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THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN n° 719, 20-26 JUNE, 2014
THINKING ABOUT 1814
1814 has loomed large in our imagination this week at the Fondation Napoléon. While the 199th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo undoubtedly has many of us looking ahead to next year's bicentenary commemorations, there is still much from 1814 that deserves to be marked and commemorated now. It is with great delight that we announce this week the publication of the latest issue of Napoleonica.La Revue, which, in a departure from its usual breadth of content, is devoted solely to the tumultuous events of that year. From abdication to exile, the road to Elba to the difficulties of dealing with desertion on the road, this issue of Napoleonica brings together the very latest research on the French Campaign, not only revitalising the study of this pivotal moment but also, thanks to our librarian Chantal Prévot's annotated bibliography of more than 350 works, inviting you to launch your own investigations. Two upcoming events at the Fondation Napoléon also take 1814 and the French Campaign as their focus: on 26 June, a special issue of Histoire magazine – “1814-1815: Napoléon, la chute d'un géant” – will be introduced at the Fondation (our Director and Heritage Manager were instrumental in much of the writing), while on 1 July we've an advance screening of Napoléon: Le diable et les traits, a documentary about 1814 by Jean-Louis Molho and our own Thierry Lentz. Further afield, we've also turned to 1814 across the pond this week, so if you can't make our events in Paris, perhaps the one of the many commemorations of the War of 1812 taking place across North America this summer might be closer to home. Our special dossier highlights not only re-enactments, but also the very best commentaries, publications and online resources about the War of 1812. Finally, our “200 years ago” series looking at the Imperial family after the abdication turns to Eugene, and his struggles for power in 1814...
Enjoy!
Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
Web Editor
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FONDATION NAPOLEON NEWS
LA BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE/FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY SUMMER HOURS
Between 30 June and 29 August 2014, the Bibliothèque Martial-Lapeyre will operate its summer opening hours. The library will open its doors to readers on Mondays and Tuesdays between 1pm-5pm, and Thursdays between 10am-3pm. Exceptionally, the library will be closed on the morning of Monday 23 June.
EVENTS
> 26 June, 5pm, Histoire magazine and the Fondation Napoléon invite you to the presentation of a special edition of Histoire – “1814-1815 : Napoléon, la chute d'un géant”
> 27 June, 5.30pm, Michel Dancoisne-Martineau, director of the Domaines Nationaux de Saint-Hélène, will speak about “Operation Saint Helena”
> 1 July, 6pm, Doc Story and the Fondation Napoléon present an advance screening of Napoléon: le diable et les traits, a documentary by Jean-Louis Molho and Thierry Lentz
These events will all take place in French at the Fondation Napoléon. Spaces are limited, so please email Brigitte Claré or telephone the Fondation on +33 (0)1 56 43 46 00 to reserve your place.
NEW ISSUE OF NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE!
We are delighted to announce the publication of the latest issue of Napoleonica.La Revue, a special issue dedicated to the tumultuous events of 1814. From Charles-Éloi Vial's research into the three documents of Napoleon's abdication, to Thierry Lentz's analysis of the true 'Adieux de Fontainebleau'; from Pierre Branda's account of the journey to Elba, to Peter Hicks' reflections on Napoleon's exile itself; from François Houdecek's study of desertion, to Chantal Prévot's monumental thematic biography of more than 350 sources, this issue and its innovative research puts 1814 in the spotlight and promises to revitalise the study of this critical Napoleonic moment.
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OBJECT OF THE MONTH > SCALE MODEL OF THE FRIGATE LA MUIRON
Jean-Baptiste Muiron (1774-1796) is one the heroes of the Napoleonic legend. Bonaparte's ADC in Italy, he fell beneath a hail of Austrian bullets at Arcole bridge on the 15 November 1796, using his body to protect his general. A providential figure in Napoleon's destiny, Muiron received posthumous homage in the form of a frigate named after him. The frigate La Muiron was part of the fleet which sailed to Egypt in 1798, and the ship in which Bonaparte returned to Europe in June 1799. La Muiron held a special place in the Emperor's heart, as this 1/72 scale model made for his library at Malmaison attests. Read on to find out more about this extraordinary model, and about an exhibition of similar maquettes from the Musée de la Marine at Versailles this summer.
