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EDITORIAL
There are some places in the world where conflict is a part of life. Historically-speaking, the fertile planes of the Po river could be seen as one such region, fought over as they were regularly throughout the Modern period.
It should therefore come as no surprise that in Napoleonic times, Piedmont, Lombardy and Venetia were also theatres of war. 150 years ago French and Piedmontese troops faced Austrians in the land between Turin and Milan and around Verona, just as sixty years earlier the armies of Revolutionary France had met those of Imperial Austria at Lodi, Rivoli and Marengo. Politics and geography go hand in hand, and since one does not change, neither does the other: the strategic road running from Turin via Milan to Venice has always held the key to these fertile regions with their different industries, and also control of the Italian peninsula. But it is not just a question of politics. Towns and villages, farms and people are always caught up in the to-ing and fro-ing as troops advance and retreat. And they become the victims of the geography as the struggle to control routes, transport (in 1859 trains were used for the first time ever to move troops) and communication lines washes over them. As modern-day conflicts have shown, these scars live long in the populations. However, in this case, the bitter struggles of two thirds of the 19th-century also brought progress. French support of Piedmont at the battles of Magenta and Solferino led directly to the unification of Italy.
We wish you an excellent read on napoleon.org.
Irène Delage and Peter Hicks
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PAINTING OF THE MONTH
The arrival of Marie-Louise in Compiègne, by Jean-Baptiste Isabey
The arrival of Marie-Louise in Compiègne shows how the arrival of Marie-Louis in France should have been, had protocol been respected. The scene is Soissons, the date is 27 March, 1810, and the event is a reception organised by the municipality, during which the presentation of the daughter of the emperor of Austria to the Emperor of the French was to take place. However, giving in to impatience, Napoleon rushed to head off the future empress on the Soissons road, leaped from his carriage to join her at a post house, hurried through the municipal ceremony, and on reaching the Château de Compiègne - where the court was anxiously awaiting the couple - rapidly presented his new bride to those present and then disappeared with her into their apartments.
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COMMEMORATION
Annual May Ceremony in the British Cemetery, 14 May
2009 year is the 200th anniversary of the battle of Corunna, the crossing of the Douro and the battle of Talavera.
The annual May ceremony of The Friends of the British Cemetery will take place on Thursday, 14 May in Elvas, Portugal. The ceremony will start at midday and all attending should be in the cemetery by 11.45am. Dress for gentlemen is suits or jackets and ties and medals.
The ceremony will be attended by the Mayor of Elvas, Senhor Rondão Almeida, the Peninsular War 200 representative, Colonel Nick Lipscombe, and senior officers from the Portuguese and Spanish armies.
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EVENT
Cinco de Mayo: the Battle of Puebla, 5 May, 1862
The Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday celebrated across Mexico and the USA. Although well-recognised, it is often mistaken to commemorate Mexican independence, which was actually gained on 16 September, 1810.
During the mid-19th century, Mexico underwent a period known as "La Reforma", which was characterised by liberal reforms and the granting of previously unknown civil and political liberties. These reforms led to a period of civil war which was marked by coups d'état, cabinet dissolutions and counter-revolutions. Eventually, Benito Juárez was officially elected president in March 1861. Faced with an economy devastated by war and the country's bankruptcy, the newly-elected president declared a moratorium on foreign debt repayments, angering Mexico's major creditors, including Britain, Spain and France, who together seized Veracruz, a port city, in the hope that it would persuade Juárez to resume payments. Whilst Spain and England negotiated separately with Mexico, Napoleon III, using the episode as a pretext and looking to install a European monarch at ruler, sent further troops in. The Battle of Puebla, on 5 May, 1862, was an unexpected defeat for the French troops, under the command of Charles de Lorencez. Believing that a show of force at the gates of Puebla would lead the population to rise up in support of the French, de Lorencez attacked the city from the north. This proved to be a serious misjudgement. The Mexican troops, mostly veterans of the Reform wars under the command of Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, repelled the French attacks, forcing them into an embarrassing retreat. De Lorencez counted 462 dead and over 300 wounded from the attack, against 83 dead and 131 wounded on the Mexican side. Although a significant date in Mexican history and an important symbol of Mexican unity and patriotism, the victory only succeeded in delaying briefly the French advance on Mexico City, which fell a year later.
There is also an article available on napoleon.org which deals with the subject of French imperialism in Mexico.
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EVENTS
Austrian campaign 1809 bicentennial celebrations
Taking place in the next few weeks and over the coming summer are a number of events and exhibitions all over Austria to mark the 200th anniversary of Napoleon's Austrian campaign. This week we have selected for you two upcoming re-enactment events:
"Napoleon and Groß-Enzersdorf"
22 - 24 May, 2009: bivouac and military exercise re-enactments, talks, an open-air mass, and musical performances in the town of Groß-Enzersdorf.
