'Men like Talleyrand are like sharp-edged instruments with which it is dangerous to play; but for great evils great remedies are necessary, and he who has to treat them ought not to be afraid to use the instrument that cuts the best.'

-Klemens von Metternich

I recently looked at a random sample of 300 conscripts from Napoleon’s army (25e Ligne, nos.6601-6900). All were conscripted in late 1808, in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars.

Shockingly, when the regiment re-enrolled in 1814, not a single man of the 300 remained in the 25e. 1/

I just released our 23rd patrons-only bonus episode. Topics include: political patronage in the revolutionary French army, Andorra during the Peninsular War, and Napoleon's schoolyard bullies. You can get access to all bonus content for just $2/month. patreon.com/posts/dispatch…

The fascination was mutual as illustrated by #Egyptian scholar al-Tahtawi's stay in #France between 1826 and 1831, two decades after #Bonaparte 's expedition. A pioneer of the Arab Enlightenment ( #Nahda ), Tahtawi wrote in his prescient book, The Gold of Paris*, that 'education is

Sword offered to Joachim Murat for his (honorific) role as Grand Admiral of France by his brother in law, a certain Napoleon. Once again a masterpiece by Nicolas Boutet from the Manufacture of Versailles.

You’re the officer of the the watch. You have to make a decision.

226 years ago today, Napoleon and the Army of the Orient left the port of Toulon, bound for Egypt: one of the strangest & bloodiest chapters of the French Revolution had begun. The expedition would ultimately fail, but it had a profound impact on both Europe & the Middle East.

'One must have undertaken many offensive operations to realize how the slightest incident means encouragement or discouragement, brings about one result or another. In warfare, men are nothing, a man is everything.'

-Napoleon Bonaparte

The folks at We're Not So Different podcast were kind enough to have me on to talk about Ridley Scott's 'Napoleon' and Napoleon's role in sweeping away the vestiges of medieval Europe. spreaker.com/episode/napole…

Today is the 271st birthday of Lazare Carnot: a brilliant mathematician, engineer, politician, & military theorist, nicknamed 'the Organizer of Victory' for his work rebuilding & reforming the French army. He served in every revolutionary government and under Napoleon.

Delighted to have been invited to present at the upcoming Napoleonic & Revolutionary War Graves Charity conference in September York St John University
'Diversity in Adversity: Bonaparte's Multicultural Armee d'Orient'
Napoleonic Quarterly The Age of Napoleon Dr Zack White Portsmouth Napoleonic Society

The Age of Napoleon when i was in Paris, a few years ago, i noticed the Church of Saint-Sulpice still had the Cult of Supreme Being writing above the entrance!

'The people recognize the supreme being and the immortality of the soul.'

The Age of Napoleon These benches from the festival are still present in the Tuileries gardens !

230 years ago today, the revolutionary French government, led by Robespierre, established a new religion: the 'Cult of the Supreme Being.' Contrary to popular belief, this was not a form of atheism, but a monotheistic faith, supposedly based on reason.

“After the despotism of his person, we will yet have to suffer the despotism of his memory. This despotism is more domineering than the first, for if we fought Napoleon on the throne, there is a universal acceptance of the irons that, dead, he has cast on us.” — Chateaubriand

203 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile. Many celebrated, many mourned, few would have denied that he was one of the most significant historical figures of the age. He was only 51 and had only ruled France for about 15 years, but his influence is almost incalculable.

Feel like writing a thread today

THE SAXON DUCHIES IN THE CONFEDERATION OF THE RHINE

cc The Age of Napoleon

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We recently covered these events (and their antecedents) in Episode 112: The Way of the Bandit podtrac.com/pts/redirect.m…

216 years ago today, the people of Madrid rose up in a heroic, but doomed rebellion against the French occupiers. Hundreds were massacred. They failed, but their resistance helped inspire the rest of the country to rise up in the coming months.

'The map we are currently using does not show any details, so we really do not know where you are.'
(Berthier to Davout, 8 a.m., 24 June 1812)

Many such cases