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| Napoleonic Wars Historical Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Napoleonic Wars Historical Society |
| Formation | 1980s |
| Type | Historical society |
| Location | International |
| Leader title | President |
Napoleonic Wars Historical Society is an international learned society devoted to the study of the Napoleonic era, covering the reign of Napoleon and the wide array of conflicts, politics, and culture surrounding the French Revolutionary Wars, Coalition Wars, and the Hundred Days. Founded by scholars, collectors, and reenactors with interests in figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Duke of Wellington, Horatio Nelson, Alexander I of Russia, and Metternich, the society promotes research on battles like Austerlitz, Waterloo, Borodino, Trafalgar, and Leipzig.
The society traces origins to small groups of enthusiasts influenced by publications on Napoleon Bonaparte, Marshal Ney, Marshal Soult, Marshal Davout, Marshal Murat, and the historiography of Camille Desmoulins, Adolphe Thiers, Théophile Gautier, and Jules Michelet. Early meetings discussed primary sources such as the Mémoires de Napoleon Bonaparte, collections of correspondence by Josephine de Beauharnais, dispatches of Lord Castlereagh, letters of Tsar Alexander I, and archival material from the Archives Nationales (France), British Library, Russian State Archive, and Austrian State Archives. Influences included biographies of Napoleon by William Napier, Andrew Roberts, Alan Schom, and military analyses by David G. Chandler and Oman, Charles. Over decades the society developed partnerships with institutions like the Imperial War Museum, Musée de l'Armée, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the National Army Museum.
The society's mission emphasizes preservation of material culture associated with Napoleonic Wars, documentation of campaigns including the Peninsular War, Russian Campaign (1812), War of the Third Coalition, and analysis of diplomatic settlements like the Treaty of Tilsit and the Congress of Vienna. Activities include curating exhibitions of uniforms tied to units such as the Old Guard, Prussian Army (Napoleonic), Kingdom of Spain (1808–1874), and artifacts connected to commanders such as Marshal Lannes, Marshal Oudinot, Prince Schwarzenberg, and King Joseph Bonaparte. The society also engages in comparative study linking developments in Revolutionary France, First French Empire, British Isles during the Napoleonic era, Habsburg Monarchy, and Ottoman Empire (1792–1914).
Membership comprises historians, curators, collectors, reenactors, and descendants of figures like Eugène de Beauharnais, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Duke of Wellington, and officers of the Grande Armée. Governance includes elected officers—president, secretary, treasurer—and advisory boards with representatives from the International Napoleonic Congress, university departments such as Sorbonne University, University of Oxford, Saint Petersburg State University, and museum partners including the Musée Napoléon and regional societies like the Peninsular War Society. Local chapters organize study groups on battles such as Ligny, Quatre Bras, Fuentes de Oñoro, and Vitoria.
The society publishes a peer-reviewed journal featuring articles on logistics, battlefield archaeology, and biographies of figures including General Moreau, Jean Lannes, Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle, General Kellermann, Marshal Davout, and diplomats like Talleyrand. It issues monographs on subjects such as the Continental System, naval engagements including Battle of Trafalgar, uniforms of the Polish Legions, and campaigns like the Peninsular War and Russian Campaign (1812). Archival projects transcribe collections from families of Marshal Ney, Prince of Orange (William II), and correspondence of politicians like Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord and Viscount Castlereagh.
Annual conferences draw speakers who have published on Waterloo, Austerlitz, Borodino, Leipzig, Trafalgar, and topics such as cavalry tactics of General Murat and naval strategy of Horatio Nelson. The society organizes panel sessions with curators from the National Army Museum (UK), military historians from King's College London, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and researchers affiliated with the Napoleon Foundation, International Committee for the Conservation of Napoleonic Heritage, and regional groups like the Sociedad Española de Estudios Napoleónicos. Public commemorations coincide with anniversaries of battles such as Waterloo and sieges like Siege of Tarragona (1811).
Collections include maps, regimental muster rolls, letters from commanders like Marshal Ney and Marshal Soult, field dispatches of Napoleon Bonaparte, and artifacts from campaign sites such as Smolensk, Moscow (1812), Madrid (1808–1814), and Lisbon (1807–1814). The society curates digital repositories cross-referenced with holdings at the Service Historique de la Défense, Trafalgar Collection, Museo del Ejército (Toledo), and private collections like those of descendants of Eugène de Beauharnais and Prince Schwarzenberg. Conservation projects have stabilized uniforms, standards, and muskets attributed to regiments such as the Imperial Guard and the King's German Legion.
Programs include lectures for students of institutions like École Militaire, guided tours at sites such as Château de Malmaison, battlefield walks at Waterloo and Austerlitz, and workshops on archival methods in partnership with the International Council on Archives and university programs at University of Salamanca, University of Vienna, Brown University, and McGill University. Youth initiatives collaborate with reenactment groups, museum education departments at the Musée de l'Armée, and publishing projects aimed at introducing figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Arthur Wellesley, Marshal Ney, and Tsar Alexander I to new audiences.
Category:Historical societies Category:Napoleonic Wars