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THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (TWICE)
Owing to technical issues, we were unable to deliver our weekly newsletters last Friday - or indeed the Friday before that. During these weeks, napoleon.org was hit by a viral "attack", knocking a number of its services offline and forcing us to shutdown and repair the damage. For this temporary interruption to our programme – entirely beyond our control, we might add – we apologise. Your site has been completely cleaned up and is now, we're sure you'll find, fighting fit and raring to go. The troops were mobilised. We formed up into an infantry square and, standing firm to the shock, we succeeded in repelling the enemy, chasing it down, and - let us hope - eliminating it once and for all.
And now, the Empire strikes back with this, a double letter.
The very best Napoleonic week to you all,
Thierry Lentz
Director, Fondation Napoléon
Commemorative mass in honour of the Baron Gourgaud
A commemorative mass in honour of the Baron Gourgaud (1922-2010), honorary president and founder of the Fondation Napoléon, will be celebrated on Monday 18 October, 2010, at 10.30am. The ceremony will take place in the Saint-Louis des Invalides cathedral and is open to members of the public. All those wishing to attend are required to arrive before 10.15am.
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THIS MONTH'S PAINTING
Madame R. or Rachel in the role of Camille, by Alexandre CABANEL
Of all the legendary figures of French theatre, Rachel remains one of the most fascinating. And as a 'femme libre' with a tumultuous private life, Rachel chose her lovers from amongst the highest in political life, notably: the Prince de Joinville, son of Louis-Philippe; the Prince Louis-Napoléon, future Napoleon III. It was in the role in which she made her debut, and in which she triumphed on the stage of the Théâtre Français, that of Camille in Corneille's "Horace", which the fashionable Second-Empire portrait painter, Edouard-Louis Dubufe, chose to paint her in 1850.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
The War that Changed the World, by John-Allen Price
The Franco-Prussian War is often a forgotten war, its significance lost amidst larger conflicts such as the Napoleonic Wars and World War I. But, whilst it lasted less than a year, its aftermath would shape the course of history for decades to come. In this comprehensive account, John-Allen Price explores how this short but far-reaching war came to be, bringing the men who shaped history to life. Price examines the Franco-Prussian War and its world, from the seeds of the war in the Age of Napoleon to the Paris Commune, and the aftershocks that led to a century of slaughter, a war to end all wars, and an even greater war after that.
And on the French side, we have Jean-Claude Gillet's recent work, La Marine impériale. Le grand rêve de Napoléon as the new book of the month.
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NAPOLEON.ORG
Close-up on: the Franco-British expedition to China, 1860
The allied expedition to China, launched in 1859 following the Taku Forts incident in June of that year, saw a large British and French force land set sail for China and defeat the imperial Chinese army at the Battle of Baliqiao on 21 September, 1860. The subsequent treaty, the Convention of Peking, was signed in October 1860 and resulted in China being opened up to foreign commerce (including the highly lucrative opium trade) and a western diplomatic presence within its territories. The Qing Empire was also forced to make huge indemnity payments to both France and Britain. The expedition is famous for the burning of the Summer Palaces, an act ordered by the allied command in retaliation for the torture and execution of a number of French, British and Indian envoys and private individuals.
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NAPOLEONIC NEWS
The reopening of the BHdV, Paris
Renamed the Bibliothèque de l'Hôtel de Ville (BHdV), the library formerly known as the Bibliothèque administrative de Paris has undergone three years of work and renovation. On 16 September, Bertrand Delanoë was present for the library's reopening ceremony, during which a plaque commemorating the philanthropist Alexandre Vattemare (1796-1864) was unveiled. The BHdV, which is now open to the public, had been closed for three years for improvements to access and the installation of fire safety precautions (the original library burnt down during the fire that consumed the Hôtel de Ville in 1871). The library's collections cover administrative science and its history, law, economy, finance and social sciences, as well as works on Paris and the local area.
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WHAT'S ON
For Honour & Glory: treasures of Napoleon, Antwerp, Belgium
In 2010 it will be exactly two centuries since Napoleon and his second wife Marie-Louise came ashore at the city of Antwerp. The Antwerp Diamond Museum sees this as the perfect opportunity to mount a special exhibition displaying the pomp and splendour of Napoleon's jewellery. Highlights of the exhibition include brilliant parures, tiaras, rings, watches, luxury swords and a unique collection of badges of honour and "tabatières" or snuffboxes set with diamonds and other gems. Immerse yourself in a world of diamonds, coloured stones and other extraordinary materials like turtle, nacre, shell and coral!
RECENTLY PUBLISHED
The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon, by Jeremy Black
The war of 1812 is etched into American memory with the burning of the Capitol and the White House by British forces, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the decisive naval battle of New Orleans. In The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon, Jeremy Black provides an account of the war framed within a wider political and economic context than most American historians have previously considered. In his examination of diplomatic and military events, Black especially focuses on the actions of the British, for whom the conflict was, he argues, a mere distraction from the Napoleonic War in Europe. He offers new insights into the war in the West, amphibious operations, the effects of the British blockade, and how the conflict fit into British global strategy.
