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EDITORIAL > BETWEEN TWO BATTLEFIELDS, THE GARDENS
Having just celebrated the bicentenary of the Champ de Mai (The Field of May) we are now fast approaching the battlefield that will host the most remarkable re-enactment ever and whose logistics will surely be a challenge given the number of expected visitors. In view of the big event at Waterloo, our interview this week with the director and the head of exhibitions at the Musée Wellington (Waterloo) centres on the current exhibition, Napoleon/Wellington: Shared Destinies, the largest the Wellington Museum has organised to date. In Britain, two exhibitions take a look at the stories of lesser-known men who participated in the battle of Waterloo, including the one who carried the news of its outcome back to Britain, Major Henry Percy.
But for those of you less military minded, there are other things afoot... Throughout France, from 5 to 7 June, there's a celebration of the garden called “Rendez-vous aux jardins”. This year's festival celebrates "the art of the stroll", a classic occupation both in the First and Second Empires. And the world-famous garden designer Berthault is the epitomy of it. His exceptional career began with the Empress Josephine, whose passion for roses is well-known, and stretched to the development of parks and gardens during the Second Empire. The great sites inhabited by the Bonaparte family saw their parks and grounds embellished under Napoleon I. And his nephew, Napoleon III, did not 'let the grass grow under his feet', since the Second Empire opened the great parks and gardens of Paris (in other words, nature and greenery) to all in the city. And with our focus on the these urban open spaces, namely, "Parks and gardens: Parisian strolls of the Second Empire" (see the link below), you can either stroll vicariously on the web or go yourself, if you happen to be in Paris. The Fondation Napoléon's First and Second Empire prizes this year were also centred on the art of the “promenade”: the 'Atlas de Paris au temps de Napoléon (“the Atlas of Paris in the era of Napoleon”) pays special attention to the development of the pleasure garden, (such as the Jardins des Plantes); and Un jardin pour Eugénie ("a garden for Eugenie") is an ode to the haven of peace that Napoleon III's wife created to while away her final years at Cap Martin. So “come into the garden” all...
Marie de Bruchard
Web Editor for napoleon.org/fr
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BOOK OF THE MONTH > BONAPARTE 1769-1802, BY PATRICE GUENIFFEY
Our book of the month is the first instalment of Patrice Gueniffey's acclaimed biography, covering the early years of Napoleon's rise to power until his proclamation as Consul for Life in 1802. Patrice Gueniffey was awarded the Fondation Napoléon History Prize in 2013 for the original French two-volume edition of this book, now available in a single 1024-page volume in English translation by Steven Rendall. (See also our "Press Review" section opposite).
Our French book of the month is LA DIPLOMATIE DU SPHINX. NAPOLÉON III ET SA POLITIQUE INTERNATIONALE by Yves Bruley.
CERCLE D'ETUDES LECTURE SERIES > "NAPOLEON'S ISLANDS"
There will be a talk in French by David Chanteranne called "Les îles de Napoléon" followed by a book signing on 16 June 2015 at 6pm at the Fondation Napoléon in Paris (Espace Baron Gourgaud). If you want to attend don't forget to sign up! Inscriptions open on 4 June 2015.
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EXHIBITION > ‘VICTORY SIR, VICTORY!' HENRY PERCY AND THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, 1815, ALNWICK CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND (UK)
A new exhibition traces the story of Major Henry Percy's dash from Waterloo to London, carrying the “Waterloo Dispatch”, with news of the victory, and the casualties, at the battle of Waterloo, written by the Duke of Wellington the day after the battle on 18 June 1815. Set in the beautiful Alnwick castle, home to Major Percy's descendant the 12th Duke of Northumberland, this exhibition displays works of art from the Duke's collection (such as this portrait of Henry Percy) as well as rarely-seen archive material until the end of October. A talk by Brian Cathcart, author of 'The News from Waterloo' will take place on 16 June at 6.30pm in the Guest Hall. Find out more about Major Henry Percy's epic journey in this recent article (external link). As part of the "Waterloo 200", bicentenary events the Major Percy victory route will be re-run by bike, between Waterloo and London.
