The catalogue is published with the support of the Fondation Napoléon.
The CIC as a partner to the Musée de l’Armée.
The CIC has been a key partner to the Musée de l’Armée at the Invalides since 2003, sponsoring temporary exhibitions that highlight subjects which may be little known but are always valuable in deepening our understanding of France’s history. Napoleon the Strategist provides food for thought on the concept of strategy, under Napoleon and in the present day. Napoleon understood the need for a coherent approach combining politics, the economy, finance and communication in order to implement power politics.His extraordinary capacity for organisation as well as that of his staff will be highlighted in the context of his military actions, while the weaknesses that led him to defeat will then be discussed.
The transmission of Napoleonic strategic thinking will also be tackled in order to better understand his legacy. Maps, objects and documents used by Napoleon himself will allow visitors to grasp this abstract concept. Explications and analyses of the campaigns will shed light on the context of the era as well as the skills and resources that both Napoleon and his adversaries could draw on. The CIC is funding an immersive multimedia device and two re-enactment films, one set in Austerlitz, as seen by the victors, the other in Waterloo, and the doubts that surfaced followed by defeat. CIC hopes that, with this support, it can raise public awareness of the major role that strategy plays in our questioning and understanding of the world.
Fondation Napoléon
A recognised public-interest organisation, the Fondation Napoléon seeks to disseminate and enrich the history of the two Empires and to aid with the promotion and conservation of the Napoleonic legacy. These twin goals have been successfully served by the close and long-standing partnership it has established with the Musée de L’Armée. The partnership includes two-way loans for our respective exhibitions, joint scientific research, organisation of historical events, and sponsorship for the museum’s major Napoleonic exhibitions. The Napoleon the Strategist exhibition has brought the two institutions together again to explore a subject that fascinates the public, specialists, enthusiasts or those who are simply interested in French and Napoleonic history. The exhibition and its catalogue will be complemented by a number of publications and themed documents on www.napoleon.org and www.fondationnapoleon.org, as well as the Fondation Napoléon’s Twitter account and Facebook pages.Le Service historique de la Défense
As the archive centre for the Ministry of the Armed Forces, the Service Historique de la Défense (SHD) manages public and private archives, collections of publications and objects of symbolic importance to the army, compiled as far back as the 17th century. A major source for French military history, its resources and collections (over 400 linear kilometres of archives dating back to the 17th century, one million publications and 50,000 symbolic objects) represent a part of the nation’s heritage that the archivists, librarians, historians and technicians at SHD work hard to conserve, transmit and share. The Service historique de la Défense is also a military history research centre, open to universities from France and around the world. As part of the Napoleon the Strategist exhibition, the Service Historique de la Défense has loaned around 15 documents, serving as extraordinary testaments to the military leader’s strategic thinking, but also providing practical examples of the strategist in action, leading conflicts, constructing and maintaining his military tool and managing operations.
www.servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.frLe château de Versailles
The Château de Versailles is home to the largest collection of historic paintings and portraits commissioned by Napoleon between 1796 and 1815. Compiled by Louis-Philippe in 1837 in his museum dedicated to ‘all the glories of France’, these works bear witness to the major episodes of the Napoleonic era and depict the family and entourage of the general who became Emperor of the French as well as leading figures of the time. This year, the Château de Versailles is paying tribute to this important yet little-known collection. Two special exhibitions have been organised: Napoleon: Images of the Legend (until 4 November 2018 at the Arras Musée des Beaux-Arts) in partnership with the Hauts-de-France region and the city of Arras, and Louis-Philippe and Versailles (from 6 October 2018 to 4 February 2019 at the Château de Versailles). In the same spirit, the Château de Versailles is delighted to be participating in the Napoleon the Strategist exhibition with the loan of a great many pieces from its collections.Partenaires média
