190 Years Ago DECEMBER 2, 1804: Bonaparte is crowned as Napoleon, Emperor of the French. Obsessed by the fragility of his regime he seeks a link to traditional institutions and become emperor by divine right. Napoleon is consecrated in Notre Dame cathedral by the Pope. During the ceremony of the Coronation, with a steady imperial hand, he takes the crown from the Pope and places it upon his own head. He then crowns Josephine as shown in the picture by David. The Grandes Dames, Napoleon's mother and sisters, look down from the gallery in the rear. What was in Napoleon's mind? Andre Maurois in his A History of France, (Andre Maurois is a well respected French biographer, historian, novelist and essayist. His A History of France originally called The Miracle of France is available in paperback edition from Minerva Press, New York, 1968 and is highly recommended to anyone interested in a clear history of France written by someone from the other side of the Channel) p.242 says: Napoleon had received from the Pope the crown of Charlemagne. Did he dream of rebuilding Charlemagne's empire? Many people thought so. He took a curious pleasure in his residence at Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen); he rushed to Milan to seek the crown of Lombardy. He wanted to have a court; he wheedled and coaxed the former aristocracy, he created dukes and princes, and made kings of his brothers.... Later, at St. Helena, he explained "I felt my isolation...." 180 Years Ago NOVEMBER 22, 1814: Rumors of a British concentration in Jamaica cause the local American commander, General Andrew Jackson, to go to New Orleans to investigate its defenses. NOVEMBER 26, 1814: A force of 7,500 British veterans of the Peninsular War sails from Jamaica. The objective is the seizure of New Orleans and control of the Mississippi River Valley. That force lands in the Lake Borgne area. Jackson concentrates his resources for the defense of New Orleans. (The battle will be fought and decisively won by the Americans on January 8, 1815.) DECEMBER 23, 1814: The Treaty of Ghent is signed, officially ending the war between the United States and Great Britain (known as the War of 1812). The news does not reach New York until February 11 and the treaty is ratified on February 15, 1815 (after the battle of New Orleans). Neither side accomplishes anything substantial. However, the British never repeat their highhanded conduct at sea against U.S. ships, and the Americans never again try to conquer Canada. Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 9 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com