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SUMMER SERIES > NAPOLEONIC SITES
This week our selection of Napoleonic sites take us away from the French mainland to the island of Aix and (much further afield!) to The Briars Park in Australia. Napoleon spent his last days on French soil on the island of Aix, between 12 and 15 July 1815. The house in which he stayed has been a Napoleonic museum since 1928. Its ten rooms lay out a wealth of First Empire artefacts – perfect for perusing on a day-trip from La Rochelle, Fourras or Oléron. Just outside Melbourne, The Briars Park is one of the oldest houses on the Mornington Peninsula. The Briars' collection of 500 Napoleonic objects was assembled by Dame Mabel Brookes, great-granddaughter of Alexander Balcombe (the Balcombe family were closely associated with Napoleon during his exile on St Helena and later settled in Australia). Although ten precious Napoleonic objects were stolen from the Briars last April, it remains one of the most significant Napoleonic collections outside France and is well worth a visit.
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ACROSS THE POND > BICENTENARY COMMEMORATIONS OF THE WAR OF 1812
To mark the bicentenary of the War of 1812, cities, institutions and communities throughout Canada and the United States have been celebrating, commemorating, re-enacting and remembering the two-and-a-half year conflict that saw the United States and its allies declare war on the British Empire and its allies. Our special dossier highlights some of the major events taking place to mark the bicentenary this summer, along with a selection of the best commentaries, publications and online resources about the War of 1812.
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THE DISASTERS OF WAR, 1800-2014 AT LOUVRE-LENS
Between May and October this year, Louvre-Lens is hosting a major exhibition about the ramifications of war in art. From the Napoleonic wars to the present day, it depicts the horror of war and its consequences on human beings, animals, the landscape and objects through 450 works in a huge variety of media. Not to be missed if you're in northern France…
200 YEARS AGO > EUGÈNE AFTER THE ABDICATION
Despite the temporary victory over the allies on the river Mincio on 9 February, 1814, Eugène de Beauharnais, Viceroy of Italy, was at an impasse. At the same time as Murat opened negotiations with Austria in order to save his own throne in Naples, Eugène was faced with similar pressure from the Allies. Added to this was the order from the Emperor in mid-March to leave Italy in order to lend support to the struggle in Champagne. Despite the fact that Eugène ignored this order, Napoleon (fully aware that Eugène was following his own path) nevertheless was to request at the Congress of Châtillon that his stepson should retain his position in Italy, something that Austria categorically refused. Eugène was in Mantua during the taking of Paris and Napoleon's abdication. At the beginning of April, he received letters from his father-in-law, the King of Bavaria, and from his mother, Josephine, the latter telling him to “look to his family” and distance himself from Napoleon. On 16 April Eugène agreed to sign a convention presented by the Austrian emissary Neipperg, under the misapprehension that he would be able to keep control of Milan. It was only when, on 20 April, his Finance Minister Prina was lynched by the mob in the city that the Viceroy of Italy finally realised the extent of Italian enmity for the French occupier in Milan. On 23 April, Eugène signed a new convention agreeing his withdrawal with Austria, whom he had asked for protection. A secret article guaranteed him the protection of his personal wealth. Eugène set out for his father-in-law's territories on 26 April; arriving in Munich at the beginning of May, he departed almost immediately for Paris, where the Allies were assembled, in order to fight for the 'appropriate treatment' that Article VI of the Treaty of Fontainebleau had provided for him. Louis XVIII received Eugène cordially, but no real results came from his pretensions. Writing to Napoleon on 25 May, he informed his stepfather that he was resigned to await 'peaceably the fate that the allied powers would be pleased to grant [him].' At the end of May he was preparing to return to Munich when he learned of his mother's failing health. He was at her bedside with his sister when the former Empress passed away on 28 May. Eugène and Hortense, supported in their grief by Tsar Alexander I, spent several days together in the house established for Hortense in Saint-Leu. This mark of friendship reassured the former Viceroy of Italy when he took the road to Bavaria on 11 June. He would never again set foot in France. Read more about Eugène de Beauharnais here.
