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THIS WEEK'S LETTER...
...is brimming with Napoleonic news, new articles and information on the latest exhibitions and events taking place in the Napoleonic world. Our article of the month is by Peter Hicks and offers readers a snapshot of the political, economic and social situation in Britain in 1809. Next up, we have news of the huge forthcoming re-enactment event which takes place at Waterloo in July. With over 3,000 participants expected plus between 50,000 and 100,000 visitors, it should be pretty special. We also have news of the return of two ceremonial swords which have been returned to France fourteen years after being stolen from Fontainebleau. Further down, we have information on a Ben Weider memorial day (Montreal), an exhibition on the Alpes-Maritimes region and Napoleon III (Nice) and a couple of talks on Napoleonic museum policy (Rome). Finally, at the bottom of the letter you'll find the usual section on events from 200 (continuing the story of Franco-American relations) and 150 years ago (charitable works and violence on the omnibus).
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WHAT'S ON THIS SUMMER
Waterloo 2010: 18, 19 and 20 June, 2010
The battlefield at Waterloo is getting ready to welcome over 3,000 re-enactors from all over the world for its five-yearly re-enactment event. As well as the participants, between 50,000 and 100,000 visitors are expected to turn up over the three-day event, which is expected to be one of the highlights of Belgium's cultural year for 2010. The event will feature a firework battle, in which three world-class pyrotechnicians face off to out-do each other's display, a large-scale reconstructed bivouac (featuring the Emperor's last battlefield headquarters) and a two-hour re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo.
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NAPOLEONIC NEWS
Return of two luxury swords to Fontainebleau
On 20 January, 2010, two luxury swords, commissioned by Jerome Bonaparte, were returned to the Château de Fontainebleau after a fourteen year absence. The ceremonial weapons, commissioned by Jerome Bonaparte, were stolen from Fontainebleau in 1995 during a high-profile burglary. After tireless work from the OCBC and the Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire in Versailles, the items were returned to France in October 2009 and officially handed back to the museum this week.
Click here for a translation of the full press release from the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
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WHAT'S ON
Ben Weider Day, Montreal
Taking place on Friday 5 February, 2010, at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Canada) is a day of Napoleonic talks and film in memory of the Canadian historian and industrialist Ben Weider. The day will include talks from Serge Joyal, Sylvain Pagé and Nathalie Bondil, as well as a screening of Antoine de Caunes' film Monsieur N., (in French) which features Philippe Torreton as the French Emperor.
A Centro Romano di Studi Napoleonici talk: "Napoleonic Museum Policy", Rome
Taking place at the Museo Napoleonico on Friday 5 February, 2010, at 3.30pm, is a fascinating talk by Dr Ilaria Sgarbozza entitled "La politica museale napoleonica" ("Napoleonic museum policy") concerning the importation from France to Italy of the idea of the public museum.
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"Napoleon III et les Alpes-Maritimes", Nice
Running between 30 November, 2009, and 30 June, 2010, and marking the 150th anniversary of the canton of Nice becoming part of France, the Archives départementales are revisiting the event, which saw the creation of the new Alpes-Maritimes region, with an exhibition of about 350 original documents, many of which have never been on show to the public.
200 YEARS AGO
International trade
At the end of 1809 and beginning of 1810, Napoleon turned his attention to finance and to international trade relations, particularly those with the United States. The economic downturn in France (and indeed Europe) at the beginning of 1810 was already beginning to be felt. Simultaneously, the United States was seeking a way to lessen the rigours of the Continental System.
Earlier, in 1809 (after intense lobbying by American merchants), America had abandoned her (counter-productive) total trade embargo, to enact trade restrictions only for Britain and France (the Non-Intercourse Act of 1 March, 1809). Napoleon did not react officially to this act at the time. However, after the victory over Austria at Wagram and at the height of his powers, he wrote to the American minister Armstrong on 21 August, 1809 (Correspondance de Napoléon, n° 15,692, Second Empire edition) and re-opened the debate with the US, saying that he could only revoke the Berlin Decree if Britain dismantled the blockade erected in 1806. Madison replied to Napoleon, asking if it really was Napoleon's only condition. The French emperor did not reply immediately, but nevertheless continued the discussions, not only complaining about the incapacities of the American minister (as in last week's letter) but also with a note to interior minister Montalivet dated 21 December, 1809 justifying French treatment of American shipping (notably seizure of vessels and confiscation of cargo). He was finally to give an answer (indirectly) to Madison's letter on 25 January, 1810, in a note for the American minister in Paris: "The sole condition required for the revocation of H.M. the Emperor's decree, dated from Berlin, is England's prior revocation of its own blockade on France or part of France (such as the coast running from the River Elbe to Brest), of a date anterior to the decree cited above."
Naturally American diplomacy had not limited itself to a campaign in France, for the US had also suffered severely at the hands of the British navy. In fact, US diplomats had already had similar negotiations with Britain in the course of 1809, even with (short-lived) success. The British minister in Washington was unilaterally to postpone the Orders in Council to the delight of American traders, only to have his agreement disavowed by government in London to find himself summarily removed from office. After this failure, in the autumn of 1809 US diplomats made another attempt, this time trying to encourage their British counterparts to agree to revoke the 1806 blockade, hoping thereby to get Napoleon to revoke the Berlin decree. The British government remained obstinate, however.
