Today in French History: Napoleon becomes Emperor

But which one?  Well, both of them, in a manner of speaking.

David, Jacques-Louis, c. 1805. Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Josephine in Notre-Dame de Paris, December 2, 1804.

On a cold December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned or, more rightly crowned himself, Emperor of the French. He did it amid much pomp and circumstance at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris – his choice – not at the Cathedral of Reims, the traditional location for royal coronations.  Although then Pope Pius VII was in attendance, he merely blessed the crown and other regalia.  Then, returning them to the altar from whence they came, he took his seat. That was Napoleon’s cue to advance on the now blessed replica of the Charlemagne crown (the original having been destroyed during the Revolution), which he placed briefly upon his own head, then touched it to the head of his empress, Josephine.  The crown of choice for the first Emperor of the French was a laurel wreath made of gold, the likes of which were worn by Roman Emperors.

 Ingres, Jean Auguste Dominuque. Napoleon on his Imperial throne, 1806Exactly 47 years later to the day, on December 2, 1851, the nephew of Napoleon I, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, engineered a coup d’état that brought an abrupt end to the 2^nd French Republic and National Assembly.  Shortly thereafter, in 1852, he re-established the French Empire that had fallen with the capture and life-long imprisonment of his uncle in 1814 and 1815 and took the name, Napoleon III.  Being a modern Emperor, however, he opted to neither have a coronation nor wear a crown.  But he did have one specially made for his empress, Eugenie.

December 2 is also the date of Napoleon I’s victory over the Russo-Austrian army at Austerlitz, in Moravia (present day Czech Republic), which brought an end to the Holy Roman Empire.



La Rentrée 2010

September marks the return to everyday life here in France. La rentrée is an event so busy and fraught with anxiety, long lines, and bad traffic that we require a full five weeks of les vacances just to prepare for it!

This past week, for la rentrée scolaire, French children sported new backpacks and rejoined their classmates at schools all over the nation.  Compulsory education in France from ages six to sixteen dates back to the days of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.  He was the first leader of the French to promote a state system of public education, from primary school to the University of France, which he founded. 

Under Napoleon, education was managed by the state, rather than by the church as in pre-revolutionary times.  Mandatory public education served a dual role for the Emperor: it provided him with officials capable of administering his laws as well as officers capable of managing his army.  In Napoleon’s schools, young men were taught the importance of obedience and authority; while women, whom Napoleon believed were destined only for marriage, received religious instruction. 

Indeed, it wasn’t until the statesmen and ardent republican, Jules Ferry, became Minister of Education in the 1880s that girls joined boys in his completely secularized Ecole Républicaine.  But other than the inclusion of both sexes in the schools as well as the removal of religion, the Napoleonic educational system is little changed today: it remains strictly centralized with curricular and academic standards set by the Ministry of Education and applied nationwide.  It is said that on any Tuesday at 2:30 you will know exactly what French children of any age will be studying anywhere in the country, and how they will be studying it.   

This school year, consider giving your collégien (middle school student) or lycéen (high school student) a highly contextualized and ludique (engaging) view of the history of the French Revolution with the Time Traveler Tours’ prototype app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch:

Beware Madame la Guillotine

Coming soon!