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THE 'OTHER' IN HISTORY
This week's editorial in the bulletin on the French side of napoleon.org is a (good-natured, it must be said) rant about how a certain French quality magazine Le Point has a special on Napoleon which takes no account of the scholarship of the last twenty or thirty years in France, let alone in the rest of the world. It may perhaps surprise some readers of this bulletin to know that Napoleon is not universally appreciated in France and that it is possible to read articles which propose the typical features of the Napoleonic black legend as frequently within the Hexagon as without. Journalists, it is true, tend to work quickly to tight deadlines, but there is no excuse for headlining stories about Napoleon which re-heat the ultra-writing of two-hundred years ago. But all is not lost. Thierry Lentz draws in the end a positive note: there's plenty of work left for historians to do. In another place, (in fact the British history magazine, History Today) there's another rant – by the editor of the magazine, Paul Lay. His bugbear is current trends in British history teaching, notably a concern for 'relevance'. He rightly takes issues with the inane conclusion of one British secondary school teacher that for history to attract pupils it must be relevant, and that pupils in the far north of the country could not possibly be interested in the great fire of London, for example. He goes on to assert that it is precisely because history speaks of 'the other' that it fascinates and bewitches. Two different countries, both passionate for interesting, compelling history. History must be well researched and carefully written, it must stimulate and fascinate. There's plenty of work still left to do. Enjoy your read here on napoleon.org.
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BOOK OF THE MONTH
Napoleon's Tomb, by Céline Gautier
On 15 December 1840, the Mortal Remains of Napoleon I were interred under the Dome of Les Invalides, after twenty years on the island of St Helena. Now it was necessary to build a tomb worthy of the great man. But why was he interred at Les Invalides? How was the architect Visconti chosen to build the final sepulchre? Why did it take two decades? These questions and many more are discussed and answered in this work from Céline Gautier, head of communication at the Musée de l'Armée. The reader is introduced to all the main characters involved, and is taken through the entire building project, from the decision to inter the Emperor in France taken by King Louis-Philippe through to the transfer of the remains into the monumental sarcophagus. The guide is richly illustrated and includes a detailed map of the famous domed church.
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WHAT'S ON
"Alexandre Cabanel: la tradition du beau", Montpelier, France
The Musée Fabre continues its exploration of the major artistic trends that have contributed to the birth of modern art with its exhibition "Alexandre Cabanel, la tradition du beau". This is the first retrospective to be held dedicated primarily to the work of Alexandre Cabanel, one of the most popular and celebrated artists of his time. The organisers have assembled paintings, photographs, sculptures and cinema excerpts in order to reconstruct the vibrant 19th century in which Cabanel lived, a time devoted to the cult of the precious and the beautiful. Alongside the principal character of Alexandre Cabanel, the great masters of the classical tradition and their work are also highlighted. After closing in Montpelier, the exhibition will transfer to the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, in Köln, Germany, where it will be on display between 4 February and 15 May, 2011.
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English Heritage Open Days 2010
Heritage Open Days (9 - 12 September, 2010) celebrate England's fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. Every year on four days in September, buildings of every age, style and function throw open their doors, ranging from castles to factories, town halls to tithe barns, parish churches to Buddhist temples. Napoleon.org presents here a selection of Napoleonic-themed events and visits, all of which offer free entry and participation. Sites include the Royal Armouries at Fort Nelson (Hampshire), the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum (Gloucester) and the Nelson Museum (Great Yarmouth).
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NAPOLEON.ORG
New quiz: The major reforms of the Consulate and the Empire
It's back to school for many, back to work for others, and back in the saddle for us here at the Fondation Napoléon. And to celebrate, we have prepared a new quiz to get those minds working after all those weeks off and to test your knowledge of French administration. Many of the reforms introduced during the Consulate and Empire periods survive today in their respective modern-day French institutions. All the answers to the quiz can be found in the numerous articles and timelines located in our History of the Two Empires section.
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PRESS REVIEW
First Empire magazine and book reviews
The latest issue of First Empire (n° 114) magazine is out now and includes articles on the Battle of Algeciras Bay, the attack of D'Erlon's 1e corps at Waterloo, and "The Frasnes Letter" and its aftermath.
