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THIS WEEK'S LETTER...
Another new month and we have another new article for you to enjoy. Charles Worth and the birth of Haute-Couture this time take centre-stage in a piece written by Olivier Courteaux. Next up is a close-up on our close-ups, as we delve into another interesting feature on Napoleon.org III. The ever-dependable Napoleonica. La Revue is there in third place, with this week's proposed article by Jean-Philippe Rey, and after that we have some Fondation Napoléon news to update you on. Finally, as always, we have our 200 and 150 years ago section. Don't forgot either to throw your eyes a few centimetres to the right and check our Magazine. Here you'll find the diary and the recently published section: it's a great reminder of what's going on in the Napoleonic world at the moment.
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ARTICLE OF THE MONTH: NOVEMBER
Charles Worth and the invention of Haute-Couture, by Olivier Courteaux
The article of the month for November is about the fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth and his famous relationship with the Empress Eugénie. He was born on 13 October, 1825, in Bourne, Lincolnshire. His father was however a drunk who mismanaged the family finances, causing his mother to send him (aged 12) to London to become an apprentice and to learn the dress goods trade. It is believed he taught himself the art of dressmaking by studying portraits at the National Gallery.
Click here to read the full article.
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A CLOSE-UP ON...
This week, we once again delve a little deeper into the features on offer on Napoleon.org III. This time around we take a closer look at our 'close-up on...' series, which groups together in one handy location articles, timelines, bibliographies, images and other useful information on a specific topic. There are over twenty close-ups available and with new files added all the time, it's the perfect place to start if you are interested in a particular event in Napoleonic history. Our most recent additions include close-ups on the Meeting at Erfurt and on Abd el-Kader, and all of the files are searchable by keyword or theme.
Click here to take a closer look.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
Our selection from Napoleonica. La Revue for this week is Jean-Philippe Rey's article entitled Les notables du Rhône, une nouvelle élite ?. As you may have guessed, it's in French, so not only can you read up on Napoleon's desire to create a new 'upper' class and the 'notables' in Lyons and the Rhône valley area, but you can also practise your French at the same time. As usual, the easiest way to get this and all of the articles included in La Revue is to take out an annual subscription for just 60 €. Single articles are available at 7 € each.
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FONDATION NAPOLEON
Publication of Napoleon III conference proceedings
The proceedings for the bicentenary conference on Napoleon III, which was organised by the Fondation Napoléon, will be published on 18 November. The conference took place on 19 and 20 May this year in the Amphithéâtre Marguerite de Navarre at the Collège de France. The proceedings are published by Editions Napoléon III.
You can order a copy of the proceedings by completing this form and returning it to the address indicated (Napoléon III Éditions – SOTECA – BP 220 – 92212 Saint-Cloud Cedex, France). World-wide delivery is included in the price. Additional delivery details (if required) can be attached to the completed form. Payment by cheque (in Euros only) made payable to 'SOTECA', or card.
Les Ateliers de la Fondation Napoléon: "The Masterpieces of Napoleonic Art"
As mentioned last week, on 25 November, the Fondation Napoléon is holding the first in its series of study days. The event, entitled "Autour de quelques chefs-d'oeuvres de la peinture napoléonienne" ("The Masterpieces of Napoleonic Art"), takes place at the Bibliothèque Paul Marmottan between 10am and 4pm and is a great opportunity to participate in some free and informed discussions on a number of the great artworks of the Napoleonic period. Attendence is free but advance registration is required. This can be done by contacting Pauline Lefebvre or the secretariat on + 33 (0)1 56 43 46 00 between 10am and 5pm.
Click here for more information and the programme of discussion.
