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EDITORIAL
Books on Napoleon and the Consulate and Empire (particularly those in English) always seem to centre on a Franco-British clash of titans. Today's bicentenary of the bloody clash between Austria and France on the Danube at Aspern and Essling provides a useful corrective to this point of view. This weekend is also the inauguration of the new museum in Alessandria dedicated to the battle of Marengo, another bloody battle of French against Austrian troops. Indeed the French struggle with Austria is a leitmotiv for our period, with campaigns in 1796 and 1797, in 1800, in 1805, in 1809, and in 1814. Napoleon was to place all his dynastic hopes in a marriage to a Habsburg. And where does the great peace conference of 1814-1815 take place which (Paul Schroeder claims) altered European politics for ever? Austria. This fact alone reveals the centrality of the Austrian Empire to the history of Napoleonic Europe.
Here's hoping that the stimulus of the bicentenaries will bring new and needed studies of Austria and Austrian politics in the period 1789 to 1815, for her struggle with France in that period underlies everything.
Peter Hicks
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OBJET D'ART OF THE MONTH
Napoleon's camp bed
"When he was on campaign, Napoleon's bivouac furniture had to be exceedingly practical, easy to set up and put away, easy to carry, and not too bulky. All the pieces of furniture provided for Napoleon by the imperial wardrobe matched every single one of these criteria: tent, chairs, stools, tables, everything could be folded away, and stored as desired. One key element in this ensemble was designed with particular care, namely, the camp bed."
The bed is currently on display at the "Napoleon, Commander, Emperor and Genius" exhibition which takes place in Schallaburg, Austria.
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NAPOLEON.ORG
A close-up on: the Battle of Aspern-Essling
On 21 and 22 May, 1809, a furiously fought struggle took place between France and Austria on the banks of the Danube around two small towns, Aspern and Essling. The whole of the Austrian Hauptarmee (95,000 men) descended initially upon Napoleon and a mere 22,000 soldiers. But with the arrival of reinforcements during the night, the forces were prepared for another titanic struggle under a hail of cannon balls the following day, until Napoleon brought his troops back across the Danube. This victory/defeat for both sides had not resolved anything. The fight would go on...
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EVENTS
Opening of Marengo Museum, Alessandria
This inauguration is the crowning event of a two-year project to create a completely renovated Museo di Marengo.
This exhibition space is to be dedicated to the history of the idea of the Battle of Marengo from 14 June 1800 till the present day. The public is welcomed into the new-look museum via a glass pyramid. This new entrance is not only a reference to the more famous pyramid in front of the Louvre, but also an echo of the structure planned in 1805 as a monument to Napoleon's greatest propaganda victory. The inauguration is to be completed the following day by a tenth anniversary meeting of Forum Marengo, beginning at 10am.
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COMMEMORATIONS
The death of Maréchal Lannes
With the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Aspern-Essling upon us, there are a number of commemorative events marking the death of Maréchal Lannes which will be taking place over the next few weeks. As well as a play recounting the life of the famous maréchal, taking place on 22 May and 31 May, there will also be the inauguration of Avenue Jean Lannes (formerly Route de Tané) on 30 May and a ceremony at the Maréchal Lannes statue and a commemorative mass (both also 30 May).
Haydn 2009
2009 is the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, the celebrated Austrian composer, and there are events taking place all over the world to mark the anniversary. We at napoleon.org have selected a number of events that are taking place in the next few days and also over the summer, including concerts, exhibitions and open days.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
Issue n° 4
Our selection from Napoleonica. La Revue this week is Irène Perret's article "Réception critique de Napoléon sur le Champ de Bataille d'Eylau d'Antoine-Jean Gros, sous le Ier Empire", which discusses the critical reviews of Gros' vast canvas, which won the Salon of 1808. The article is available for 7 €; alternatively, you can purchase an annual subscription for 60 €.
200 YEARS AGO
The Battle of Aspern-Essling
Following the Battle of Aspern-Essling on 21 and 22 May, 1809, Alexandre Berthier, Major-General of the Armée d'Allemagne, wrote to Maréchal Bernadotte with his analysis of the events that had occurred:
"There was, on 21 and 22, a rather serious battle on the north-bank of the Danube, at the villages of Essling and Aspern. The enemy was in a most perfect state of disarray at 8 o'clock in the morning, when our two bridges across the two largest branches of the Danube were carried away by the rising waters; the Emperor was forced to wait in position and part of our cavalry, our artillery and the Duc d'Auerstaedt's [Maréchal Davout] entire corps remained on the south-bank. Our losses number about 4,000 injured; the enemy lost many more than that. We have taken 1,500 prisoners, including a Feldmarshall, four flags and several cannons." [Letter from Berthier, Prince de Neuchâtel, to Maréchal Bernadotte, 24 May, 1809, n° 15250, Correspondance de Napoléon Bonaparte]
Click here for our new close-up on: the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which includes an article on the events of the battle, biographies of the major characters involved, images and maps of the area and a translation of the Tenth Bulletin of the Grande Armée, which reported on the battle.
150 YEARS AGO
Parisian "patriotism": the other side of the coin
Despite the swell of patriotism in favour of French intervention in Italy, Paris was not entirely unanimous in its support of the war and Napoleon III's role in events. The always-reliable Comte Horace de Viel Castel, once again commenting on Parisian society, noted on 22 May, 1859, that "Monsieur d'Arenberg has enrolled his son in the service of Austria: his entire family has disowned him [Monsieur d'Arenberg] and people throw stones at him [in the street]."
Elsewhere, he also remarked on a certain level of dissent amongst the select social clubs of Paris: "Amongst the clubs in Paris, the Jockey [club] is hardly a beacon of patriotism; a notable section of this circle is proclaiming its support for Austria; and as far as the Union club is concerned, it is almost entirely Austrian." [Entries for 22 May and 24 May, 1859, Mémoires du Comte Horace de Viel Castel]
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks and Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 499, 22 - 28 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
- This is Lichfield: rare flintlock pistol up for auction
- Book review: A Companion to Eighteenth Century Europe
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
- Inauguration of the Museum Marengo, Spinetta Marengo (Italy), 23-24 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
- Haydn 2009
- 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
- "11th weekend of bivouacs and battles at Waterloo", Waterloo (Belgium), 18 - 21 June, 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
- "Napoléon", Philadelphia, USA [29/05/2009 - 07/09/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon Bonaparte and Egypt: fire and light", Arras, France [16/05/2008 - 19/10/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon. His opponents, his admirers, and the sacrifice", Marchegg, Austria [04/04/2009 - 18/10/2009]
Full details
- "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
- "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
- "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
- "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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