Discussions with the French were to come to a similar end. Armstrong's conversation with Napoléon was noted and a letter was prepared for the American minister (Correspondance de Napoléon, n° 16,169, Second Empire edition) which mixed threats and justifications of French action towards the US. And on 23 March, 1810, Napoleon was to promulgate the Rambouillet decree which, in retaliation for the Non-Intercourse Act of the previous year, authorised the seizure of all American vessels in imperial or occupied ports and (naturally) put an end to any bilateral talks.
150 YEARS AGO
Mens sana in corpore sano
The Moniteur from 25 January, 1860, reported on the charitable works of Louis Marie de Lahaye de Cormenin, president of the association known as the Oeuvre des bains d'eau chaude à prix réduit (Society for hot water baths at reduced prices), which offered hot baths for working-class children. According to the report published in the paper, "happily, the work continues on its course. More than 32,000 baths have been given this year [1859, ed.] to children in refuges and in primary schools. The neighbourhoods [of Paris, ed.] in which the majority of these baths are being run are the 7th, 8th, 11th and 12th arrondissements.*" The report also noted that after just five years in existence, "there has been a huge change in the children's appearance: they are clean; they have clean underwear; their shoes are in a good state. Before the venture was begun, this was not the case. Children with neither shirts nor stockings and of a repulsive filthiness were not unusual. One of the desired results of this work [...] has been obtained. More care for the children on the parents' part, thus a greater morality within the family." [Moniteur Universel, 25 January, 1860]
Altruistic endeavours grew in France during the Second Empire, spurred on by widespread insalubrious living conditions of the poor (especially in towns) and increasing religious fervour. And not all the organisations were official, as is clear from the above report (although the Oeuvre des bains... was supported by the Préfecture de la Seine).
Cormenin began his career as an auditor in Napoleon I's Conseil d'Etat and remained in politics into the Restoration and July Monarchy periods, during which time he became a liberal député. During the Second Empire, he was made vice-president of the Conseil d'Etat and was recognised for his humanitarian works. On a side note, it is hardly surprising that this article was published in the Moniteur; the editor in chief of the paper was a certain François Louis Justin Eugène de Lahaye Cormenin, his son.
* These arrondissements mentioned in the text do not correspond to the modern-day arrondissements of Paris. See bulletins n°s 515 and 524 for details of the changes made to Paris.
"Unpleasantness on the No. 42"
On Tuesday 24 January, 1860, the Moniteur featured news of a rather unfortunate incident on the Parisian public transport.
"A certain Mr P., wine seller, yesterday ascended to the upper floor of the Line M omnibus which was running between the city tollhouses at la Chopinette [today near Gare de l'Est, 10 arrondissement] and Le Roule [Place des Ternes, 8/17 arrondissement, ed.]. After a few minutes, an individual boarded and sat next to him - a certain Mr G., property contractor - with whom he entered into heated discussion.
These two men began to quarrel and Mr G. gave his adversary a kick of such violence that [the latter] was thrown from the top of the omnibus to the ground. The unfortunate wine seller, who was suffering from a fractured right-leg, received assistance and was taken to St. Louis Hospital." [Moniteur Universel, 24 January, 1860]
You will no doubt be relieved to read that this crime did not go unpunished; the Moniteur closed its piece on the incident by noting that: "Following an investigation carried out by the Police superintendent, Mr G. was apprehended and taken into custody."
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 526, 22 – 28 January, 2010
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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
Winter opening times:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: 1pm-6pm
Thursday: 10am-3pm
(Closed Friday)
FONDATION NAPOLEON ON THE WEB
Each week we offer you a "mystery" link to somewhere on napoleon.org. Click on the link to discover a part of the website you might not have visited before...
Statistic of the week:
By 1811, public participation in the "Loterie Impériale" (the lottery) was worth 64 million francs, 63% of which would go to the winners (about 40 million). This left the state with a profit of about 16.53 million francs, after deduction of running costs, almost double what it was in 1801.
Source: Thierry Lentz (ed.), Quand Napoléon inventait la France, Tallandier, 2008, p.409.
The Fondation Napoléon's triumvirate of Napoleonic websites:
- Napoleon.org
- Napoleonica. La Revue
- Napoleonica. Archives Online
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
Press review
- BBC website: Life on St Helena
- Le Figaro: auction of Josephine documents
EVENTS
On now
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Napoleonic days
- Ben Weider Day at the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Montreal (Canada), 5 February, 2010
Film
- Yves Simoneau's Napoléon at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal (Canada), 7 February, 2010, 10am - 6pm
Exhibitions
- "Mathilde Bonaparte: a princess on the shores of Lac d'Enghien", Enghien-les-Bains, France [15/01/2010 - 15/04/2010]
Full details
- "Napoléon III et les Alpes-Maritimes", Nice, France [30/11/2009 - 30/06/2010]
Full details
- Mito e Bellezzo, Lucca, Italy [06/12/2009 - 07/03/2010]
Full details
- "Coup de crayon à l'Empire", Waterloo, Belgium [23/09/2009 - 17/05/2010]
Full details
Ending soon...
Exhibitions
- At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the 19th Century, Amsterdam, Netherlands [20/06/2009 - 31/01/2010]
Full details
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