Coronation of Napoleon I
Encyclopedia
The coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of the French
, which took place on Sunday December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire XIII according to French Republican Calendar
), has been said to mark "the instantiation of modern empire", representing "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda". On May 18, 1804, the Sénat conservateur
vested the Republican
government in an Emperor, and preparations for a coronation
followed. Napoleon's elevation to Emperor was overwhelming approved by the French citizens in a referendum
. Among Napoleon's reasons for coronation were the prestige in international royalist and Catholic milieux and the foundation for future dynasty.
In the classical French tradition kings underwent consecration (sacre) rather than a coronation because of anointment, conferred by the archbishop of Reims
. Napoleon blended Roman imperial
pageantry with the purported memory of Charlemagne
and the coronation was held in Paris in the presence of Pope Pius VII
. According to government tallies, the entire cost was over 8.5 million francs.
, but Pius VII could not reach Paris in time. He arrived in Paris in November 1804. The task of organizing the coronation was given to the Grandmaster of Ceremonies Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur
and the First Chamberlain Auguste Laurent, comte de Rémusat. The music was commissioned from Giovanni Paisiello
. The architects Percier and Fontaine
designed the temporary decorations, turning a nunnery cloister into a ballroom. The painter Jean Baptiste Isabey designed the costumes and chemist Philippe le Bon
prepared the lighting for the coronation.
According to Louis Constant Wairy
, Napoleon woke at eight a.m. To the sound of a cannonade he left the Tuileries at eleven a.m. in a white velvet
vest with gold embroidery and diamond buttons, crimson velvet tunic and short crimson coat with satin
lining. He wore a wreath of laurel. The number of onlookers, as estimated by Wairy, was between four and five thousand, many of whom had held their places all night, through intermittent showers that cleared in the morning.
.jpg)
The ceremony had started at nine a.m. when the Papal procession set out from the Tuileries. The procession was led by a bishop on a mule holding aloft the Papal crucifix
. The Pope entered Notre Dame first, to the anthem Tu es Petrus, and took his seat on a throne near the high altar. Napoleon's and Joséphine
's carriage was drawn by eight bay horses. The two-part ceremony was held at different ends of Notre Dame to emphasize the disconnectedness of religious and secular facets. An unmanned balloon, ablaze with three thousand lights in an imperial crown pattern was launched from the front of Notre Dame during the celebration.
Before entering Notre Dame, Napoleon was vested in a long white satin tunic embroidered in gold thread and Josephine similarly wore a white satin empire style dress embroidered in gold thread. During the coronation he was formally clothed in a heavy coronation mantle, made from crimson velvet, lined with ermine
; the velvet was covered with embroidered golden bees, drawn from the golden bees among the regalia that had been discovered in the Merovingian tomb of Childeric I, a symbol that overleapt Charlemagne, ancestor of the Bourbons, to link the new dynasty with the more ancient Merovingians; the bee replaced the fleur-de-lis
on imperial tapestries and garments. The mantle weighed at least eighty pounds
and was supported by four dignitaries. Josephine was at the same time formally clothed in a similar crimson velvet mantle embroidered with bees in gold thread and lined with ermine, which was borne by Napoleon's three sisters. There were two orchestras with four choruses, numerous military band
s playing heroic marches, and over three hundred musicians. A 400-voice choir performed Paisiello's "Mass" and "Te Deum
". Because the traditional royal crown had been destroyed during the French Revolution
, the so-called Crown of Napoleon
, made to look medieval and called the "crown of Charlemagne" for the occasion, was waiting on the altar. While the crown was new, the sceptre
was reputed to have belonged to Charles V
and the sword to Philip III
.
