"The Buonaparte Famiglia " Topic

"Even among monarchists, as well as polite society as a whole, there are two figures for whom I have more positive things to say than is generally considered acceptable; Benito Mussolini and Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, obviously, the topic of discussion is Napoleon. Given that he was the great bogey man of post-revolutionary Europe, I must make some disclaimers at the outset before any readers have to reach for the smelling salts. I fully agree that Napoleon was a usurper, if not technically so in the first instance of his seizure of power, certainly so after his escape from the island of Elba. I fully agree that he upset the peace of Europe and caused many and far-reaching problems for the "Old Order" that existed in the western world. I would say it is at least debatable whether he or the French Revolution itself was responsible for destroying the last vestiges of Christendom but he certainly swept up the pieces and tried to put it all back together according to his own designs and taking little to no consideration for legitimacy and hereditary, vested rights. I hope we are all clear on all of that.

All of those facts not being in dispute, I think it can also be regarded as beyond dispute that he was an extremely talented man. Certainly, in terms of his role as a military commander, he was a genius on such a level as has rarely been seen in the history of the world. One could argue over his talents as a statesman but he was certainly not inept in that regard. He did, I maintain, also do some good things, if not for Europe, at least for France. It was Napoleon who ended the horror that was the French Revolution, he did restore law, order and a functioning society to the country and it was Napoleon who finally restored Church-state relations in France with his concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII. It did not put everything back to the way it had been before the Revolution, but it did bring normalcy to Church-state relations, did away with the worst excesses of the revolutionaries and restored the Church to an official, recognized status in France. These were, to my mind, all very good things…"
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Amicalement
Armand

This is a fascinating site. I was much more curious about his views on Mussolini and have spent ages now reading his accounts of various monarchies in WWII. A brilliant find which I will return to. You do not have to agree with him, but he does his research. Try the Kaiser and Hitler, or the Belgian monarchy in WWII for example.

Happy you enjoyed it my good friend!. (smile)

I follow the site years ago.

Amicalement
Armand

I agree--it is truly an amazing site with very well-researched articles/posts. Of course, you need to remember that research is largely slanted toward the various monarchies and the wish to restore them all.

As an unrepentant Jacobin/Bonapartist, I shudder to think some of those old, musty, and IQ-challenged royals trying to rule anything these days.

But then I recall Trump and decide there is value in the Romanovs after all…

Glad you enjoyed it too my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand