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THIS MONTH'S OBJECT
5 Franc piece, Napoleon Emperor, 1806
It was not until the Consulate that the first 1 Franc coins were issued, the famous Franc Germinal. "Five grammes of silver, 9/10 pure, constitute the monetary unit named Franc"; such was the description as it appeared in the new law defining the franc. Adopted by Bonaparte on 28 March, 1803 and promulgated on 7 April of the same year (that is, 7 Germinal, An XI, hence the name Franc Germinal).
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200 YEARS AGO
Diplomatic rumours
The Journal de l'Empire mentioned rumours circulating in Hamburg dated 19 April, 1807, that «Britain and Russia had demanded Denmark to side either with one or the other belligerent parties, since her neutrality could not be maintained much longer». Whilst Denmark was not to be swayed by this diplomatic offensive - her hold of the Sünd strait which enabled her to deprive either country of valuable entrance into, or exit from, the Baltic made her confident – she did not count on the ‘robust' foreign policy of Canning in the late summer of 1807…
Journal de l'Empire, 29 April, 1807
Vaccination success
The Moniteur Universel noted the report made in Lyon on 18 April, 1807, that a certain “Monsieur Creyten, a doctor in Anse, [had] vaccinated more than 2,000 people in the past five years. […] He also claimed that in that time [as a result of vaccination] the number of children who died had dropped by two thirds. The cowpox vaccine had been developed and tested on humans by Edward Jenner in 1796 (see the Bulletin for 28 May - 3 June, 2004).
Moniteur Universel, 24 April, 1807
American refusal
News reached London of the American senate's refusal to ratify the Anglo-American commercial treaty, negotiated by Monroe and Pinckney and signed on 31 December, 1806 (see Bulletin 396). The reasons cited for this was Britain's habit of pressing American nationals into service on British vessels. This set the stage for the unilateral American ‘Embargo Act' of December 1807 which closed U.S. ports to all exports and restricted imports from Britain.
Daily Advertiser, 15 April, 1807 (quoted in Le Moniteur Universel, 1 May, 1807)
Brotherly ‘tough' love
From his château at Finkenstein, Napoleon wrote a stinging letter to his brother Louis, King of Holland (dated 19 April, 1807), giving him a lesson in politics: “I am not surprised that the parties are agitating in Holland. I keep telling you: the people around you are no good. You are not surrounded by real friends […] Your real friends in Holland are the Catholics; after that, it's the men they call Jacobins, in other words, those who have the most to fear from a return of the old dynasty. […] A prince about whom they say ‘He's a good man' is a king who is lost. […] Choose your friends from amongst those who have always been friends with the French. They'll tell you that people hate them: nonsense. They said the same in France; they said it about my generals, my ministers, my senators, my councillors of state. You were in Paris and saw what I did. Did you see nothing?”
Letter dated 19 April, 1807, Correspondance N° 12424.
150 YEARS AGO
Successful subscription
The Moniteur Universel of 13 and 14 April, 1857, reported that the subscription to help pay for the damage caused by the catastrophic floods at the beginning of June 1856 had raised 12,268,793.80 Francs (see Bulletins nos 373 and 374).
Birth of a Princess
The Moniteur Universel of 15 April reported the birth of a daughter to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, at 7 minutes to 2pm on 14 April, 1857.
Princess Beatrice (also known as Princess Henry of Battenberg) was christened Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore, and she was Queen Victoria's and Prince Albert's fifth daughter and youngest child. She was in later life to become her mother's constant companion, achieving particular notoriety for being sole editor (and bowdleriser) of her mother's memoirs. In her youth she met and apparently enjoyed the company of Napoleon III's son, Napoleon Eugene, the Prince Imperial, although reports of their romantic attachment appear to have been exaggerated.
Wishing you an excellent, Napoleonic, Week.
Peter Hicks
Historian and Web editor
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, No 412, 20 - 26 April, 2007
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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 in the MAGAZINE
Just published:
- The Battle of Albuera - 1811: 'Glorious field of grief', by Michael Oliver and Richard Partridge
- Nur ein Fels blieb dem Kaiser: Napoleons letzte reise, by Jan Stäps
WHAT'S ON
Auctions:
Baldwin's Auctions Number 51 - Commemorative Medals, Military Medals and Numismatic Books, London, UK
Theatre:
Waterloo... la fin d'un monde, Waterloo, Belgium
Re-enactments:
- Re-enactment of the Battle of Nieuwleusen, Netherlands
- Re-enactment of the Battle of Rivoli, 1797-2007, Rivoli, Italy
Fairs:
The 14th International Napoleonic Fair, Cressing Temple, UK
Conferences:
- Napoleon at the Zenith: a bi-centennial seminar, Liverpool, UK
Exhibitions:
- Napoleon's Description de L'Egypte, Dallas, Texas, USA
- Napoleon, Trikolore und Kaiseradler über Rhein und Weser, Wesel and Minden, Germany
- NAPOLÉON An Intimate Portrait, Oklahoma, USA
- Das Königreich Württemberg 1806–1918. Monarchie und Moderne (The kingdom of Württemberg 1806–1918. Monarchy and modernity), Stuttgart, Germany
- "The trace of the eagle", the Invalides dome, Paris, France
Got a problem with the letter? Try the home page: http://www.napoleon.org
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