I have been reading a lot about the French Revolution over the past several months, in preparation for our homeschool studies this autumn.
With difficulty wrapping my mind around the horrors in France, I’ve read various sources.
Repeatedly, the Reign of Terror aptly describes the out-of-control society that sought freedom.
Through them, we learn that we need restraint to have freedom.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE: AN INTIMATE BIOGRAPHY BY VINCENT CRONIN
I’ve also been reading about Napoleon, using Vincent Cronin’s book based on much research.
Astoundingly, this British author with a degree from Oxford, wrote this book in 1970 because of stunning new research that unveiled a different Napoleon than oft described.
This material is: the Notebooks of Alexandre des Mazis, Napoleon’s closest friend in his youth, Napoleon’s letters to Desiree Clary, the first woman in his life, the Memoirs of Louis Marchand, Napoleon’s valet, and General Bertrand’s Boswellian St. Helena diary. None of this, save the last part of Bertrand, has been published in England. Also important is the long-missing central section of Napoleon’s autobiographical story, ‘Clisson et Eugenie’, into which a frustrated young officer of twenty-five poured his aspirations, and which is here published for the first time. -Napoleon Bonaparte, Cronin, preface
Cronin continues in the preface with a secondary reason for writing this book, which shares my growing feelings since first learning of Napoleon.
The second reason is more personal. There are in existence a large number of Lives of Napoleon and, though it will sound presumptuous, I was dissatisfied with their picture of Napoleon…Always to my mind there were glaring contradictions of character. To take one example from many, biographers repeat Napoleon’s phrase: ‘Friendship is only a word. I love no man.’ But at the same time it was obvious from their own pages that Napoleon had many close friends, more I reckon than any ruler of France, and that he was as fond of them as they were of him. – Napoleon Bonaparte, Cronin, preface
I AGREE
Puzzled by the characterization of Napoleon as evil tyrant conquering the world, I’ve wondered as I’ve never heard of any proofs of as horrid as that of Hitler.
When we studied world history from real books from the beginning of time to the present, I learned that conquering land was a common theme of all the countries in Europe that coalesced against Napoleon.
Then when we studied Code Napoleon, we saw how forward thinking Napoleon was, unique in Europe.
LEARNING ABOUT FRANCE
Another distinctive of this book is the focus on the civil matters of France, in which Napoleon was heavily invested.
Learning more about his reactions to the French Revolution, how he came to power, and how he organized the Republic of France is a surprising window into who he was.
Thus this turned into a French history study as we better learned Napoleon.
And since Napoleon is so epic and everyone talks of him, learning about him will help us better understand the era.
Boy have we been misinformed! Stay tuned for the journey!
