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Currency, Exchange Rates & Costs in the 19th Century
June 11, 2021
What currency was used in France, the United States, and Britain in the early 19th century? What were the historical exchange rates? How much did things cost? Since Napoleon in America occasionally mentions financial transactions, these were questions I had to look into when writing the novel. Here’s what I found out.
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The 19th-Century Comedy Routines of Charles Mathews
May 14, 2021
What made people laugh 200 years ago? Among other things, old jokes and comedy performances in theatres. One of the leading comedians of the early 19th century was British actor Charles Mathews. Famous for his wit and his skill at mimicry, he kept audiences in stitches with his one-man shows, which were a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. How funny would we find his comedy routines today? Read on and decide for yourself.
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The Duke of Wellington and Women
March 19, 2021
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, attracted plenty of female attention. Wellington was very much at ease with women and enjoyed their company, especially if they were good-looking and intelligent. Stuck in an unhappy marriage, he developed many close friendships with women and had numerous mistresses.
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When an Englishman Met a Napoleonic Captain in Restoration France
September 18, 2020
France and England were at war for most of the period between 1793 and 1814. This made tourism between the two countries extremely difficult. After Napoleon was defeated and exiled to Elba in April 1814, English visitors flocked across the English Channel, eager to see Paris now that France was under the rule of England’s ally, King Louis XVIII. One of those making the trip was British journalist John Scott, who left the following account of one of his countrymen.
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The Duke of Wellington and Children
June 12, 2020
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was fond of children and children were very fond of him.
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The Duke of Wellington’s Shooting Adventures
March 22, 2019
Despite his skill as a military commander, Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington, was not particularly adept at handling a gun. This led to some noteworthy incidents after he retired from the battlefield.
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Supporters of Napoleon in England
September 21, 2018
Notwithstanding the unflattering caricatures, mocking songs, and other portrayals of Napoleon Bonaparte as the number one enemy of England, the French Emperor had British sympathizers during the Napoleonic Wars. They were primarily liberal Whigs, who opposed the ruling Tory Party, criticized the absolute monarchs of Europe, and did not want the Bourbons restored to power in France. Here is a look at some of the most prominent supporters of Napoleon in England.
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Royal Wedding? Humbug!
May 18, 2018
Tired of syrupy talk about royal weddings? Here’s a corrective from the 1816 marriage of Princess Charlotte of Wales – granddaughter of England’s King George III – to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. It’s a bracing antidote for anyone suffering from royal wedding overdose.
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The Wellington Door Knocker & Other Door Knocker History
February 23, 2018
Napoleon in America opens with a knock on a door, disturbing Sir Hudson Lowe at his toilet. Though that particular door on St. Helena did not sport a knocker inspired by the Duke of Wellington, many doors in England did. Door knockers were a common feature of 19th-century life, until they were replaced by the electric doorbell.
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Songs About Napoleon Bonaparte
January 19, 2018
More songs have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte than about any other military leader in history. Here’s a look at English popular songs about Napoleon.
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Betting on Napoleon’s Life
November 17, 2017
In 1812, a case went to trial in England involving a wager on Napoleon Bonaparte’s life. Ten years earlier, Sir Mark Masterman Sykes had rashly committed to pay Reverend Robert Gilbert one guinea per day as long as Napoleon lived. Famous at the time, the case raised the question: was it legal to bet on the assassination of a national enemy?
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The Girl with Napoleon in her Eyes
October 6, 2017
In the years after Napoleon Bonaparte’s 1815 defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, London hosted numerous exhibits related to the fallen French Emperor. Napoleon’s carriage was displayed, his battles formed the subjects of panoramas, the events of his life were depicted, and his portrait and various effects appeared on show. The oddest exhibit was a girl with Napoleon in her eyes.
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When the King of France Lived in England
September 22, 2017
When Louis XVIII, King of France, returned to his country to ascend the throne after Napoleon’s 1814 abdication, he sailed from England, his home for the preceding seven years. The King’s younger brother, the Count of Artois (future King Charles X of France), had lived in England for even longer. In fact, the entire French royal family lived in England throughout much of the Napoleonic Wars, generously subsidized by the British government.
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How to Spend Summer in London in the Early 19th Century
August 11, 2017
In the early 19th century, fashionable and would-be fashionable residents of London considered it desirable to leave the city for at least part of the summer, “when there is nobody of any consequence in town, excepting a few mad dogs.” If one couldn’t get out of London, it was important to pretend to.
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When the King & Queen of the Sandwich Islands Visited England
April 7, 2017
In 1824, King Kamehameha II & Queen Kamamalu of the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) visited England hoping to meet King George IV. The trip cost them their lives.
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Panoramas: 19th-Century Virtual Reality
November 18, 2016
Like transparencies, panoramas were extremely popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. A panorama was a large circular painting that aimed to give the viewer the experience of being physically present in the scene being depicted, whether that was a landscape, a city, a battle or other historical event. Panoramas served as mass entertainment, popular education and propaganda.
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When the Duke of Wellington Met Napoleon’s Wife
November 11, 2016
The Duke of Wellington met Marie Louise at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 and again at the Congress of Verona in 1822. Lord Byron wrote a poem about it.
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Sweetbreads, Sweetmeats and Bonaparte’s Ribs
September 30, 2016
Would you rather eat sweetbreads or sweetmeats? While sweetbreads might sound like sugary buns, they are actually a form of meat. To further confuse things, actual sweets – candies, cakes, pastries, preserves – used to be called sweetmeats. Some popular 19th-century British sweetmeats took their names from prominent figures of the Napoleonic Wars.
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Boney the Bogeyman: How Napoleon Scared Children
September 23, 2016
In the same way that early 19th century British caricaturists portrayed Napoleon Bonaparte as a devilish tyrant, British parents and teachers used Napoleon as a threat to scare children into good behaviour during the Napoleonic Wars. In fact, the word “bogeyman” is sometimes said to be derived from “Boney,” the popular British nickname for Napoleon, even though it actually comes from the Middle English bogge/bugge (hobgoblin).
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How were Napoleonic battlefields cleaned up?
July 8, 2016
Somewhere in the range of 3.5 million to 6 million people died as a result of the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted from 1803 to 1815. This includes both military and civilian casualties, and encompasses death from war-related diseases and other causes. Estimates of the number of soldiers killed in battle range from 500,000 to almost 2 million. What happened to all of those bodies? What did Napoleonic battlefield cleanup entail?
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When Princess Caroline Met Empress Marie Louise
May 13, 2016
It’s like a set piece from a movie: the wives of two famous enemies meet, gossip about their estranged husbands, and have a lovely time together, ending in the singing of a Mozart duet. Such was the scene in the Swiss city of Bern on September 23, 1814, when Princess Caroline of England visited Empress Marie Louise of France. Caroline was the lusty, eccentric 46-year-old wife of England’s Prince Regent, the future King George IV. Marie Louise was the 22-year-old second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. At the time, Napoleon was in exile on Elba.
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Caricatures of Napoleon on Elba
March 4, 2016
While Napoleon Bonaparte provided rich fodder for caricaturists throughout his reign, his exile to Elba in 1814 occasioned a burst of gleeful activity among the cartoonists of the time. England had been fighting against France for over 20 years. Audiences there were jubilant about Napoleon’s defeat and receptive to anything that made fun of the fallen French Emperor. Here’s a look at some caricatures related to Napoleon’s sojourn on Elba.
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How did Napoleon escape from Elba?
February 26, 2016
In April 1814, with a European coalition occupying Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte was forced to abdicate the French throne. He was sent into exile on Elba, a small Mediterranean island located 260 km (160 miles) south of France and 10 km (6 miles) west of the Italian coastline. Ten months later, in one of those life-is-stranger-than-fiction episodes, Napoleon managed to spirit himself off the island and regain the French crown. How did Napoleon escape from Elba?
