| |
| |
EDITORIAL: BICENTENARIES: A RATHER PALE «SUN OF AUSTERLITZ»
"There are several school of commemoration. But there are two which seem to be dominant in France today: one which prefers the politically profitable; and one which prefers self-mortification over a specific painful moment from French history. It is not in the least surprising therefore that the French state has handled (and continues to handle) the Napoleonic bicentenaries with a barge pole, leaving it up to the national institutions created by Napoleon or private institutions to lead the way."
Continuation of the editorial.
Baron Gourgaud
President of the Fondation Napoléon
|
|
|
| |
THIS MONTH'S PAINTING
The death of Napoleon, by Baron Charles Steuben (1788-1856)
On Saturday 5 May, 1821, at 5-49pm in Longwood House on the island of St Helena, ‘the mightiest breath of life which ever animated human clay' (Chateaubriand) came no more. And it was this, ultimate moment that Steuben wished to immortalise in a painting which has since become what could almost be described as the official version of the scene. (Painting held at the Napoleonmuseum in Arenenberg © Napoleonmuseum, Arenenberg)
|
|
|
| |
BIOGRAPHIES
The Napoleonic prefect of Rome, Camille de Tournon-Simiane 1778-1833
Much of the information we have about de Tournon, Napoleon's youngest and best prefect, comes from the former's memoirs, written at the end of his life, in about 1832. These memoirs were published in three volumes by the cleric Abbé Moulard in the 1930s and can now be consulted at the Fondation Napoléon as a result of an acquisition of these three volumes from descendants of the prefect. Read about life as an administrator in the Napoleonic 'far west' (as Italy has been called by some recent historians).
|
|
|
| |
200 YEARS AGO
In the aftermath of the United Merchants' scandal (see Information Bulletin n° 339), the Banque de France was besieged by thousands of customers every day bearing notes and demanding payment, in other words, there was a run on the bank. On 17 Brumaire (8 Novembre), a report from the Préfecture de police noted: "This morning, at about 3am, more than four thousand people filled the roads leading to the Place des Victoires; certain individuals tried to make the public rise up against the armed force and the police officers. The fermenting of trouble was intense and we had to have recourse to reinforcements, namely 25 infantrymen, in order to maintain order and quiet; one person tried to throw shards of a glass bottle at a dragoon from the Garde municipale; he was arrested on the spot; we managed to break up the crowd, and we only allowed into the queue the precise number of people who could be paid on that day. In the course of the morning, two other people insulted the Garde and were likewise arrested. 312,000 francs's worth of payment were made today."
On 16 Brumaire (7 November), the twon of Innsbruck fell to Ney; three days later, Mortier drove Kutusov's troops back at Dürrenstein.
|
|
|
| |
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, week.
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
THIS WEEK
CORRECTION
In last week's letter, we incorrectly recorded the population of St Helena as 15,000. It should of course be 3,500. Please accept our apologies for this mistake.
JUST PUBLISHED
- MALCOLMSON, Robert, A very brilliant affair: the Battle of Queenston Heights, 1812
- SMITH, Digby, The Decline and fall of Napoleon's Empire
WEBSITES
- Remarkable Napoleonic database with (amongst many other things) 1000 images put online by McGill University
Go to the Napoleonic Directory, select Databases in the Websites menu and scroll down to the bottom.
WHAT'S ON
- Exhibition: In the Service of Napoleon. The Dutch in time of War 1792-1815, Delft, Netherlands
- Conference: Forum Marengo VII 2005 "The eagle and the bee", Alessandria, Italy
- Conference: 1805 - Napoleon, King of Italy, Conference and visits to Napoleonic sites, Rome, Italy
- Exhibition: Napoleon: An intimate portrait, Washington, USA
- Exhibition: Napoleone e il Piemonte. Capolavori ritrovati, Alba, Italy
- Exhibition: Napoleon: Art and Empire in the age of Trafalgar, Barnard Castle, UK
- Exhibition: The Empress Josephine: Art and Royal Identity, Amherst, MA, USA
- Exhibition: Nelson and Napoleon, National Maritime Museum, London, UK
THE MONTHLY TITLES
- This month's book: DANCOISNE-MARTINEAU Michel (ed.), CHEVALLIER Bernard (ed.), LENTZ Thierry (eds), Sainte-Hélène, île de mémoire
- This month's painting: The death of Napoleon, by Baron Charles Steuben
- This month's article: Napoleon and the Corsican Dilemma - part 2, by Barbara Krajeswka
- In the Collectors Corner, Portrait of Napoleon (miniature set on a box) by ISABEY Jean-Baptiste
Got a problem with a link in the letter? Try the homepage http://www.napoleon.org
<<
|
|