"Aspern-Essling 2009"
22 - 24 May, 2009: historical bivouac, battle re-enactment, military parade and commemorative mass in the Aspern district of Vienna.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
Issue n° 4
Another week, and another selection from the latest issue of Napoleonica. La Revue. This time around, we continue the South American theme offering you "Indépendance, politique et pouvoir au Chili et en Argentine: attitudes des officiers napoléoniens dans les armées de libération (1817-1830)" (in French) by Patrick Puigmal which discusses the role played by Napoleonic officers in South America after Napoleon's exile on St. Helena. The article is available for 7 €; alternatively, you can purchase an annual subscription for 60 €. For further discussion on Napoleonic presence in South America, see our most recent book of the month: The Emperor's Last Campaign: A Napoleonic Empire in America by Emilio Ocampo.
200 YEARS AGO
The siege of Vienna
Napoleon's forces advanced north through Austria, hoping to reach Vienna before Archduke Charles and his retreating Austrian forces could do so and thus seize the Hapsburg capital. Meanwhile, the Austrian emperor Francis was determined that Vienna should hold out against any French attack. The Countess Lulu Thürheim, based in Vienna, noted in her entry for 27 April:
"The entire French army has entered Austria [...] We are becoming a conquered province and a satellite state to the tyrant of Europe. The authorities' disheartenment has nevertheless failed to the Viennese people, whose devotion has led to their fortifying the city. The emperor has ordered that his capital be prepared to withstand a siege [...] The Archduke Max [Archduke Maximilian, cousin of Francis and an artillery and fortifications expert], whom the Emperor has charged with the defence [of the city] has declared that he would prefer to be buried within the walls rather than surrender the city." [Lulu Gräfin Thürheim, Erinnerungen aus Österreichs grosser Welt 1788-1852, quoted in Robert Ouvrard, 1809 Les Français à Vienne: Chronique d'une occupation]
As the French troops approached, orders to enrol, particularly in the Austrian cavalry, were announced. On 4 May, the imperial family left the city, an act unlikely to have reassured the inhabitants. The outskirts of the city were evacuated, but the city was ill-provisioned and bread in particular became scarce. The population was armed, to the extent that the imperial arsenal was stripped of its museum pieces on display. On 8 May, French chasseurs reached Schönbrunn, on the outskirts of Vienna, and engaged in skirmishes with Hungarian hussars stationed in defence. That evening a French order for the Austrian troops within the city to surrender was proclaimed, and refused. By the evening of 10 May, the French forces occupied the Viennese outskirts. By 11 May, the city was completely surrounded. That night, having again ordered the Austrian forces to surrender, Napoleon's artillery opened fire on the city. The Septième Bulletin de l'Armée reported on the operation, noting, with some exaggeration, that "1,800 shells were launched [on the city] in under four hours. Soon the entire city was in flames." The shelling continued until 4am, the morning of 12 May. At the same time, Masséna's volitgeurs moved up from the Simmering district and seized the Prater park area. Archduke Maximilian, realising that French forces would soon control most of Vienna, gave the order to retreat, and he and his troops evacuated the city via Floridsdorf (to the north), burning the bridges behind them as they did so. It was left to Marshal Andreas O'Reilly to negotiate the surrender of the city with Napoleon, which was eventually signed on 13 May. As the remaining forces and inhabitants in Vienna were disarmed (with the exception of the bourgeois "old guard" who were kept to perform patrol duties with the French troops), soldiers from Lannes' corps, under the command of Saint-Hilaire, attempted to cross the Danube at Schwarz-Lackenau, but were pushed back by remaining Austrian resistance. Nevertheless, Vienna was once again secure and under French control. On 14 May, Archduke Charles arrived in Stockerau, to the north of Vienna, only to learn of the city's capture.
150 YEARS AGO
Napoleon III leaves for the front
The Comte Horace de Viel Castel recorded in his memoirs that on Tuesday 10 May, 1859, Napoleon III and the Prince Napoleon left Paris for the Italian front. He noted that "never has the Emperor received such a magnificent ovation as that which he received today... it was [a] poignant [moment]... a furia that will never be understood by those who were not there to witness it". [Mémoires du Comte Horace de Viel Castel, 10 May, 1859, p. 751]
Austrian troops had been slow to advance on Turin, and, despite sending scouts along the Dora Riparia river towards the Piedmontese capital on 9 May, they were pushed back due to Franco-Sardinian military presence between Casale Monferrato and Valenza. The Austrian forces retreated over the River Sesia on 10 and 11 May to take up a defensive position between Pavia and Vercelli, behind both the Sesia and the Po, in preparation for the French advance, a position which they would maintain until the first battle of the war, at Montebello, on 20 May. Meanwhile, on 14 May, four days after leaving Paris, Napoleon arrived in Alessandria to take command of operations.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 497, 8 - 14 May 2009
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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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THE BIBLIOTHEQUE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
Spring opening times:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: 1pm-6pm
Thursday: 10am-3pm
(Closed Friday)
THE MAGAZINE
Book of the month (English)
- Emilio Ocampo: Emperor's Last Campaign: A Napoleonic Empire in America
Book of the month (French)
- Pierre Milza: La guerre de 1870
Press review
- Napoleon died from kidney problems?