Elsewhere, a number of book reviews have appeared in the press in the last few weeks: The Spectator (UK) takes a look at Holger Hoock's Empires of the Imagination, whilst the Institute of Historical Research (UK) offers up a review of Health and Medicine at Sea, 1700-1900, edited by David Boyd Hancock and Sally Archer.
FONDATION NAPOLEON HISTORY RESEARCH GRANTS
Studying Napoleonic history?
The Fondation Napoléon study grants are open to both French and non-French students in their first year of their PhD (or MPhil with the intention of continuing on to PhD) who are studying a First or Second Empire subject. The deadline for applications for this year's grants is 30 September: further information, including the application form and application requirements, can be downloaded from napoleon.org.
200 YEARS AGO
Portugal: Massena is forced to wait
As Almeida surrendered on 28 August, 1810 (see bulletin n° 550), Wellington and his army were posted along the line between Guarda and Celorico. There, they prepared to retreat further should Masséna advance directly on their position once he had finished with Almeida. The French maréchal's initial movements suggested that this would indeed be the case: on 2 September, he pushed on through the British cavalry outposts to Maçal do Chão, a few miles north of Celorico. Wellington's immediate reaction was to withdraw his infantry towards Pinhanços.
But having captured Almeida, Masséna was obliged to wait and gather resources and food for his army. The British had practised a policy of devastation during their retreat and with Portuguese irregulars mopping up any French stragglers in the area, Masséna explained to Berthier that fifteen to twenty days rations would be necessary before the army could possibly advance. Administrative difficulties in organising the provisions further delayed the advance. The order to move out was finally given on 15 September, and Ney and Junot broke camp at Almeida.
150 YEARS AGO
The Chinese expedition: the Chinese continue their delaying tactics
With the allied expeditionary force having captured and secured the Pei Ho (today the Hai River) in preparation for the advance on towards Peking (Beijing) (see bulletin n° 550), Franco-British troops sailed up the river and arrived in Tien-tsin (Tianjin), which had been emptied of Chinese troops who had withdrawn to Peking, on 31 August. Prior to their arrival in Tien-tsin, two Chinese plenipotentiaries had arrived to open peace negotiations (based on the same articles as the Treaty of Tientsin from 1858) but these negotiations broke down on 7 September after it transpired that the Chinese ambassadors did not have the capacity to engage with the imperial court. The "peace discussions" proved to be merely a delaying tactic to allow the Chinese emperor to organise the defence of Peking. Refusing to hold back the advance any further, the combined allied forces departed Tien-tsin on 9, 10 and 11 September.
Keep an eye on napoleon.org for our new close-up on: the Chinese expedition which will appear in the next couple of weeks.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 551, 3 - 9 September, 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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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:
In 1863, 900,000 children of school age were still not attending school.
MAGAZINE
Just published
- Napoleon's Tomb, by Céline Gautier
Press review
- History Today September 2010
- The Napoleonic Historical Society Newsletter July-August 2010
- Book review: "The Clapham Sect: How Wilberforce's Circle Transformed Britain"
- Napoleonic Scholarship issue n° 3 May 2010
- First Empire, issue n° 114, September/October 2010
- The Spectator book review: "Empires of the Imagination"
- Book review: "Health and Medicine at Sea, 1700-1900"
EVENTS
On now and coming up
A selection of events taking place now or in the coming weeks, taken from our What's on listings.
Exhibitions
- "Alexandre Cabanel: la tradition du beau", Montpelier, France [10/07/2010 - 05/12/2010]
Full details
Open days
- English Heritage Open Days 2010, England, UK [09/09/2010 - 12/09/2010]
Full details
Visits
- Souvenir Napoléonien Louis Bonaparte trip to the Netherlands, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [20/09/2010 - 24/09/2010]
- Souvenir Napoléonien St Helena trip, Jamestown, St Helena [30/05/2011 - 19/06/2011]
NAPOLEON.ORG
The best of the month:
- Book of the month
- Painting of the month
- Objet d'Art of the month
- Article of the month
NAPOLEONICA.LA REVUE
Available free on Cairn.info
NAPOLEONICA ARCHIVES ONLINE
THE BIBLIOTHÈQUE MARTIAL-LAPEYRE FONDATION NAPOLEON LIBRARY
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Autumn opening hours
Situated at 148 boulevard Haussmann, 75008 Paris, the library is open on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 1pm – 6pm, and Thursday 10am - 3pm.
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Contact
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