EXHIBITION > CHARGING AGAINST NAPOLEON - WELLINGTON'S CAMPAIGNS IN THE PENINSULAR WARS AND AT WATERLOO NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY (UK)
An exhibition organised by the University of Nottingham's Manuscripts and Special Collections department at Lakeside's Weston Gallery (UK) will showcase material from the University of Nottingham's own collections including many eye-witness accounts from local soldiers who fought in the Napoleonic wars. (22 May - 6 September).
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INTERVIEW > 'NAPOLÉON, WELLINGTON : DESTINS CROISÉS' > EXHIBITION AT WATERLOO
> FIVE QUESTIONS FOR ÉTIENNE CLAUDE AND VERONIQUE MATON
To mark the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, the Wellington Museum in Waterloo is hosting a major exhibition (Napoleon and Wellington: Shared Destinies) which explores the military, political and personal lives of the two great adversaries, Napoleon I and the 1st Duke of Wellington. Claude Etienne (who co-curated the exhibition with Peter Hicks of the Fondation Napoléon) and Véronique Maton (responsible for exhibitions and communications at the Wellington Museum) kindly agreed to answer a few questions for napoleon.org.
> GUIDED TOURS. The Musée Wellington is proposing guided tours to the exhibition "Napoléon-Wellington: Destins Croisés": 6 and 28 June, for all publics, and 13 July, for seniors from Waterloo (both in French) more information here.
Gudied tours in other languages (English, Dutch and Italian) are available, please call +32(0)2 357 28 60 to arrange.
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RENDEZ-VOUS AUX JARDINS 2015 > WALKS IN THE GARDENS AND PARKS OF FRANCE
From June 5 to 7, parks and gardens of France, some of which are of historical importance, open their doors to visitors for a special weekend on the theme "the art of the garden stroll" guided tours and trails for young and old. In particular, several of the gardens relate to the Napoleonic periods, so we've selected for you:
- a nocturnal visit to Marqueyssac Gardens, built under Napoleon III;
- a musical promenade and floral workshop for children in the garden of Milelli, the Bonapartes' country residence;
- many events organized at the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, near Paris;
- a play ‘Le Souper', by the company "Dive Bouteille" on Sunday, 7 June at 15h in the park of the Palais de Compiègne.
Otherwise why not check out our special dossier on the Parks and gardens: Parisian strolls of the Second Empire?
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
> 'Repression, reform and new order in the age of revolutions: the consequences of the Vienna Congress for Western Europe' (Luxembourg).
Inaugural lecture by Thierry Lentz in French (10th June at 8pm at the Musée d'histoire de la ville de Luxembourg ) and 11-12 June International conference held at the Neimünster (papers will be given in French or German).On 6 June, 2015 at the Museum of History of the City of Luxembourg, a workshop will address local and regional aspects of the theme.
> 'Endings and Beginnings: The World in 1815' (Brussels, Belgium)
The International Napoleonic Society will hold its thirteenth International Napoleonic Congress in Brussels, Belgium, 6-10 July 2015.
MAY 1806: TOWARDS THE CREATION OF THE GRAND SANHEDRIN
On May 30, 1806 Napoleon issued a decree creating an assembly of representatives of the Jewish community. Its meetings would lead to the creation of the Grand Sanhedrin. Find our thematic dossier on Jews during the First Empire.
200 YEARS AGO >
1 JUNE 1815 > DEATH OF MARECHAL BERTHIER
Maréchal Berthier, Napoléon's right-hand man up until the Campagne de France of 1814, died in mysterious circumstances three weeks before the battle of Waterloo on 1 June 1815, by falling from a third-storey window in the castle in Bamberg (was it suicide or was he pushed?). Napoleon, speaking to Las Cases on St Helena about the defeat at Waterloo Napoleon believed that “if I had had Berthier I would not have suffered this misfortune”(“Si j'avais eu Berthier, je n'aurais pas eu ce malheur"). Read Berthier's biography on our website.
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1 JUNE 1815 > DEATH OF JAMES GILLRAY
Napoleon I was a major target of the man who invented the art of political cartooning. Read again this article by cartoon historian, Mark Bryant in History Today (external link).
