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Heritage
Each year, Heritage Week sees the general public step outside in their droves to visit their local (and perhaps not so local) monuments, gardens, archive centres and other historical buildings that constitute Europe's cultural heritage. But as well as an opportunity to visit and celebrate this cultural and historical heritage, the Journées du Patrimoine are also an important reminder of the issues that these institutions and their staff face every day, and the chance for the public to offer their much-needed support to this important work. As he was laying the first stone of the National Archives' new site in Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, the French Prime Minister commented that "The National Archives preserve the precious treasures of our identity and our memory." More than just mere words, reform, reorganisation and respect are continually needed to ensure that the records, both archival and physical, of our cultural heritage endure. Let us not forget that more than just belonging to us, our heritage is us. It is what we were yesterday, what we are today, and what we will be tomorrow.
Irène Delage
Head of Documentation Service, Public Relations and IT
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PAINTING OF THE MONTH
General Bonaparte and his chief of staff, general Berthier, at the battle of Marengo, by Robert Lefevre
The victory at Marengo was celebrated in many different works of art, both paintings and sculptures, some commissioned and giving the official propaganda, and others the personal initiative of artists with an eye to the main chance hoping to attract the favourable influence of the victor and new master of France. This huge painting here falls into that second category and was executed shortly after the battle on 14 June 1800.
This massive painting has been on loan to the Museo di Marengo for the past three months. It is the physical expression of the Fondation's support for the museum's activities and the partnership that links the two institutions.
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NAPOLEON.ORG
Steel-frame crinoline
New to the Fashion section on napoleon.org is a short article on crinoline and Second Empire fashion, written by the historian Zoë Viney.
Verjus
As well as a new fashion article, we have also added to our Bon Appetit! section. The new text is on verjus (verjuice), the highly acidic juice extracted from unripened grapes that was used extensively during the mediaeval period right through to the 19th century as a base for sauces or as a condiment.
FONDATION NAPOLEON NEWS
"Napoléon, l'Empire et l'heritage des Lumières" conference
As mentioned last week, the conference "Napoléon, l'Empire et l'heritage des Lumières" is taking place on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 October, 2009, in Divonne-les-Bains (France) and Ferney Voltaire (Switzerland). Further details, including the conference programme and registration form, are both now available on www.napoleon.org.
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WHAT'S ON
Journées du Patrimoine 2009: "Le retour des soldats de l'Empire"
As part of the Journée du Patrimoine 2009 series of events taking place across Europe in September, the Cercle Militaire de Versailles will be holding a military re-enactment weekend on 20 and 21 September, 2009. Events will include an historical bivouac, troop parades, canon demonstrations and "soldier school".
"Coup de Crayon à l'Empire"
Taking place at the Wellington Museum, Waterloo, Belgium, is a new exhibition celebrating Napoleonic comic books. The exhibition runs from 23 September, 2009 until 10 January, 2010, and will include on display items such as artist drafts and individual cells as well as uniforms, weapons and paintings.
Napoleon Festival 2009 and "Napoleon and the United States" conference
Next weekend (24 - 27 September, 2009) a Napoleonic Festival is taking place in Sarzana (Italy) and will include dioramas, a Napoleonic fair and talks given by historians. The same weekend (Saturday 25 September, 2009) will also feature a conference on Napoleon and the United States, which takes place in Rome (Italy) at John Cabot University. The Fondation Napoléon will be represented at both these events by its International Relations Manager, Peter Hicks.
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HISTORY UPDATES
Institute of Historical Research: Digital Libraries
The Institute of Historical Research has an interesting series of reviews of a number of different e-libraries now available online. The reviews not only consider the various digital libraries and their services, but also e-texts in general, the advent of mobile e-text readers, and the effect that these technological changes have had on the publishing industry.
Centre des Archives diplomatiques
The Diplomatic Archives centre was recently reopened by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner after its move to La Courneauve, to the north of Paris. The newly built site is open to the public and includes a 200-place study area.
