| |
| |
THE FONDATION NAPOLEON HISTORY PRIZES AND GRAND PRIX
For 2010, the Fondation Napoléon's annual History Prizes for works of history on the two French empires have been awarded to the following authors:
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
FIRST EMPIRE PRIZE 2010
Napoléon et Joseph Bonaparte : Le pouvoir et l'ambition, by Vincent Haegele
A complex character, unfulfilled in his military career, and frequently misunderstood, the image of Joseph Bonaparte often pales in comparison with the legend that surrounds his younger brother, Napoleon. Nicknamed the "casual king" and portrayed as lazy, the "meilleur des frères" comes across as a weak individual who accepted the crowns "snatched away from two legitimate foreign families". However, the French emperor's elder brother was to prove a pillar of the new regime introduced after the 18 brumaire coup d'état. Appointed king of Naples (and subsequently Spain), Joseph strove - fruitlessly it would prove - to combine the principle of familial solidarity with his own ideas regarding power. Unable to handle the fermenting tensions between him and the master of Europe, he transformed gradually into a determined opponent. It is this complex and, at times, violent relationship shared by the king and the emperor that this work explores. Using personal archives and a rich reserve of correspondence, Vincent Haegele investigates their upbringing, their development during the Revolution, the Neapolitan experiment and the Spanish failure, as well as the dark days of the French campaign. Analysing the ties that bound Joseph and Napoleon Bonaparte, this work is a fascinating history of two brothers whose lives were intimately intertwined with France's fate at the turn of the 19th century.
|
|
|
| |
SECOND EMPIRE PRIZE 2010
Le Style Second Empire, by Gabriel Badea-Päun
Visiting the Opera House during its construction phase, the French empress Eugenie took it upon herself to interrogate Charles Garnier on the historical inspiration behind the building's décor: "But what is the style? It's not classical, it's not mediaeval, it's not Renaissance." "It is Second Empire, Ma'am," replied the architect. The rest of this dialogue - whether real or imagined - is not reported but we can be reasonably certain that it would have given the sovereign much food for thought. This new aesthetic - governed by the principle of eclecticism - was to constitute a individual style all of its own, one of complexity, subtlety and incredible creativity. Not only did it take its inspiration from all that had gone before - prioritising no single historical movement in particular - but it succeeded in renewing it at the same time. An artistic and decorative historicism, the style embraced various different stylistic references, combining multiple sources - both historical (ranging from the Renaissance to the end of the 18th century) and geographical (most notably oriental) -, techniques and materials to produce an often troubling polyphony. And within this eclecticism of Second Empire style stood the recurring principle of comfort and not a little solemnity.
This highly original book throws open to its readers the doors of the palace salons and private townhouses - including the Palais des Tuileries, the châteaux at Compiègne, Saint-Cloud and Pierrefonds, the Rothschild family's château at Ferrière, and Waddesdon Manor - which contributed to the splendour of the Second Empire and its international reputation. The work explores the birth and development of a new "art de vivre" which provided the spiritual basis for modern-day residences.
|
|
|
| |
PRIZE FOR A NON-FRANCOPHONE WORK 2010
Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814, by Dominic Lieven
This book tells the story of one of the most astonishing dramas in Europe's history. In the summer of 1812 after years of uneasy peace, Napoleon, the master of almost the whole continent, marched into Russia with the largest army ever assembled, confident that he would sweep everything before him. Less than two years later the Russian army was itself marching into Paris and Napoleon's empire lay in ruins.
Using an array of new, rare and surprising sources, Dominic Lieven writes with great panache and insight to describe from the Russians' viewpoint how they went from retreat, defeat and the burning of Moscow to becoming the new liberators of Europe. He conveys the savagery and valour of the fighting (including such huge set-pieces as the Battle of Leipzig), the often tense diplomacy that held together the Allied coalition against Napoleon and the astonishing feats of supply which allowed the Russian army to cut its way across Europe. The consequences of these events could not have been more important: after a whole generation of fighting, Europe (except for the brief coda of Waterloo) was at peace and France's global pretensions at an end. But the great winners, Britain and Russia, now presented new nightmares for the rest of the world.
Much more than just battlefield history, Russia Against Napoleon is also the story of how Russia's home front was mobilised against Napoleon and how much the Russian people suffered in pursuit of victory. It is too the story of one of the most successful espionage operations in history. Ultimately this book shows, memorably and brilliantly, Russia embarking on its strange, central role in Europe's existence, as both threat and protector - a role that continues, in all its complexity, into our own lifetimes.
|
|
|
| |
RESEARCH GRANTS 2010
Every year, study grants are awarded to students beginning PhDs on First or Second Empire subjects. This year the following research projects have been supported:
First Empire
- "Bonald homme politique : de la métaphysique à l'action. Une étude sur l'oeuvre du parlementaire de Bonald et sa place dans la vie politique française de la veille de la Révolution à la Monarchie de Juillet", by Flavien Alexandre Betran de Balanda
PhD thesis supervised by Jacques Olivier Boudon, Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV
- "Marguerite Gérard et la peinture de genre en France de la fin des années 1770 aux années 1820", by Carole Blumenfeld
PhD thesis supervised by Patrick Michel, Université de Lille III - Charles de Gaulle
- "La politique étrangère du Royaume de Naples dans le système impérial napoléonien. Les dernières années du royaume", by Nicoletta Marini d'Armenia
PhD thesis supervised by Luigi Mascilli Migliorini, Université de Naples "L'Orientale"
- "Les correspondants de la Banque de France (1800-1820). Etude sur l'activité de l'institut d'émission en province et à l'étranger au début du XIXe siècle", by Emmanuel Prunaux
PhD thesis supervised by Patrice Guéniffey, Ecole des hautes études en Sciences sociales
- "Les chasses des souverains en France 1804-1830", by Charles-Eloi Vial
PhD thesis supervised by Jacques Olivier Boudon, Université Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Fondation Napoléon History Prizes, the fruit of the generosity of the industrialist, Martial Lapeyre, are awarded by a jury composed of the following specialists:
• V.-A. Masséna, Prince d'Essling (President)
• Jean-Claude Lachnitt (Secretary general)
• Professor Jacques-Olivier Boudon
• Prince Gabriel de Broglie, Chancelier of the Institut, member of the Académie française
• Jean Favier, of the Institut
• Professor Bruno Foucart
• Jacques Jourquin
• Dr Jean-François Lemaire
• Anne Muratori-Philip
• Jean-Marie Rouart, of the Académie française
• Laurent Theis, historian and publisher
• Professor Jean Tulard, of the Institut
Click here for the previous winners.
Furthermore, the same jury awards at least six research grants worth 7,500 Euros to French or non-French students in the first year of their PhD (or MPhil intending to go on to PhD) on First or Second Empire subjects.
Click here for the previous research grant winners.
Where are they now? An update on the careers of some of our research grant winners (in French).
For further information regarding the Fondation Napoléon History Prizes and Research Grants, please contact us.
|
|