The coronation proper began with the singing of the hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus
, followed by the versicle, "Lord, send forth your Spirit" and response, "And renew the face of the earth" and the collect for the Feast of Pentecost
, "God, who has taught the hearts of your faithful by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit,..." After this the prayer, "Almighty, everlasting God, the Creator of all..." During the Litany of the Saints
the Emperor and Empress remained seated, only kneeling for special petitions. The Emperor and Empress where both anointed on their heads and on both hands with Chrism
–the Emperor with the prayers, "God, the Son of God..." and "God who let Hazael triumph over the Syrians...", the Empress with the prayer, "God the Father of eternal glory..."—while the antiphon
"Zadok the priest..." was sung. The Mass then began. At Napoleon's request the collect
of the Blessed Virgin (as the patron of the cathedral) was said in place of the proper collect for the day. After the epistle the different articles of the imperial regalia were individually blessed, and delivered to the Emperor and Empress. At the moment of the crowning when the Pope said, "Receive the imperial crown..." Napoleon unexpectedly turned and, forestalling the Pope, removed his laurel wreath and crowned himself and then crowned the kneeling Joséphine with a small crown surmounted by a cross, which he had first placed on his own head. At Napoleon's enthronement the Pope said, "May God confirm you on this throne and may Christ give you to rule with him in his eternal kingdom". Limited in his actions, Pius VII proclaimed further the Latin
formula "Vivat imperator in aeternum!" (May the Emperor live forever!), which was echoed by the full choirs in a Vivat, followed by "Te Deum". With his hands on the Bible
, Napoleon took the oath:
The text was presented to Napoleon by the President of the Senate, the President of Legislature and the most senior President of the Council of State. After the oath the newly appointed herald of arms proclaimed loudly: "The thrice glorious and thrice august Emperor Napoleon is crowned and enthroned. Long live the Emperor!" During the people's acclamations Napoleon, surrounded by dignitaries, left the cathedral while the choir sang "Domine salvum fac imperatorem nostrum Napoleonem"—"God save our Emperor Napoleon".
After the coronation the Emperor presented the imperial standard
s to each of his regiments.
In addition to David
's paintings, a commemorative medal was struck with the reverse design by Antoine-Denis Chaudet
.
Emperor of the French
The Emperor of the French was the title used by the Bonaparte Dynasty starting when Napoleon Bonaparte was given the title Emperor on 18 May 1804 by the French Senate and was crowned emperor of the French on 02 December 1804 at the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, in Paris with the Crown of...
, which took place on Sunday December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire XIII according to French Republican Calendar
French Republican Calendar
The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871...
), has been said to mark "the instantiation of modern empire", representing "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda". On May 18, 1804, the Sénat conservateur
Sénat conservateur
The Sénat conservateur was a body set up in France during the Consulate by the Constitution of the Year VIII. With the Tribunat and the Corps législatif, it formed one of the three legislative assemblies of the Consulate...
vested the Republican
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
government in an Emperor, and preparations for a coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
followed. Napoleon's elevation to Emperor was overwhelming approved by the French citizens in a referendum
French constitutional referendum, 1804
A referendum concerning the establishment of the French Empire was held in France in November 1804. The officially-announced result showed a nearly unanimous French electorate approving the change in Napoleon Bonaparte's status from First Consul to Emperor of the French. About seven million voters...
. Among Napoleon's reasons for coronation were the prestige in international royalist and Catholic milieux and the foundation for future dynasty.
In the classical French tradition kings underwent consecration (sacre) rather than a coronation because of anointment, conferred by the archbishop of Reims
Archbishop of Reims
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected as a diocese around 250 by St. Sixtus, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese around 750...
. Napoleon blended Roman imperial
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
pageantry with the purported memory of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
and the coronation was held in Paris in the presence of Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
. According to government tallies, the entire cost was over 8.5 million francs.
Preparations
Not wanting to be an Old Regime monarch, Napoleon explained: "To be a king is to inherit old ideas and genealogy. I don't want to descend from anyone... The title of Emperor is greater..." Napoleon wished to hold the coronation on the anniversary of the 18 Brumaire18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
, but Pius VII could not reach Paris in time. He arrived in Paris in November 1804. The task of organizing the coronation was given to the Grandmaster of Ceremonies Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur
Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur
Louis Philippe, comte de Ségur was a French diplomat and historian.-Life:He was born in Paris, the son of Philippe Henri, marquis de Ségur and Louise Anne Madeleine de Vernon....
and the First Chamberlain Auguste Laurent, comte de Rémusat. The music was commissioned from Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello
Giovanni Paisiello was an Italian composer of the Classical era.-Life:Paisiello was born at Taranto and educated by the Jesuits there. He became known for his beautiful singing voice and in 1754 was sent to the Conservatorio di S. Onofrio at Naples, where he studied under Francesco Durante, and...