Archives nationales
The first stone of the new Archives nationales building was laid on Friday 11 September, 2009, by French Prime Minister François Fillon and Minister for Culture and Communication, Frédéric Mitterrand.
Corunna names a street after Napoleon Bonaparte
This summer saw officials in Corunna (Spain) name a street after the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Visitors to the city can also now walk down streets dedicated to the French Revolution, "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" and the Encyclopédie Française.
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NAPOLEONICA. LA REVUE
Issue n° 5
Our first selection from issue n° 5 of Napoleonica. La Revue is Michael Broers' article "A turner thesis for Europe? The frontier in Napoleonic Europe", which discusses the idea of frontiers in the Napoleonic Empire. The article is available for 7 €; alternatively, an annual subscription can be purchased for 60 €.
200 YEARS AGO
The 1809 campaign: Austrian intransigence to the end...
With the Walcheren problem largely settled, Napoleon once again turned his mind to the peace treaty between the Austria and France. Having agreed the armistice immediately after the Battle of Znaïm on 11 July, 1809, negotiations were pursued by the French Foreign Minister Champagny with Austrian minister Metternich. After initially envisaging (immediately post-Wagram) the removal of the House of Habsburg from the Austrian throne, Napoleon decided rather to demand the retention of the huge swathes of Austrian territory still under French control following the campaign (the principle of uti possidetis, Latin for "the land you occupy now"). Cessions of "four or five million inhabitants" [Letter from Napoleon to Champagny dated 22 August, 1809, n° 15700] were demanded. However, a few weeks later, when little progress had been made, Napoleon lowered his sights slightly:
"I would consent to Austria bearing a loss equal to that which she experienced at Pressburg; three or four million of the population [|is all that I require]." [Letter from Napoleon to Champagny dated 15 September, 1809, n° 15816]
This was further reduced in a letter to Francis II, the Austrian Emperor, on the same day:
"I am prepared to make peace with Your Majesty, in settling for cessions on the Inn frontier and that of Italy equivalent to 1,600,000 individuals, and the cession of less than half of Galicia to the King of Saxony and to the Emperor of Russia. It will not escape Your Majesty that, of this sacrifice of three million and a few hundred thousand individuals that I propose, I reserve for myself only what is necessary to link Dalmatia with my other Italian states and that I am able to ensure that nothing untoward happens regarding the interests of my people." [Letter from Napoleon to Francis II dated 15 September, 1809, n° 15823]
Another week passed, Austria had not budged and Napoleon, in his note to Champagny which was destined for the Austrian Emperor, could barely hide his displeasure at the Austrian plenipotentiaries, this time threatening violence:
"The Austrian plenipotentiaries continue to risk the resumption of hostilities; this language is nothing less than peaceful, and the future will prove, just as experience has proved more than once, to whom such renewals will be fateful. Never have there been negotiations so lacking in dexterity, conciliatory spirit and amenity." [Letter from Napoleon to Champagny dated 22 September, 1809, n° 15835]
Despite the French Emperor's threats, negotiations dragged on into the second week of October, until the treaty finally received the sovereigns' signatures on 14 October, 1809, over three months after the armistice.
150 YEARS AGO
The Aigle and "yachting"
On 19 September, 1859, the imperial couple, sojourning in Biarritz, made an excursion on board the Aigle, the new imperial yacht which had been "constructed with all the perfections of the modern day" according to the Moniteur universel from 21 September, 1859.
At the advent of the Second Empire, "yachting", originally a Dutch tradition but developed to a great extent by England, was at its height. The good relations between England and France allowed Napoleon III to obtain the plans for some of the crown's most developed pleasure boats. However, it was only after the meeting between Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the French imperial couple on the Isle of Wight in August 1857, that Napoleon ordered the construction of a magnificent yacht, worthy of his dynasty. The project was conferred on a well-known engineer: Dupuy de Lôme. Launched on 23 December, 1858, but only commissioned on 12 September, 1859, the ship proved to be a disappointment for Napoleon due to its lack of speed, as the captain, de La Roncière Le Noury, remarked: "He barely spoke to me of his yacht, the Aigle, a failure that appears to have affected him deeply."