150 YEARS AGO > THE LIFE AQUATIC
20-26 June 1864 was certainly a watery week for the Moniteur, with numerous entries about swimming, bathing and fishing. Swimming and bathing, it should be remembered, were two different activities in the nineteenth century: swimming was essentially a middle-class pastime, while baths were taken specifically for health reasons. With summer around the corner, the pages of the Moniteur were filled with advertisements for the 'Waters, Baths, Hotels' in which the citizens of the Second Empire could pass a restorative summer. 'La Belle Frégate' was one such hydrotherapeutic establishment in the heart of Paris: just off the Quai d'Orsay and the Pont Royal, the advert it placed on 21 June promised its clients 'total rejuvenation' via hydrotherapy with icy sea- and Seine-water that fell from a height of 25 metres, Scottish showers, perfumed baths in the Seine, and nightly dinners and concerts. Not all the Moniteur's aquatic reports were so light-hearted however: on 20 June it recounted the story of Hippoltye Boulvair, a twenty-four-year-old cabinetmaker from Belleville, who had drowned whilst swimming with friends in the Canal de l'Ourcq, 'barely knowing how to swim.' A similar story was reported on the Saône in Lyon. In spite of its dangers, water remained a place of work and play: if the Moniteur of 24 June described the British dedication to yachting and regattas with admiration, the edition of 26 June was no less pleased to note a resurgence in the numbers of sardines being caught in the southwest of France, where fishermen could profitably net up to 23,000 sardines per boat. And to cap it all, on the same day, the Moniteur noted the unexpected arrival of giant sturgeon in the Dordogne, the largest of which weighed a staggering 177 kilograms.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Francesca Whitlum-Cooper
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 719, 20-26 JUNE, 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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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
- Napoleonic Historical Society Newsletter, May-June 2014
- Guerilla War in Cataluña: Irreguliar Mounted Riflemen in the Service of Napoleon (in Spanish)
- The Four Wives of Ferdinand VII (in Spanish)
JUST PUBLISHED
- M. M. McAllen, Maximilian and Carlota: Europe's Last Empire in Mexico (Texas: Trinity University Press, 2014)
- Rebecca Probert (ed.), Catherine Exley's Diary: The Life and Times of an Army Wife in the Peninsular War (Brandram, 2014)
- Duke of Wellington and Charles Esdaile (ed.), Military Dispatches (London: Penguin Classics, 2014)
SEEN ON THE WEB
- National Archives put records of Household Cavalry servicemen 1799-1920 online
- Re-creating the Battle of Waterloo, with 250,000 six-millimetre-tall toy soldiers
- Battle of Trafalgar's HMS Trincomalee joins illustrious fleet of vessels
- Did a Zulu king massacre the British Army?
- The Rose Passion Collection by Piaget – inspired by Empress Josephine
- Top ten facts about Waterloo – did you know about Lord Uxbridge's leg?!
- The Waterloo Ceremony: Duke of Wellington pays his rent
- We've forgotten about the Battle of Waterloo. Today, let's remember
- Bill Cawley on the loyal response to the threat of Napoleon's invasion 1809
WAR OF 1812
- Performance honours First Nations' role in War of 1812, June 28-29
- Brits wave white flag in Wareham during War of 1812 re-enactment
- Smithsonian Salutes the Flag in Style on the 200th Anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner
- June 18: The War of 1812
- Tall ship replica invades Solomons: Part of Calvert's War of 1812 activities
- Honouring heroes of War of 1812
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
Between 30 June and 29 August, the library will operate its summer opening hours: Mondays and Tuesdays between 1pm-5pm and Thursdays 10am-3pm.
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
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