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THIS WEEK'S LETTER...
...takes in Napoleonic history in its many different flavours. Our book of the month is Laurence Spring's 1812: Russia's Patriotic War, which looks at Napoleon's Russian Campaign from a Russian perspective and attempts to dispel the myths that continue to shroud this catastrophic moment in the history of Napoleon. Elsewhere, history takes a decidedly social turn as we have a look at the corset during the Second Empire, and Marie-Louise's wedding outfit. 200 years ago is also Austrian in outlook, describing as it does Berthier's meeting with Francis II and the proxy marriage between the Austrian archduchess and Napoleon. Further down you will find information about Napoleonic history of a more interactive nature, in Napoleon: Total War, which allows the player to take charge of Napoleon's brigades and lead France to victory (or indeed defeat). We have a reminder of the Musée de l'Armée's completed renovation project, plus information for the researchers amongst you, with our Digital Resources database update. 150 years ago completes the letter with the latest on the Italian situation.
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BOOK OF THE MONTH
1812: Russia's Patriotic War, by Laurence Spring
Much has been written on Napoleon's ill-fated invasion of Russia, but from the Grande Armee's point of view, their bold crossing of the River Nieman and capture of Moscow, and their eventual destruction by the Russian winter. In 1812: Russia's Patriotic War, Laurence Spring looks at the conflict from a Russian standpoint, using sources from over forty eyewitness accounts, not only from Russians, but from English, French and Americans who were in Russia at the time, most of which have never been printed in English before. These range from Tsar Alexander himself, to diplomats and spies at the Russian Court, generals, and Russian soldiers and serfs who were caught up in the campaign. This book seeks to dispel many myths that surround the campaign...
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NAPOLEON.ORG: FASHION FILES
The return of the stiff corset
The stiff corset, with its low neck to better display the individual's natural "charms", was very popular during the Ancien Régime and into the Consulate, but was abandoned come the First Empire, during which a lighter, more comfortable model, known as the "corset à la Ninon" (1810), was preferred. The stiff corset reappeared around 1816, replacing the looser, more natural First Empire figure, and the fashion for a miniscule waist peaked during the Second Empire. The corset became the essential fashion accessory of the period, arching the back, flattening the stomach and supporting the bust. A woman in a corset could not fail to appear slim and stand tall.
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NAPOLEON.ORG RESEARCH
Digital Resources database
The Digital Resources database on napoleon.org now contains over 3,000 references to articles, texts and commentaries, as well as other documents (including engravings) that are available on the internet. 20 % of these are rare and difficult to find otherwise on the web. The documents have been either scanned or transcribed in their entirety and can be searched using title keywords, author names and language (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Latin). This database is continually being updated and is highly-useful tool for any research task you may have.
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NAPOLEONIC NEWS
Reminder: the Musée de l'Armée reopening
As we mentioned last week, the Musée de l'Armée's ATHENA project has finally come to an end, and the museum will very shortly be open to the public in its entirety. Visitors will be able to take in every wing of the museum, from the early Mediaeval period, complete with fabulous suits of armour and weapons, via the French Revolution and Napoleonic era section, which includes Napoleon's famous grey overcoat, and beyond into the Second Empire period and modern France. The official reopening day is Saturday 20 March, 2010.
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Napoleon: Total War reviews
The PC video game Napoleon: Total War (produced by The Creative Assembly/Sega) has been released, and the internet is now awash with reviews. The majority offer positive write-ups of the strategy game, in which the player is given the chance to step into Napoleon Bonaparte's shoes and fight some of the French Emperor's most famous campaigns (including Egypt, Italy and Austria). The allied forces can also be controlled, and playable battles include Lodi, Trafalgar, the Pyramids and Waterloo. (Image: © The Creative Assembly/Sega)
200 YEARS AGO
Napoleon and Marie-Louise are married by proxy
Having decided on the Austrian archduchess as his bride, and with the two parties in tacit agreement, Napoleon hastily dispatched Berthier, his chief of staff, to Vienna to officially ask for Marie-Louise's hand in marriage. Berthier, who had left on 24 February, 1810, arrived incognito in the Austrian capital on 4 March. The next morning, having met with the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Prince von Metternich, he was presented before the Austrian Emperor and Empress in a grandiose ceremony. The official request was made on 8 March, in a solemn and formal audience with Francis II. The Austrian Emperor, dressed in his field-marshal uniform and wearing the Order of Golden Fleece, received Berthier, who grandly read aloud the official request from Napoleon. Marie-Louise, who was present at the ceremony, gave her consent.
On 9 March, Berthier and Metternich signed a marriage contract which set out Marie-Louise's dowry (the equivalent of 400,000 Francs). She also renounced all claims to the Austrian crown's kingdoms, provinces and territories, as well as 200,000 Florins worth of rings and jewels given to her by the Austrian Emperor. This was offset by 200,000 Écus worth of presents and jewels given to her by Napoleon. Her dower came to a total of 500,000 Francs. Two days later, on 11 March at 5.30pm, Napoleon and Marie-Louise were married by proxy in a religious ceremony. Napoleon was represented by the Archduke Charles. The marriage blessing was delivered in German according to Viennese ritual. On 13 March, at 8am, Marie-Louise left Vienna for Paris, in the company of three-hundred members of her entourage, staggered across eighty-three carriages and wagons, drawn by four-hundred and fifty-four horses.
150 YEARS AGO
The creation of Deauville
The town of Deauville, in Lower Normandy, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year (marked by a two days of talks organised by the Centre de Recherches en histoire du XIXe siècle at the Sorbonne). The fashionable seaside town owes much of its existence to the Duc de Morny, the illegitimate son of Hortense de Beauharnais and her lover, Charles Joseph, comte de Flahaut. He was thus the half-brother of Napoleon III.
Upon a visit to the area, de Morny decided to have built a balneary station and make the area into a fashionable holiday resort for the French upper classes. Seaside resorts had begun to spring up along the French coast in the 1850s (Napoleon III had his villa, named Eugénie, at Biarritz, and Cabourg and Houlgate all appeared around the same time). Between 1860 and 1865, Deauville grew up out the Normandy sands. The railway line arrived from Paris (an extension of the Paris-Lisieux line), a train-station was built, and a gasworks was constructed to light the main streets. By 1864, a casino, racecourse and numerous hotels had been completed and the high society of Paris was flocking to the town for its relaxing and therapeutic spas.
Today, the town is famous for the Deauville-La Touques Racecourse and the surrounding area is one of France's main horse-breeding regions. It also hosts American and Asian film festivals each year.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 532, 5 - 11 March, 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 1860, 1 million corsets were being sold every year in Paris.
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
MAGAZINE
Just published
Press review
- AFP: "hair clippings" from Napoleon found in Sydney Town Hall
- Napoleon: Total War reviewed
EVENTS
On now
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Exhibitions
- "Turner and the masters", Paris, France [24/02/2010 - 24/05/2010]
Full details
- "Charlotte Bonaparte, Dama di molto spirito: the romantic life of a princess artist", Rome, Italy [05/02/2010 - 18/04/2010]
Full details
- "L'Impossible Photographie, prisons parisiennes (1851-2010)", Paris, France [10/02/2010 - 04/07/2010]
Full details
- "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<<
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