It was aboard the Aigle that the Emperor journeyed to Algeria in 1860 and, later on in 1869, the Empress was to complete the inauguration of the Suez Canal on the same yacht. Images and photos of the yacht are online and form part of napoleon.org's special dossier on the Suez Canal.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 509, 18 – 24 September, 2009
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 opening times:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 1pm-6pm
Thursday: 10am-3pm
(Closed Friday)
The library will be closed exceptionally on Wednesday 23 September, and Tuesday 29 September, 2009.
THE MAGAZINE
Book of the month (English)
- Napoleon's Poisoned Chalice, by Dr. Martin Howard
Book of the month (French)
- Napoléon, une enfance corse, by Michel Vergé-Franceschi
Press review
- Institute of Historical Research: Digital Libraries
- Walcheren commemorative t-shirts available
Fondation Napoléon study grants
- Candidates wishing to apply for a Fondation Napoléon study grant for 2009 can find further information and download the application form here.
WHAT'S ON
Conferences
- Napoleon and the United States, Rome (Italy), 25 September, 2009
- Napoleon, the Empire and the heritage of the Enlightenment, Ferny-Voltaire and Divonne-les-Bains (France & Switzerland), 9 - 10 October, 2009
- Reworking the Regency, Melbourne (Australia), 2 - 3 October, 2009
- Napoleonic Association Conference 2009, Southampton (UK), 10 October, 2009
- Clark Symposium: Is Paris still the Capital of the Nineteenth Century?, Williamstown (USA), 30 - 31 October, 2009
- Australian Napoleonic Congress, Goulburn (Australia), 31 October - 1 November, 2009
- Naval Dockyards Society Thirteenth Annual Conference, Portsmouth (UK), 7 November, 2009
- Wellington Congress 2010, Southampton (UK), 8 - 11 July, 2010
Commemorations
- Bicentenary of the Illyrian Provinces
- Charles Darwin 2009
Festivals
- European Heritage Week, Various (Europe), 10 - 20 September, 2009
- Centro Romano di Studi Napoleonici Napoleonic Week, Rome (Italy), 22 - 24 September, 2009
- Napoleon Festival 2009, Sarzana (Italy), 24 - 27 September, 2009
Auctions
- Baldwin's Auctions: Auction n° 63, Orders, Decorations and Military Medals, Commemorative Medals, Indian Coins, London (UK), 30 September, 2009
Exhibitions
- "Coup de crayon à l'Empire", Waterloo, Belgium [23/09/2009 - 10/01/2010]
Full details
- "Napoleon: Emperor of the French", Dublin, Ireland [18/06/2009 - 01/11/2009]
Full details
- "'Paris photographed during Haussmann's time': portrait of a city undergoing transformation", Paris, France [01/09/2009 - 27/09/2009]
Full details
- "Jean Lannes, Maréchal of France, national hero", Lectoure & Valence-sur-Baïse, France [14/07/09 - 20/09/09]
Full details
- "In the Footsteps of Charles Darwin at the Jardin Botanique de Paris", Paris, France [29/05/2009 - 01/11/2009]
Full details
- "The Description of Egypt", Paris, France [17/06/09 - 21/09/09]
Full details
- "Napoleon says: Illyria arise!", Ljubljana, Slovenia [12/05/2009 - 31/10/2009]
Full details
- "Napoléon", Anaheim, USA [11/10/2009 - 08/01/2010]
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
- "Napoleon and Corsica", Corte, France [20/06/2009 - 30/12/2009]
Full details
- "Napoleon, Commander, Emperor and Genius", Schallaburg, Germany [16/05/2009 - 01/11/2009]
Full details
- "With Napoleon in Egypt: the Drawings of Jean-Baptiste Lepère", Cologne, Germany [02/10/2009 - 10/01/2010]
Full details
- "Ben Weider Collection at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts", Montreal, Canada [Permanent]
Full details
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