THE coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as emperor it took place on December 2, 1804, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. With this act, Napoleon he managed to centralize more power in his figure and took a significant step forward in his project of perpetuating the Bonapartes in French power. The coronation was supported by the upper bourgeoisie.
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Historical context
Napoleon's coronation was one of the events related to the Napoleonic period, which lasted 15 years and in which Napoleon Bonaparte was ruling France. This government was started through a coup sponsored by Napoleon himself - a French military man who became nationally known for leading France's troops against the country's enemies over the years. gives French Revolution.
it is about the Brumaire 18 hit, held in November 1799. After him, France came to be governed by a
consulate, a government formed by three consuls. These consuls were EmmanuelSieyes, RogerDucos and Napoleon Bonaparte.The consulate was a government of centralized power and democratic aspects. In practice, power was concentrated in the figure of the first consul, a position held by Napoleon Bonaparte. In this position, Napoleon promoted a series of reforms in the country and expanded advertising to make it increasingly popular.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
First, the first consul negotiated peace with England, and after that, started to promote reforms in the economy, in the justice system, in education, in government, among other areas of great importance to the country. During this first moment of the consulate, Napoleon ruled closely with the upper bourgeoisie, making this group the ruling class of French interests.
The support of the bourgeoisie for Napoleon allowed him to pass measures that further extended the powers of the First Consul. In 1802, for example, he got the approval of a measure that turned him into consullifetime from France. This measure served Napoleon's interests for more power, guaranteed a powerful ally to the bourgeoisie, and kept the people satisfied.
The bourgeoisie, in fact, was the group that had the most to lose from Napoleon's downfall, since the military secured French interests at the expense of the nobility and the clergy. For this bourgeoisie, a return to a absolutist regime it could be the return of the old nobility and its privileges.
So, the Napoleon's perpetuation of power became crucial., that's how he secured the post of consul for life. However, its self-propaganda brought a new option: to perpetuate the Bonapartes and not just Napoleon in power. This possibility of hereditary transmission of power, from Napoleon to his descendants, led to the idea of creating an empire gain strength.
Know more: How did the emergence of the bourgeoisie come about?
Why did Napoleon become emperor?
THE threat of monarchical restoration it was used as a reason for Napoleon's powers to be increased. Napoleonic propaganda claimed that it would be more difficult for the Bourbons to regain power in France with it in the hands of the Bonapartes.
Furthermore, Napoleon exploited the series of assassination attempts against him to highlight the need to extend his powers through an empire. Thus, a plebiscite for voters to decide whether the leader should be crowned emperor or not.
THE choice of term emperor it was on purpose. Napoleon refused to be crowned King of France because that title was linked to the recent past of absolutism present in the country for centuries. Second, because the title of emperor was considered more expressive by him. The result of the referendum was a overwhelming victory for Napoleon.
The result of the plebiscite, which took place in November 1804, only confirmed what had been sewn together. politically, since, in May 1804, the Senate had already approved the transformation of Napoleon into emperor from France.
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Napoleon's coronation
Once he obtained a favorable result in the plebiscite, Napoleon set about organizing his coronation ceremony, which, of course, was marked by Lux and greatness, ways for the leader to demonstrate his power. The ceremony, in a way, was a demonstration that he had the support of the Church and that, in fact, he was above it.
That's because the ceremony was held in one of the main churches in Paris, Notre-Dame. Napoleon did not want to do it where the old French kings were crowned: the Cathedral of Reims. For the occasion, Napoleon performed the symbolic rescue of two great empires: the Roman it's the Carolingian.
The ceremony took place on December 2, 1804. The place, as mentioned, was the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and one of the personalities present was the Pope Pius VII. The pope's presence demonstrated that Napoleon was reconciled with the Catholic Church. However, by a symbolic gesture, he demonstrated his intention not to submit to religious authorities.
Napoleon was in possession of two crowns: one in Roman molds and the other in Carolingian molds. In a traditional ceremony, the religious authority would deliver the sermon and then crown the king, in a demonstration of that authority's submission to ecclesiastical power. O Pope Pius VII delivered the sermon but did not crown Napoleon.
Napoleon crowned himself and then crowned his wife Josephine. He then swore an oath to the Gospel and all the achievements of the French Revolution. In all, the ceremony lasted about three hours and ended with a salvo of 101 cannon shots.
Napoleon wanted this event to be historic and, for that, he ordered Jacques-Louis David, a neoclassicist painter, doing a painting of him. David's work was completed in 1807 and is six meters wide and nine meters high. The painting has great symbolism, mainly because it shows Napoleon with his back to the pope while he crowned his wife.
By Daniel Neves
History teacher