| |
| |
THIS MONTH'S ARTICLE
Saint Helena - prison island, Suzan O'Bey
Geographically the island of St Helena is ideally suited as a prison. There is no breakwater where ships can easily dock. The precipitous cliffs encircling the interior make it an almost impenetrable fortress. Not surprisingly therefore it was used by Britain for nearly two hundred years as a penitentiary. Its most famous 'guest' was of course Napoleon. But he was not alone. Many others were detained there 'at his majesty's pleasure', and not just 'royalty' like as Prince Dinizulu and the Sultan of Zanzibar, but also 5,000 humbler prisoners taken during the Boer War. Saint Helena's destiny as a prison island began in 1515 when the Portuguese Nobleman, Fernando Lopez became a voluntary exile there...
|
|
|
| |
CONFERENCE
"Austerlitz - Napoléon au coeur de l'Europe" (Austerlitz, Napoleon at the heart of Europe)
On 30 November, 1 and 2 December, 2005, the French army Museum, the Musée de l'Armée is organising a conference entitled, Austerlitz, Napoleon at the heart of Europe. Three themes will be studied: The Battle (the operations, their context, managing the war), Steps towards a new European order? (after Austerlitz, the transformations in the European equilibrium), 2 December: the sun of Austerlitz (Remembrances of a battle: eyewitness accounts, writers, images and analysis).
This is the last in a series of 5 international conferences, in which French and international, military and civilian lecturers have attempted to enlarge our view of Napoleon and to lay the foundations for a (military) history of Europe. This last conference will take place in the Auditorium Austerlitz at the Musée de l'Armée. The proceedings will be published in a volume funded by the Fondation Napoléon. Still a few seats left!
|
|
|
| |
CLOSING THIS WEEKEND!!
The British National Maritime Museum's remarkable exhibition, Nelson and Napoléon, closes on Sunday afternoon, 13 November, 2005: a fascinating exploration not only of the two men and aspects of their respective legends, but also of the impact of the French Revolution and Napoleon on British society. A key place in the exhibition is of course given to an evocation of the Battle of Trafalgar and its long and short term consequences: exhibits include the recently discovered sketch by Nelson of his battle plan and also a remarkable table-top computer animation of the battle.
Click here for details on the exhibition.
If you can't get there, you can still enjoy the web site.
|
|
|
| |
200 YEARS AGO
On 22 Brumaire (13 November), Murat entered Vienna. Using a ruse (and with staggering cool), he (with Lannes) then took the key Tabor bridge over the Danube. They sauntered across the bridge and engaged the Austrian general, Auersperg, in conversation on the subject of an armistice, whilst stealthily letting their grenadiers get across to cut the fuses on the mine already in place. Before the Austrians knew what had happened, the French had taken the bridge and the initiative...
By allowing the bridge to be taken, Auersperg thus exposed to further danger the Russian forces in retreat - after the action at Durrenstein, Kutusov had hoped that putting himself to one side of the Danube with the French on the other would have given him a breathing space.
At the head of the Grande Armée, Napoleon entered Vienna on 23 Brumaire, An XIV (14 Novembre, 1805).
On 25 Brumaire (16 November), Murat and Lannes led their 22,000 men into battle at Hollabrünn against 8,000 Russians under Bagration. They would have fought the day before but Bagration had in fact outrused Murat. The Russian ineveigled him into an armistice that was merely a delaying tactic to give Kutusov enough time to escape with his troops. Bagration's position looked so bleak that at Kutusov's parting, both generals feared that they would never see each other again. Murat was to receive incendiary letters from his brother-in-law for having played into Russian hands. Losses on both sides at the Battle of Hollabrünn (fought at night) were high, the French losing 1,200 and the Russians, 2,200.
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
PRESS REVIEW
- Rivista Italiana di Studi Napoleonici, Anno XXXVII, N.S. 1/2004
- Rivista Italiana di Studi Napoleonici, Anno XXXVII, N.S. 2/2004
JUST PUBLISHED
- ZIMA, Herbert, What would have happened if Murat had won at Tolentino? What repercussions would this have had on the Waterloo campaign?
WHAT'S ON
- Exhibition: Napoleonica: arms, medals, prints, memorabilia of the Napoleonic period, Arezzo, Italy
- Conference: "Austerlitz - Napoléon au coeur de l'Europe" (Austerlitz, Napoleon at the heart of Europe), Paris, France
- Conference: Joint Napoleonic Alliance/Napoleonic Society of America Conference, 2005, Charlston, South Carolina, USA
- 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
- Exhibition: Napoleon on Campaign, the emperor's bivouac, at the Arc de triomphe de l'Etoile, Paris, France
- Exhibition: Napoleon: An intimate portrait, Washington
- 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 Napoléon, 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 Steuben
- This month's article: Saint Helena - prison island, Suzan O'Bey
- 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
<<
|
|