- The History Channel (USA): "American Eats: Canned Food"
Seen on the web (all links are external)
- Military uniforms through the ages, from Louis XV to the present day, as well as other nations (in French)
- Association International Nicolas Appert (inventor of 'canned food') (in French)
Fondation Napoléon History Prizes 2008
- Francis and Madeleine Ambrière, Talma, ou l'histoire du théâtre
- Alain Decaux, Coup d'état à l'Elysée
- Edgardo Donati, La Toscana nell'impero napoleonico
Fondation Napoléon news
- Fondation Napoléon Research Grants 2008
WHAT'S ON
Events
- The "Nuit des Musées 2009", various towns and cities (Europe), 16-17 May, 2009
Conferences
- "Seventh International Napoleonic Congress: Napoleon, Europe and the World", and call for papers, Montreal (Canada), 8-12 June, 2009
- "Civilians and War in Europe, c. 1640-1815", Liverpool (UK), 18-20 June, 2009
- Australian Napoleonic Congress, Goulburn (Australia), 31 October - 1 November, 2009
Commemorations
- Annual May Ceremony in the British Cemetery
- Bicentennial commemoration of the death of Maréchal Lannes
- French presence in South Africa
Re-enactments
- "Napoleon and Groß-Enzersdorf", Groß-Enzersdorf (Austria), 22 - 24 May, 2009
- Aspern-Essling, 2009, Aspern and Essling (Vienna, Austria), 21 - 24 May, 2009
- Znaim 1809 bicentenary re-enactment, Znojmo and Dobšice (Czech Republic), 11-12 July, 2009
- Bivouac and the Battle of Oostmalle, Oostmalle (Belgium), 5-6 September, 2009
Exhibitions
- "Napoleon. His opponents, his admirers, and the sacrifice", Marchegg, Austria [04/04/2009 - 18/10/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon in Traiskirchen" ("Napoleon in Traiskirchen"), Möllersdorf, Austria [04/03/2009 - 24/12/2009]
Full details
- "The Satirical Eye: comedy and critique from Hogarth to Daumier", Melbourne, Australia [27/02/2009 - 26/07/2009]
Full details
- "Second Empire Paris: History and Modernity", Williamstown, USA [25/04/2009 - 21/06/2009]
Full details
- "Juliette Récamier: muse and patron of the arts", Lyon, France [27/03/2009 - 29/06/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon and Corsica", Corte, France [20/06/2009 - 30/12/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon and Eugenie", Roslyn Harbor, USA [07/06/2009 - 07/09/2009]
Full details
- "The Plains of Mars: European War Prints, 1500—1825, from the Collection of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation", Houston, USA [08/02/2009 - 10/05/2009]
Full details
- "Imperial Splendour", Manderen, France [15/03/2009 - 31/08/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon, Commander, Emperor and Genius", Schallaburg, Germany [16/05/2009 - 01/11/2009]
Full details
- "Waldmüller (1793-1865)", Paris, France [26/02/2009 - 18/05/2009]
Full details
- "William Blake (1757-1827): the visionary genius of English Romanticism", Paris, France [02/04/2009 - 28/06/2009]
Full details
- "Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828)", Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [29/04/2009 - 05/07/2009]
Full details
- "Ingres and the Moderns", Quebec City, Canada [05/02/2009 - 31/05/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon, genius and despot", Saarlouis, Germany [25/01/2009 - 10/05/2009]
Full details
- "Nicolas-Toussaint Charlet and the origins of the Napoleonic legend", Boulogne-Billancourt, France [05/03/2009 - 27/06/2009]
Full details
- Imperial painter: Pietro Benvenuti at the court of Napoleon and the Lorenas, Florence, Italy [10/03/2009 - 21/06/2009]
Full details
- "Romania on the road to modernity: 150 years since the unification of the principalities under Prince Cuza", Bucharest, Romania [22/01/2009 - 24/05/2009]
Full details
- "Ben Weider Collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts", Montreal, Canada [Permanent]
Full details
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