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THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
Napoleon and Charlemagne, by Thierry Lentz
A perfect reflection of the time in which he lived, Napoleon was “obsessed with history”. He would draw references, symbols and examples from it to justify his position and his politics and thus give his reign its place in the history of France, the Gauls right up to his immediate predecessors, including the Bourbons. Of all the references wielded by the French Emperor, Charlemagne is, if not one of the most important, then at least one of the most consistent. Read all about it!
ST HELENA SOON TO BE ONLY A FLIGHT AWAY?
THe small island lost in the middle of the South Atlantic is to have its own airport: the British Government has agreed to provide complete funding for the project. Napoleon fans will however have to wait until 2010 before being able to wing it to Napoleon's place of exile.
200 YEARS AGO
A decree of 20 Ventôse, An XIII (20 March, 1805) was passed whereby the Institut was to be moved from the Louvre to it current seat, the Collège des Quatre-Nations.
On 6 March, 1661, a few days before his death, the 17th-century French prime minister, Mazarin (1602-1661), decided to build a college for the best pupils from the provinces recently annexed as part of the Treaties of Westphalia (1648) and of the Pyrenees (1659). Designed by the renowned architect Louis Le Vau (1612-1670), the college opened to receive its first students in October 1688. From 1691 on, it opened the doors of Mazarin's personal library to a wider public - indeed the library had formed part of the original donation. Mazarin also wished that his mortal remains should be laid in the college chapel, the tomb for which was designed by the equally famous architect, Mansart. During the Revolutionary period, the college changed name and function, becoming the seat of the Comité de salut public (Committee for Public Safety).
Jean-Baptiste Greuze died in Paris, 21 March, 1805.
Born on 21 August, 1725, in Tournus (360 km south of Paris, not far south of Dijon), the painter, Jean-Baptiste Greuze, chose for himself the role of champion of middle class, family values - his paintings, expressive and sentimental, seem to modern taste vulgar and in bad taste. He was however much liked in his time, highly praised by Diderot, and important for the history genre painting. Some of his paintings and self-portraits can be seen at the Louvre, the Wallace Collection in London, and many more can be viewed in the Musée Greuze in his native town. There is an extraordinary painting by him of the Bonaparte Premier Consul held at the Musée de Malmaison and the Musée du château de Versailles)...!
Despite her absence at her son's coronation ceremony, Laetizia Bonaparte nevertheless received the title "Altesse impériale, Mère de l'Empereur" (Her Imperial Highness, mother of the Emperor) by a decree of 23 March, 1805, a title with golden strings attached, namely, a stipend of 300,000 francs and a 'household' with chaplains, chamberlans, ladies in waiting, governesses, etc.... She was also given position precedence, at the sovereign's right hand, for official ceremonies and banquets. In June, Napoleon was to buy for his mother the Château de Pont-sur-Seine, in the Aube department, and to give her a grant 160,000 francs to pay for the furnishings.
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week!
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
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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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THIS WEEK
Snippets
- The Salamanca/Arapiles Battlefield in peril
- Call for papers, International Napoleonic Congress, Dinard 2005
Press Review
- Argentine Corsairs to rescue Napoleon, by Emilio Ocampo, in Todo es Historia, January 2005, No 451
Recently published
- History of the British expedition to Egypt, by Robert Thomas Wilson
What's on
- For Napoleonic and Nelsonian 2005 bicentenaries, watch our 2005 bicentenaries page
- Exhibition: The man who crowned Napoleon: Cardinal Caprara and his liturgical robes, Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini, Bologna, Italy
- Fair: The International Napoleonic Fair, St Albans, UK
- Exhibition: Decoration in the Age of Napoleon: Empire Elegance Versus Regency Refinement, New York Public Library, US
- Exhibition: The Treasures of the Fondation Napoléon, Paris, France
The monthly titles
- This month's book: William Pitt the Younger: a biography, by William Hague
- This month's painting: Allegorical drawing to the glory of H. M. the Emperor, by Innocent-Louis Goubaud
- This month's article: Napoleon and Charlemagne, by Thierry Lentz
- In the Collectors Corner, Complete works of Monsieur Arnault (3 volumes, bearing Napoleon's great coat of arms)
Got a problem with a link in the letter? Try the homepage, http://www.napoleon.org
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