a similarly ‘bitter birth', namely the realization that he would never receive any land from the Allies. No difficulty, then, in understanding his eagerness to join Napoleon during the Hundred Days.   150 YEARS AGO > EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN ARRIVES IN MEXICO At 10am on 12 June 1864, Emperor Maximilian and his wife Empress Charlotte made their solemn entry into Mexico City, capital of their new empire. Although it took a month for news of their ascension to the Imperial throne to reach Paris (which was more than 5,700 miles away), their journey had been closely followed by the Parisian press, which, with the aid of “private telegraphs”, was able to report that they had arrived in Jamaica on 21 May, and disembarked at Vera Cruz on 29 May, before travelling by rail to Soledad and Cordoba. According to the Moniteur, the Emperor and Empress's arrival in Mexico was “one continuous sweep of ovation, celebration, and enthusiastic applause, and throughout this long journey there was not the slightest demonstration of hostility.” Emperor Maximilian certainly seemed confident of his abilities as sovereign: at Orizaba on 31 May, for example, he proclaimed “I am delighted that the day has finally come on which I can tread the soil of this beautiful country, my new homeland, and salute the people who have elected me.” For all that the Moniteur of 17 June declared the imperial arrival “a series of encounters which all supported the intervention”, the regime change was still in its infancy. Republican leader Benito Juárez was on the run, and the imperial army was trying in vain to round up bands of armed men who were loyal to the Republican cause. The Second Mexican Empire would be short-lived…   Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week, Peter Hicks and Francesca Whitlum-Cooper   THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 718, 13-19 JUNE, 2014   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.          - 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. ALWAYS AVAILABLE Problems with a link in this letter? - Check the homepage on: http://www.napoleon.org/en/home.asp - View back numbers of the bulletin: http://www.napoleon.org/en/space/information_bulletin/archive_lettre.asp - Contact us: information@napoleon.org     Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter!   napoleon. org - related content: EVENTS A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings. WHAT'S ON - Exhibition "Joséphine" at the Luxembourg Museum in Paris [12/03/2014 - 29/06/2014] - François Gérard (1770-1837), Portraitist, at the château de Fontainebleau [29/03/2014 - 30/06/2014] - The War of 1812-14: People and Places at the RiverBrink Art Museum (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada) [22/03/2014 - 07/02/2015] - "Josephine, her Passion for Birds and Flowers" - Exhibition at Malmaison [02/04/2014 - 30/06/2014] - Guided Walks around Napoleon's Elba [21/04/2014 - 08/10/2014] - "1814, la C(h)ampagne de Napoléon" - Exhibition in Troyes [16/05/2014 - 02/11/2014] PRESS REVIEW - “The Emperor Maximilian arrives in Mexico City” - “Sebastopol Besieged” - Anniversary of the “Route Napoléon” JUST PUBLISHED - HUNT, Tristram, Ten Cities that Made an Empire (London: Allen Lane, 2014) - SMITH, Mark, The History of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Lulu, 2014)   SEEN ON THE WEB - Remembering Admiral Howe, hero of Battle of the Glorious First of June - The strange link between your digital music and Napoleon's invasion of Egypt - Reader's question: How should we commemorate the Battle of Waterloo? - Macktown, Illinois Living History Center presents ‘Years of Napoleon' June 14-15 WAR OF 1812 - Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail opens for business - War of 1812 exhibit opens June 10 at Blount Mansion, Knoxville, Tennessee - Massive sand sculptures commemorate War of 1812 anniversary in new Niagara Falls exhibit - “To Serve Their Country and Make Their Fortunes: Southeastern Connecticut Privateers and Torpedomen”, talk on 12 June - Old Fort Erie ghost tours begin Friday - Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania, remembers the War of 1812 - New York State Military Museum marks Flag Day, June 14, with free talk on battle flags - Weekend events commemorate attack on Wareham by British warship HMS Nimrod - Benjamin Stephenson House will again offer early 19th century life summer camps - Talks and walks to illuminate Marblehead in 1814 - Small Maine town in battle with Canada over historic bell - Support the Fort campaign works to restore Savannah's War of 1812 canons - South Maryland ready to party like its 1812 - 1812 Legacy Council hosts Kaha:wi at Old Fort Niagara - Publishing awards recognize 1812 comic   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 ACCOUNT DETAILS To change your email address, unsubscribe, and sign up for the French information bulletin.