150 YEARS AGO > GRAND ORPHEONIC EXTRAVAGANZA
The weekend edition of the Moniteur Universel (dated Friday Saturday 26-27 May) reported that, earlier in the week, the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris had been invaded by thousands of singers, under the direction of Jules Pasdeloup (1819-1887), for the annual Orpheon concert – the Paris Orpheon choral society comprised children and adults from the communal choirs around Paris. The Empress Eugénie and the Prince Impérial were in attendance at the gala to hear prize-winning pieces by composers unknown today, notably “Où est le Bonheur” by the Prince de Polignac and “La vapeur” for male-voice choir by Monsieur Charlot. That being said, better known music was also played, such as a work by Weber and Charles Gounod's national anthem for the Second Empire, “Vive l'Empereur”, particularly appropriate since Gounod had also been a keen director of the Paris Orpheon.
The Orpheon movement of choral societies for the lower and middling classes was founded in France by the First-Empire popular song composer and musical pedagogue, Wilhem, (pseudonymn of Guillaume-Louis Bocquillon, 1741-1842, friend of the chansonnier Pierre Jean de Béranger) in 1833, basing himself on a German tradition. The great Luigi Cherubini (1760-1842, also a friend of Wilhem's) went to one of the first concerts very reluctantly, fearing that it would be ‘street songs shouted out by ignorant urchins', but he came away telling Wilhem that ‘this won't make you much money, but you are doing a good thing for the future and for your country.” Orpheons went on to take France by storm, being particularly popular during the Second Empire, reaching a peak in 1859 with the “grande réunion des orphéonistes de France”, comprising 6,000 singers from 200 different Orpheon and Choral societies countrywide. Attempts to export it to the UK (a delegation of 3,000 French Orpheonists sang with British singers in the Crystal Palace in 1860) were not a success, though the concept was taken up in Belgium and in Spain; indeed Orpheons still exist in Catalonia.
Wishing you an excellent Napoleonic week!
Peter Hicks and Rebecca Young
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN No. 761, 29 MAY - 4 JUNE, 2015
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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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WATERLOO BICENTENARY 1815-2015
What's on this year relating to the Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo: commemorations, books, exhibitions, news ...
WATERLOO > WHAT'S ON (updated 29/5/15)
WATERLOO > SEEN ON THE WEB (updated 29/5/15)
WATERLOO > READING LIST (updated 29/5/15)
Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter!
napoleon.org - related content:
PRESS REVIEW
- 3 reviews of GUENIFFEY, Patrice: Bonaparte 1769-1802 (translated by Steven Rendall)
- Zeit Geschichte 2/15: Napoleons ende (Die Zeit)
- Review of DWYER, Philip Citizen Emperor: Napoleon in Power (Yale, Newhaven, 2013)
WHAT'S ON (see our website for all events)
Talks
- "The Hundred Days: Napoleon's Road from Elba to Waterloo", by Mark Adkin, Army & Navy Club, London [11/06/2015]
- 'The News from Waterloo' and book signing with Brian Cathcart, Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, UK [16/6/2015]
- Family Fun: THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO, retold through a vegetable re-enactement! Apsley house, London [18/06/2015]
- "Napoleon the Great", by Andrew Roberts, British Museum [19/06/2015]
- Battle of Waterloo Commemorative Walks in London, UK [21/03/2015 - 20/06/2015]
Conferences
- International congress “From Battlefield to Drawing Room: textile and (military) fashion around 1815” Brussels, Belgium [10/06/2015 - 12/06/2015]
- 'Repression, reform and new order in the age of revolutions: the consequences of the Vienna Congress for Western Europe' Luxembourg [10/06/2015 - 12/06/2015]