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200 YEARS AGO
Portugal: from Buçaco to the Lines of Torres Vedras
By the night of 25 September, with Masséna's troops arriving amongst the wooded foothills at the base of the ridge, nearly 40,000 Anglo-Portuguese troops were assembled around the heights of Buçaco.
The morning of 26 September, a large part of Wellington's army was stationed on the reverse slope of the Buçaco heights, which, coupled with that morning's thick fog, made it difficult for the French to discern allied army's position. Masséna's plan was thus: Reynier (on the French army's left) would climb the heights in advance of San Antonio de Cantaro, break the British line and, once on top of the ridge, sweep round on the troops stationed at the convent. Once Reynier had made it to the top, Ney, positioned further north (on the French right), would then launch his attack, with Junot offering his troops as reinforcements where required.
As the fog lifted on the morning of the battle (27 September) Reynier's troops advanced with difficulty through thickly wooded and steep terrain suffering heavy losses as each of his attacks was repelled by the British forces stationed on the slopes. Ney's forces fared little better. Although Loison's division made some initial headway against Craufurd stationed just below the convent, it was eventually overwhelmed by English troops and, despite a brave resistance, also suffered heavy losses. By the evening, Masséna recorded the French losses at 4,486, including 225 officers killed, wounded or taken prisoner. Merle and Foy were both severely wounded. The British losses numbered 1,252 in total, of which 200 were killed, 1,001 were wounded and 51 were missing.
Early on the following day, Masséna dispatched reconnaissance troops to try to find a route to outflank the allied army. When he discovered such a route (passing from Mortágua around the Buçaco ridge, via Aveleira and a small village called Boialvo [today Vale do Boi] and onwards to Sardão), Masséna retired from the foot of the ridge and directed his troops there, hoping to cut Wellington off. Wellington, rather than advancing to meet this movement from Boialvo, gave orders to retreat from the Buçaco heights and to retire on Coimbra. Before dawn on 29 September, the Buçaco position was deserted. Wellington was still looking to the Lines of Torres Vedras as his principal plan of action.
The order to evacuate the town of Coimbra had been given at the end of September, but Portuguese civilians were still streaming out when the French arrived on 1 October. In the end, the French army spent only two days in the town: Masséna, unaware of the Lines of Torres Vedras, was still intent on chasing down Wellington.
On 6 October, Masséna finally learned of the existence of the Lines of Torres Vedras, though not of their extent. With both sides engaging in significant pillaging, army order was a problem for the French and British commander alike. However, the British forces managed to maintain their two-day lead on the French, and most of troops reached the haven of the Lines of Torres Vedras on 9 October.
On 11 October, the majority of the French army moved up towards the Lines. Despite significant skirmishes between the two opposing forces, Masséna could make no headway. Holding a council of war with his generals on the night of 14 October, the marshal ordered to begin preparations for the French troops to bed in just in front of the lines, in the hope that reinforcements would arrive from Old Castile and Andalusia.
Wellington's victory at Buçaco had indeed slowed Masséna down, but most importantly it had given the struggling administration at home a victory to trumpet at a time of gloom. And it was a victory that would also encourage parliament not to abandon the (albeit expensive, and far from unanimously supported) struggle in the Iberian peninsula.
150 YEARS AGO
The Chinese expedition: peace & pillage
Emperor Xianfeng fled Peking, leaving his brother, Prince Kong, in charge of peace negotiations. The allies received reinforcements and the advance on the Chinese capital was restrained and careful. On 5 October, they bivouacked about five kilometres from the city walls. On 6 October, learning that a detachment of Chinese cavalry had withdrawn to the Summer Palace, the allied troops advanced on the position. A number of skirmishes took place following the allies' entry into the palace grounds, and the next morning, the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace were pillaged of their fabulous riches. Referred to euphemistically in the official French campaign report as "the collection of curiosities of the most precious nature", the stated intention of the organised looting was to gather together the most impressive objects ready to be dispatched back to Britain and France. Whilst cases upon cases of jewels, stones and precious objects were sent back to Europe, the Chinese emperor's private stash of gold and silver ingots - totalling about 800,000 francs - was divided up amongst the men. On the night of 6 October, the pillage spilled over and became more violent as Chinese looters also stole into the grounds and made off with some of the takings.
See our new close-up on: the Franco-British expedition to China, 1860 for more details about the expedition, the military actions and the sack and burning of the Summer Palace.
Wishing you an excellent "Napoleonic" week,
Peter Hicks & Hamish Davey Wright
Historians and web-editors
THE NAPOLEON.ORG BULLETIN, N° 553, 17 - 23 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...
MAGAZINE
Book of the month
The War that Changed the World, by John-Allen Price
Just published
The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon, by Jeremy Black
Press review
The reopening of the Bibliothèque de l'Hôtel de Ville, Paris
Seen on the web
New York Public Library images
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
- For Honour & Glory: treasures of Napoleon, Antwerp, Belgium
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
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.
Online catalogue
Digital Library
Contact
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