. The architects Percier and Fontaine
Percier and Fontaine
Percier and Fontaine was a noted partnership between French architects Charles Percier and Pierre François Léonard Fontaine. Together, Percier and Fontaine were inventors and major proponents of the rich and grand, consciously archaeological versions of neoclassicism we recognize as Directoire...
designed the temporary decorations, turning a nunnery cloister into a ballroom. The painter Jean Baptiste Isabey designed the costumes and chemist Philippe le Bon
Philippe le Bon
Philippe le Bon was a French engineer, born in Brachay, France.There is much confusion about his life and accomplishments. His main contributions were improvements to steam engines and industrializing the extraction of lighting gas from wood...
prepared the lighting for the coronation.
According to Louis Constant Wairy
Louis Constant Wairy
Louis Constant Wairy was valet to the French emperor, Napoléon.He wrote "Mémoires de Constant, premier valet de chambre de l'empereur, sur la vie privée de Napoléon, sa famille et sa cour." or Memoires of Constant, valet of the emperor; about his private life, his family and his court.- External...
, Napoleon woke at eight a.m. To the sound of a cannonade he left the Tuileries at eleven a.m. in a white velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
vest with gold embroidery and diamond buttons, crimson velvet tunic and short crimson coat with satin
Satin
Satin is a weave that typically has a glossy surface and a dull back. It is a warp-dominated weaving technique that forms a minimum number of interlacings in a fabric. If a fabric is formed with a satin weave using filament fibres such as silk, nylon, or polyester, the corresponding fabric is...
lining. He wore a wreath of laurel. The number of onlookers, as estimated by Wairy, was between four and five thousand, many of whom had held their places all night, through intermittent showers that cleared in the morning.
The ceremony
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. The Pope entered Notre Dame first, to the anthem Tu es Petrus, and took his seat on a throne near the high altar. Napoleon's and Joséphine
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
's carriage was drawn by eight bay horses. The two-part ceremony was held at different ends of Notre Dame to emphasize the disconnectedness of religious and secular facets. An unmanned balloon, ablaze with three thousand lights in an imperial crown pattern was launched from the front of Notre Dame during the celebration.
Before entering Notre Dame, Napoleon was vested in a long white satin tunic embroidered in gold thread and Josephine similarly wore a white satin empire style dress embroidered in gold thread. During the coronation he was formally clothed in a heavy coronation mantle, made from crimson velvet, lined with ermine
Ermine
Ermine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
; the velvet was covered with embroidered golden bees, drawn from the golden bees among the regalia that had been discovered in the Merovingian tomb of Childeric I, a symbol that overleapt Charlemagne, ancestor of the Bourbons, to link the new dynasty with the more ancient Merovingians; the bee replaced the fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
on imperial tapestries and garments. The mantle weighed at least eighty pounds
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
and was supported by four dignitaries. Josephine was at the same time formally clothed in a similar crimson velvet mantle embroidered with bees in gold thread and lined with ermine, which was borne by Napoleon's three sisters. There were two orchestras with four choruses, numerous military band
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
s playing heroic marches, and over three hundred musicians. A 400-voice choir performed Paisiello's "Mass" and "Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
". Because the traditional royal crown had been destroyed during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the so-called Crown of Napoleon
Crown of Napoleon
The Crown of Napoleon was a coronation crown manufactured for Emperor Napoleon I of the French and used in his coronation on December 2, 1804. Napoleon called his new crown the Crown of Charlemagne, the name of the ancient royal coronation crown of France that had been destroyed in the French...
, made to look medieval and called the "crown of Charlemagne" for the occasion, was waiting on the altar. While the crown was new, the sceptre
Sceptre
A sceptre is a symbolic ornamental rod or wand borne in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia.-Antiquity:...
was reputed to have belonged to Charles V
Charles V of France
Charles V , called the Wise, was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380 and a member of the House of Valois...
and the sword to Philip III
Philip III of France
Philip III , called the Bold , was the King of France, succeeding his father, Louis IX, and reigning from 1270 to 1285. He was a member of the House of Capet.-Biography:...