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200 YEARS AGO
Burgos pillaged
Napoleon's strategy for the conquest of Spain centred on restoring Joseph as King, returning to him Madrid and leaving him to govern the country. Militarily, he looked to exploit the corridor that lay open between Bayonne and Madrid, which involved taking Burgos, a town that lay halfway between the two. This was done without any difficulties on 10 November. However, despite Napoleon's presence, French troops proceeded to pillage the town and surrounding area upon capture and Napoleon received a number of letters from his subordinates detailing the destruction:
"Miranda, town pretty much deserted, pillaged on 11; since then the pillage has barely stopped; very few inhabitants have returned to their homes." (Letter from Général Lacoste to Napoleon dated 15 November 1808)
The French emperor was thus obliged to remind Berthier, Prince de Neuchatel, in a letter dated 17 November (seven days after the capture of Burgos), of the importance of maintaining the peace and that the "first soldier to pillage must be shot on the spot." (Letter from Napoleon to Alexandre Berthier, Prince de Neuchatel dated 17 November 1808, Correspondance n° 14483)
150 YEARS AGO
The Catholic Church
In the long march towards the re-establishment of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, in September 1850, the bull 'Universalis Ecclesiae' issued by Pius IX reinstituted a Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales. The bull followed the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 which allowed Catholics to sit in Parliament. A Catholic hierarchy had not existed officially since the death of the last Marian bishop, Edmund Banner, during the reign of Elizabeth I. The bull resulted in England and Wales becoming an ecclesiastical province (an administrative district under the jurisdiction of an archbishop) and Westminster became a metropolitan see (the principal city of the province). Nicholas Wiseman was named the first Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. On 16 November 1858, the Second-Empire government organ, Le Moniteur (quoting the Morning Chronicle), reported on this, the most important gathering of Catholic dignitaries in England since the Reformation, as 21 prelates from England, Scotland, Ireland, America, Canada and the Indies dined with Cardinal Wiseman. As the newly created Archbishop, Wiseman was charged with the reconstruction of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
[Le Moniteur, 16 November 1858]
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia (www.newadvent.org)
Wishing you the very best "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 474, 14 November - 20 November, 2008
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.
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THE BIBLIOTHEQUE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
Autumn and winter opening times:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 1pm-6pm
Thursday: 10am-3pm
(Closed Friday)
THE MAGAZINE
Just published
November's book of the month (English)
- Richard Harding (ed.), A Great & Glorious Victory - New perspectives on the Battle of Trafalgar
November's book of the month (French)
- Jacques-Olivier Boudon, Le Roi Jérôme, frère prodigue de Napoléon
- Michel Kerautret & Gabriel Madec (eds.), La Correspondance générale de Napoléon Bonaparte, volume 5: Boulogne, Trafalgar, Austerlitz 1805
- Paul Richardson, Vilnius 1812: From Beyond The Grave
Press review
- Re- interment of the mortal remains of 108 soldiers and civilians of the Grande Armée who fell in Belarusian territory in 1812
WHAT'S ON
Conferences
- Les Ateliers de la Fondation Napoléon: "The Masterpieces of Napoleonic Art", Paris (France), 25 November 2008
- French intervention in Mexico: the cultural and scientific impact on the two countries, Paris (France), from 27 to 28 November 2008
- Portugal, Brazil and Napoleonic Europe, Lisbon (Portugal) from 4 to 6 December, 2008
Exhibitions
- "Napoleon III and the Romanian principalities", Bucharest, Romania [23/10/2008 - 01/02/2009]
Full details
- "Ben Weider Collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts", Montreal, Canada [Permanent]
Full details
- "Napoleon Bonaparte and Egypt", Paris, France [14/10/2008 - 29/03/2009]
Full details
- "Between the dagger and the cross", Paris, France [21/10/2008 - 11/01/2009]
Full details
- "From Pompei to Malmaison", Rueil-Malmaison, France [22/10/2008 - 26/01/2009]
Full details
- "Jerome Napoleon, king of Westphalia", Fontainebleau, France [10/10/2008 - 08/01/2009]
Full details
- "Paper Landscapes, a celebration of Napoleonic cartography", La Spezia, Italy [04/10/2008 - 11/01/2009]
Full details
- "Fine people. Luxury and Fashion at the Time of the Empire", Erfurt, Germany [14/09/2008 - 11/01/2009]
Full details
- "Spectacle of Power. Rituals in Old Europe 800-1800", Magdeburg, Germany [23/09/2008 - 04/01/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleonic side-arms of the Rocca d'Acquaviva", Acquaviva Picena, Italy [04/10/2008 - 31/12/2008]
Full details
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