Well I'm still tackling Napoleon: A Life by Andrew Roberts, and as always not making enough time to read. Even missing a lot of context (been awhile since studying France) hasn't taken away from this thoroughly enjoyable book. Going forward I'll surely be fascinated by his growing cult of personality and am excited to learn about the coup, the dictator years and the Hundred Days. So far the most interesting tidbit comes from neither Bonaparte's military or administrative genius but his connection to the Louvre museum.
What is there to say about the Louvre? It's the most famous and visited museum in the world. Its collection of art contains tens of thousands of pieces from across the globe and spans recorded human history. It's where the Mona Lisa is displayed. I'm including this post in the 'Travel' category even though we've never been to France. Hopefully someday we'll see the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower (and Normandy). Can't say I want to interact with the Parisians but that'll be hard to avoid.
The history of the Louvre structure is pretty interesting itself, even though that's not the main point here. Sitting in Paris along the river Seine, the building was first a defensive castle built in the 12/13th centuries before expanding into the primary residence of the French kings in the 16th. The Tuileries palace was then built on the grounds, eventually closing off the Louvre courtyard (until it was burned down in 1871). When Louis XIV left for Versailles, the Louvre became a gallery to showcase art owned by the monarchy. During the French Revolution the Tuileries continued to serve as the seat of government while the Louvre officially became a museum.
Here's where we get to Napoleon. Soon after 13 Vendemiaire he was put in charge of the Army of Italy, a major promotion. At the time there were only two French armies in the field, one in Germany ('Army of the Rhine') and one in Italy. He now was the commander in chief of one of these armies at only 26. In these years neither Germany or Italy existed as the nation-states of today. The Holy Roman Empire was still a thing, though really in name only, and both regions were made up of diverse little principalities (small kingdoms, duchies, etc). Republican France and Habsburg Austria were fighting for influence and control over the largely unsettled territory between them.
He won over the generals he'd skipped in line, whipped his army into shape (not literally) and went on the march. The soldiers quickly loved him because he delivered victories and utilized his energy as a young man. They knocked the kingdom of Piedmont out of the war in weeks then took Milan. Eventually the French siege on the fortress of Mantua succeeded and they invaded Habsburg land, forcing a peace. Through and after the action of this war he negotiated directly with the enemy, helped found multiple French-friendly republics and attempted to intimidate the Papacy, going well beyond his purview. His influence in Paris continued to grow, leading the Directory to fear him. You can see where this was going.
Back to the Louvre. The French monarchy prior to the revolution had a few hundred pieces of art. During the revolution more was confiscated from the fleeing upper classes and the Roman Catholic church. When the 'Musée Central des Arts' first opened in 1797 it contained 700 odd pieces. Napoleon then added considerably to the national collection while in Italy. Whether he conquered outright by force or scared the surrounding areas into compliance, he always made sure to get paid. Some hard currency went to his army (also helping morale) with the remainder sent to Paris and the Directory. But that wasn't all he demanded. Time after time Napoleon forced the ruling parties of Italy to hand over their priceless art. There was a great exodus of paintings, sculptures and more (more than 300 during this campaign alone). Considering we're talking about post Renaissance Italy (and the home of the Roman Empire), it was certainly some special stuff. And where did it all go? Mostly to the Louvre, or as it was called during Napoleon's reign, 'Musée Napoléon.'
It didn't stop there either. Napoleon continued to bring home precious artifacts throughout his rule, continuing to add to the prestige of the French collection. Much of the stolen artwork was returned eventually, but by then the museum had its outstanding and world-leading reputation that endures today. That couldn't have happened without Napoleon.
Kommentare