.
The coronation proper began with the singing of the hymn, Veni Creator Spiritus
Veni Creator Spiritus
Veni Creator Spiritus is a hymn believed to have been written by Rabanus Maurus in the 9th century. It is normally sung in Gregorian Chant and often associated with the Roman Catholic Church, where it is performed during the liturgical celebration of the feast of Pentecost...
, followed by the versicle, "Lord, send forth your Spirit" and response, "And renew the face of the earth" and the collect for the Feast of Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
, "God, who has taught the hearts of your faithful by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit,..." After this the prayer, "Almighty, everlasting God, the Creator of all..." During the Litany of the Saints
Litany of the Saints
The Litany of the Saints is a sacred prayer of the Roman Catholic Church, the Western Rites of the Orthodox Church, and some Anglican Churches. It is a prayer of invocation to the Triune God, and prayers for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Angels and all the martyrs and saints...
the Emperor and Empress remained seated, only kneeling for special petitions. The Emperor and Empress where both anointed on their heads and on both hands with Chrism
Chrism
Chrism , also called "Myrrh" , Holy anointing oil, or "Consecrated Oil", is a consecrated oil used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in Old-Catholic churches, as well as Anglican churches in the administration...
–the Emperor with the prayers, "God, the Son of God..." and "God who let Hazael triumph over the Syrians...", the Empress with the prayer, "God the Father of eternal glory..."—while the antiphon
Antiphon
An antiphon in Christian music and ritual, is a "responsory" by a choir or congregation, usually in Gregorian chant, to a psalm or other text in a religious service or musical work....
"Zadok the priest..." was sung. The Mass then began. At Napoleon's request the collect
Collect
In Christian liturgy, a collect is both a liturgical action and a short, general prayer. In the Middle Ages, the prayer was referred to in Latin as collectio, but in the more ancient sources, as oratio. In English, and in this usage, "collect" is pronounced with the stress on the first syllable...
of the Blessed Virgin (as the patron of the cathedral) was said in place of the proper collect for the day. After the epistle the different articles of the imperial regalia were individually blessed, and delivered to the Emperor and Empress. At the moment of the crowning when the Pope said, "Receive the imperial crown..." Napoleon unexpectedly turned and, forestalling the Pope, removed his laurel wreath and crowned himself and then crowned the kneeling Joséphine with a small crown surmounted by a cross, which he had first placed on his own head. At Napoleon's enthronement the Pope said, "May God confirm you on this throne and may Christ give you to rule with him in his eternal kingdom". Limited in his actions, Pius VII proclaimed further the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
formula "Vivat imperator in aeternum!" (May the Emperor live forever!), which was echoed by the full choirs in a Vivat, followed by "Te Deum". With his hands on the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, Napoleon took the oath:
- "I swear to maintain the integrity of the territory of the Republic, to respect and enforce respect for the ConcordatConcordat of 1801The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, signed on 15 July 1801. It solidified the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and brought back most of its civil status....
and freedom of religion, equality of rights, political and civil liberty, the irrevocability of the sale of national lands; not to raise any tax except in virtue of the law; to maintain the institution of Legion of Honor and to govern in the sole interest, happiness and glory of the French people".
After the coronation the Emperor presented the imperial standard
Field sign
A field sign is an unofficial differencing mark worn on a combatant's clothing to show the difference between friend and foe or a combatant and a civilian.-Examples:...
s to each of his regiments.
In addition to David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
's paintings, a commemorative medal was struck with the reverse design by Antoine-Denis Chaudet
Antoine-Denis Chaudet
Antoine-Denis Chaudet was a French sculptor who worked in a neoclassical style.-Works:*Joseph Sold by his Brothers Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763–1810) was a French sculptor who worked in a neoclassical style.-Works:*Joseph Sold by his Brothers Antoine-Denis Chaudet (1763–1810) was a French sculptor...
.
Further reading
- Masson, Frederic; Cobb. Frederic (translator). Napoleon and his Coronation. London, 1911