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Last Words of Famous People
February 19, 2016
Though not as well-known as Napoleon’s last words, here are the reported last words uttered by some other famous historical figures, including Louis XVIII, John Quincy Adams, the Duke of Wellington, and the Marquis de Lafayette.
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Bonypart Pie and Questions for Christmas
December 24, 2015
There is no mention of Napoleon Bonaparte doing anything special for his first Christmas in exile on St. Helena. He nonetheless occasioned some Christmas cheer in England, judging from a seasonal recipe appearing in a London newspaper.
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Napoleon’s Arrival at St. Helena
October 16, 2015
Former French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at St. Helena, his final place of exile, in October 1815. What were his first impressions of the island, and what did the inhabitants think of him?
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George Canning: Britain’s Intriguing Foreign Secretary
September 18, 2015
George Canning was a clever, ambitious and controversial politician who held important government posts during the Napoleonic Wars and aftermath. He later became the country’s shortest-serving prime minister.
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Napoleon’s Birthday at Sea
August 14, 2015
Napoleon Bonaparte celebrated his 46th birthday (August 15, 1815) as a prisoner on a British ship off the northwest coast of Spain. How did he spend the day?
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Why didn’t Napoleon escape to the United States?
June 26, 2015
After his 1815 abdication from the French throne, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to start a new life in the United States. Why didn’t he?
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Were there Canadians at the Battle of Waterloo?
June 12, 2015
If you’re ever visiting the Duke of Wellington’s tomb in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, take a moment to look for the bust of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister. Nearby you will find a plaque sacred to the memory of Captain Alexander Macnab, a Canadian who died in the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. Macnab, one of thousands killed in the battle, did nothing special to distinguish himself. How did he wind up being commemorated in such a place of honour? Macnab was not the only Canadian at the Battle of Waterloo.
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Dorothea Lieven, a Diplomat in Skirts
October 31, 2014
As the wife of the Russian ambassador to Great Britain from 1812 to 1834, Dorothea Lieven had easy access to royalty, ministers, diplomats and politicians. This, combined with her considerable social skills and political acumen, gave her more influence than any other woman of the time.
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The Duke of Wellington: Napoleon’s Nemesis
January 17, 2014
Napoleon Bonaparte and Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, never met or corresponded, and they fought only one battle directly against each other: Waterloo. Here’s what they thought of each other.
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Lord Liverpool was Not a Ninny
January 10, 2014
Lord Liverpool (Robert Banks Jenkinson) was an accomplished prime minister of Great Britain during the Napoleonic era, though not exactly a social success.
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Hudson Lowe Gets a Bad Rap
December 6, 2013
British general Sir Hudson Lowe was the governor of St. Helena during Napoleon’s imprisonment on the island. He lacked the tact and intelligence necessary to handle Napoleon well, but he had a difficult job.
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General Bonaparte vs. Emperor Napoleon: The Sad Case of Engelbert Lutyens
November 29, 2013
Captain Engelbert Lutyens, a member of Britain’s 20th Regiment of Foot, was the orderly officer at Napoleon’s residence of Longwood on St. Helena from February 10, 1820 to April 26, 1821. This meant he was the officer in charge of security. Lutyens was required to confirm Napoleon’s presence on a daily basis, preferably by actually seeing him. This was a sensitive task as Napoleon threatened to shoot anyone who invaded his privacy.
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Could Napoleon have escaped from St. Helena?
November 22, 2013
My novel Napoleon in America imagines what might have happened if Napoleon Bonaparte had escaped from St. Helena. That was the remote South Atlantic island to which Napoleon was banished after being forced off the French throne in 1815 following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. How difficult would it have been for him to escape?
We must confess that fate, which sports with man, makes merry work with the affairs of this world.
Napoleon Bonaparte