- 'Wateroo Revisited' Bomann-Museum, Celle, Germany [12-13/06/2015]
- 'Popular Reactions and State Responses to the 100 Days' University of Warwick, UK [07/07/2015]
- Endings and Beginnings: The World in 1815, Brussels, Belgium [06/07/2015 - 10/07/2015]
- 'Die Schlacht von Waterloo 1815 und die deutschen Truppen' Bomann-Museum, Celle, Germany [19/09/2015]
Exhibitions
- '"Victory Sir, Victory!" Henry Percy and the Battle of Waterloo, 1815', Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, UK [18/05/2015 - 30/10/2015]
- Charging against Napoleon - Wellington's campaigns in the Peninsular Wars and at Waterloo University of Nottingham, UK [22/05/2015 - 06/09/2015]
- 'Waterloo 1815: The Art of Battle' Royal Armouries Museum Leeds, UK [22/05/2015 - 23/08/2015]
- 'Napoléon dans les plaines de Fleurus' Château de la Paix, Fleurus, Belgium [22/05/2015 - 02/08/2015]
- '"A damned serious business": Waterloo 1815, the battle and its books' Cambridge University Library, UK, and online [01/05/2015 - 16/09/2015]
- 'Wellington and Waterloo: "the tale is in every Englishman's mouth"' University of Southampton Library, UK [13 April -19 June and 13-24 July 2015]
- 'The Road to Waterloo' and ‘Waterloo Lives' Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland [03/02/2015 - 28/11/2015]
- 'Waterloo' at the Bomann-Museum, Celle, Germany [02/04/2015 - 11/10/2015]
- 'Napoleon und Bayern' Bayerisches Armeemuseum, Ingolstadt, Germany [30/04/2015 - 30/10/2015]
- 'Napoléon Ier ou la légende des Arts, 1800 –1815' Compiègne, France [24/04/2015 - 27/04/2015]
- 'Waterloo 1815 - The Battle for Peace' at Wellington Arch and new display at Apsley House London UK [18/04/2015 - 30/12/2015]
- 'Napoléon et Paris, rêves d'une capitale' Musée Carnavalet, Paris [08/04/2015 - 30/08/2015]
- 'Le congrès de Vienne, l'invention d'une Europe nouvelle' Musée Carnavalet, Paris, France [08/04/2015 - 30/07/2015]
- 'Napoléon-Wellington: Destins Croisés' Wellington Museum, Waterloo, Belgium [21/03/2015 - 31/07/2015]
- Waterloo 1815-2015: Visions of war' Bibliothèque Paul Marmotton, Paris, FR [15/04/2015 - 11/07/2015]
- 'Pie VII face à Napoléon: la Tiare dans les serres de l'Aigle' Fontainebleau, FR [28/03/2015 - 29/06/2015]
- 'Alexander, Napoleon and Josephine: a story of war, art and friendship' Hermitage, Amsterdam, NL [28/03/2015 - 08/11/2015]
- 'Modern Heroism: Printmaking and the legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte' Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge UK [03/02/2015 - 28/06/2015]
Commemorations
- La Route du Prince Impérial, Louis Napoléon, French week and concert, South Africa [24/05/2015 - 30/05/2015]
- Major Percy victory route (recreated by bike): The Ride of the Lions, Waterloo 200 [17/06/2015 - 20/06/2015]
WATERLOO > WHAT'S ON (updated 29/5/15)
SEEN ON THE WEB (all external links)
- The Battle of Waterloo, through the eyes of a war photographer
- Study suggests British 'redcoats' were at an advantage at the Battle of Waterloo because of their uniforms
- relay team embarking on a 1,200km journey from Edinburgh to the Waterloo battlefield in Belgium
- Leamington looks back to Waterloo during three-day mini festival
- West Yorkshire cloth mill's history is woven through the “thin red line” at Waterloo
- Gardner Museum Offers New $100,000 Reward For Napoleonic Finial Stolen During Infamous Heist
- Andrew Roberts is both entertained and stimulated by Felix Markham's 1963 article on Napoleon
- Video: Stunning collection of Viennese calling cards displayed at Belfast's Public Records Office
- Bowl commissioned from the Sèvres porcelain manufactory by Emperor Napoleon I. on the occasion of the birth of his son, the future Napoleon II., King of Rome, was sold for €87,500
"WATERLOO" > SEEN ON THE WEB (link to our website, updated 29/5/15)
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
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