Fondation Napoléon

Fondation Napoléon
Name	Fondation Napoléon
Native name	Fondation Napoléon
Founded	1987
Founder	Charles-Henri d'Hautefort
Location	Paris, Île-de-France, France
Focus	Napoleonic history, heritage, archives

Fondation Napoléon is a private foundation based in Paris dedicated to the study, preservation, and promotion of the legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Bonaparte family. It supports scholarship, curates archival materials, and organizes exhibitions that connect figures such as Napoleon I, Joseph Bonaparte, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Eugène de Beauharnais, and Charles de Gaulle to broader European events like the Congress of Vienna, the Napoleonic Wars, the Peninsular War, and the French Revolution.

History

The foundation was established in 1987 by collectors and historians including Charles-Henri d'Hautefort to preserve artifacts associated with personalities such as Napoleon I, Josephine de Beauharnais, Pauline Bonaparte, Jérôme Bonaparte, Camille Desmoulins, and Madame de Staël. From its inception it interacted with institutions like the Musée de l'Armée, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Château de Malmaison, the Palais-Royal (Paris), and the École Militaire. Early collaborations involved curators and scholars who had worked on exhibits related to the Battle of Waterloo, the Treaty of Amiens, the Continental System, and the Consulate of France.

Mission and Activities

The foundation's mission encompasses preservation, research, and dissemination connected to individuals such as Napoleon III, Joseph Fouché, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, Jean Lannes, Michel Ney, and Louis-Alexandre Berthier. It funds projects concerning episodes like the Egyptian campaign of 1798–1801, the Battle of Austerlitz, the Russian campaign of 1812, the Battle of Leipzig, and the Hundred Days. It partners with organizations such as the Musée Carnavalet, the Museo Napoleonico, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal Collection Trust, and the Smithsonian Institution to stage exhibitions and loan collections.

Collections and Archives

The foundation curates manuscripts, correspondence, portraits, uniforms, and artifacts related to figures including Napoleon I, Josephine de Beauharnais, Pauline Bonaparte, Eugène de Beauharnais, Letizia Bonaparte, Horatio Nelson, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Alexander I of Russia, Frederick William III of Prussia, and Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor. Its archives complement holdings at repositories like the Archives nationales (France), the British Library, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Austrian State Archives, and the Archivio di Stato di Napoli. Notable items have been exhibited alongside works associated with Jacques-Louis David, Antoine-Jean Gros, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Horace Vernet, and Théodore Géricault.

Publications and Research

The foundation publishes bulletins, monographs, and edited volumes featuring scholarship on personalities such as Napoleon I, Napoleon III, Talleyrand, Fouché, Bertrand, Grouchy, and Murats family members, and on events like the Peninsular War, the Egyptian campaign, the Austro-French War (1809), and the Battle of Borodino. It supports research by historians affiliated with universities and institutes including Sorbonne University, the École des Chartes, the Collège de France, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, and the University of Toronto. Peer-reviewed work addresses diplomatic exchanges involving the Treaty of Tilsit, the Treaty of Campo Formio, the Treaty of Amiens, and the Treaty of Fontainebleau.

Educational and Cultural Programs

Educational outreach links the foundation to schools, museums, and cultural venues, engaging educators and curators in programs about figures like Napoleon I, Josephine, Bertrand, Davout, Carnot, and Bonaparte relatives and events such as the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Code, and the Restoration (France). The foundation organizes lectures, conferences, guided tours, and temporary exhibitions in cooperation with the Musée de l'Armée, the Château de Malmaison, the Petit Palais, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, and international partners like the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano.

Governance and Funding

Governance comprises trustees and advisers including historians, curators, and descendants linked to the Bonaparte lineage and figures such as Napoleon I and Napoleon III. It collaborates with governmental and non-governmental institutions including the Ministry of Culture (France), municipal authorities of Paris, private collectors, and foundations like the Rothschild family philanthropic initiatives. Funding sources include endowments, memberships, donations from individuals associated with houses such as House of Bonaparte, corporate sponsorships, and revenue from publications and ticketed exhibitions; financial oversight follows practices aligned with French nonprofit law and major European cultural funders.

Awards and Recognition

The foundation grants prizes and awards recognizing scholarship on topics related to Napoleon I, Talleyrand, Fouché, Joseph Bonaparte, Eugène de Beauharnais, and military campaigns like Austerlitz and Waterloo. Recipients have included historians and authors affiliated with institutions such as Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the University of Oxford, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the École Normale Supérieure. Its exhibitions and publications have been cited by curators at the Musée de l'Armée, the National Army Museum (United Kingdom), and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille and recognized by cultural organizations across Europe and North America.

Category:Organizations based in Paris Category:Historical societies Category:Napoleon I