The Napoleonic Mediterranean: Enlightenment, Revolution and Empire

Description

The Mediterranean was one of Napoleon's greatest spheres of influence. With territory in Spain, Italy and, of course, France, Napoleon's regime dominated the Great Sea for much of the early nineteenth century. The 'Napoleonic Mediterranean' was composed of almost the entirety of the western, European lands bordering its northern shores, however tenuously many of those shores were held. The disastrous attempt to conquer Egypt in 1798-99, and the rapid loss of Malta to the British, sealed its eastward and southern limits. None of Napoleon's Mediterranean possessions were easily held; they were volatile societies which showed determined resistance to the new state forged by the French Revolution. In this book, acclaimed historian and biographer of Napoleon, Michael Broers looks at the similarities and differences between Napoleon's Mediterranean imperial possessions. He considers the process of political, military and legal administration as well as the challenges faced by Napoleon's Prefects in overcoming hostility in the local population. With chapters covering a range of imperial territories, this book is a unique and valuable addition to the historical literature on Napoleonic Europe and the process and practice of imperialism. Cover Author Bio Title Copyright Contents Preface Introduction: Delineating an Imperial Region Part I: The Historical Geography of the Napoleonic Mediterranean 1. The Parochial Revolution: 1799 and the Counter-Revolution in Italy 2. The Myth and Reality of Italian Regionalism: A Historical Geography of Napoleonic Italy, 1801–14 Part II: The Law of the French 3. A Clash of Enlightenments: Judicial Reform in the Napoleonic Republic and Kingdom of Italy 4. Imperial Law on the Marches of Empire: Napoleonic Legal Reforms in Catalonia, 1810–13 5. The Napoleonic Judicial System in the Illyrian Provinces, 1809–13: An Exercise in Incongruity? Part III: Pride and Prejudice 6. Ferdinando Dal Pozzo: A Piedmontese Notable at the Heart of Napoleonic Europe, 1800–14 7. Cultural Imperialism in a European Context?: Political Culture and Cultural Politics in Napoleonic Italy 8. Noble Romans and Regenerated Citizens: The Morality of Conscription in Napoleonic Italy, 1800–14 Notes Further Reading Index