L'Étoile Napoleon - The Napoleon Star.
Although Napoleon did not invent the star, especially the five-pointed star, which is the subject of this article, I am talking about the Napoleon star because it developed into a central symbol of Napoleonic power between 1799 and 1815, so that it is justified to speak of the 'Napoleonic star' for this period. The five-pointed star underwent a development, whereas Napoleon adopted other symbols, such as the eagle and the bees, to represent his power.
As a young man who embraced the ideals of the Revolution, Napoleon had come to Paris in 1792 and he would certainly have remained a nameless artillery officer if, as a child of this revolution, he had not also become its great profiteer. In 1792, the Republic had come into being and this naturally needed loyal officers, who had to be recruited from an otherwise royalist officer corps. As early as 1793, Napoleon Bonaparte distinguished himself by putting down the Toulon Uprising. He then became a brigadier general at the age of 24.
As a supporter of the Mountain Party (Jacobins), he was imprisoned for 14 days after the fall of Robespierre and dismissed from the army. However, the Directory also needed capable army leaders and brought him back, so that in 1795 he bloodily suppressed the royalist uprising in Paris and also won brilliant victories in campaigns against other royalist European powers with which France was at war, thanks to his military genius. However, his attempt to conquer the empire of Alexander the Great for France via Egypt to India failed in 1799 after defeats against England in Egypt.
After returning from Egypt, he disempowered the powerless Directory with his coup d'état on November 9, 1799 and placed himself as 1st Consul at the head of three consuls, and was soon confirmed as 1st Consul for life before finally crowning himself Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804.
Until the Egyptian campaign of 1798 and the goals he pursued with it, Napoleon was a well-known and very popular army leader, but he was not yet a political ruler. The Egyptian campaign enriched the Greco-Roman style favored by the Directoire with new stylistic elements, but the typical insignia of Roman power, such as the eagle, were not introduced until Napoleon was appointed 1st Consul.
Immediately after Napoleon's coup d'état, Rear-Admiral apparently created a letterhead on which the frigates Muiron et Carrère are depicted under a star marked 'B'. This depiction of Napoleon's return from Egypt to France under his command is then signed: "Nous Gouvernions sur son Étoile" ("We steer under his star"). One such letter, dated July 28, 1800, is now in the State Archives in Paris ( Centre historique des Archives nationales ), fonds Marine BB4 143, FOLIO 45. Numerous other letters of this type are known, of course with different dates from 1800.
Ganteaume places the possessive pronoun 'son' ( to be ) before étoile ( star ) and the star shown is additionally marked with a 'B'. There is no clearer way to speak of the 'Napoleonic' star. Napoleon himself did not yet use the five-pointed star at this time, which means for our Comtoise watches that the star only appears after the founding of the Order of the Star ( ordre de l'étoile ) in 1802, or after the official determination of the future appearance of the order in 1804, whereas the eagle certainly appears on the watches from the beginning of 1800. The eagle and the star definitely do not appear on Directoire watches.
One could assume that the crowned eagle appeared on the Comtoise watches from the end of 1804 or the beginning of 1805, after the imperial coronation in November 1804. However, this is not the case, as it was not until 1806 that Napoleon I decreed that the eagle had to be a crowned eagle in future. There is still some dispute in historiography as to whether Napoleon I did this in March or April 1806. There is no doubt, however, that he decreed it, and he did so after he felt himself to be the successor to the Holy Roman Emperor of the German Nation. When the Confederation of the Rhine, which he ruled, was founded in 1806, the then holder of this title, the Austrian King Francis I, resigned and immediately afterwards called himself Francis I Emperor of Austria, and the way was clear for Napoleon I to follow in the tradition of the Roman Caesars and the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation from Charlemagne onwards. It was precisely at this point that Napoleon I decreed that his 'imperial eagle' should now also wear 'the' crown. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, which was a building block in the Napoleonic reorganization of Europe, he created new kingdoms on whose thrones he placed his brothers.
Let us look, for example, at the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Westphalia ( 1807 - 1814 ), which was of course very similar to his own imperial coat of arms, with the decisive difference that a five-pointed star with an 'N' now appears beneath the all-conquering imperial crown. This makes it clear that King Jerome Bonaparte is a vassal of Emperor Napoleon I.
If you enter the terms "coat of arms of the Kingdom of Westphalia" or "Grandes Armes Jerome Bonaparte" in an Internet search engine, you will find this coat of arms very quickly.
The Napoleonic star in gold hovering above the shield is impressive.
If we look at the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Italy, for example, we also find the Napoleonic star under the imperial crown. Napoleon I had appointed himself King of Italy, so he was a vassal in Italy under himself as Emperor of France.
If you enter the terms "Coat of Arms Kingdom of Italy Napoleon" or "Coat of Arms Kingdom Italy" in an Internet search engine, you will find this coat of arms very quickly.
The coat of arms of the King of Italy also appeared on coins of the kingdom, so that Italians held the 'Napoleonic star' in their hands every day.
If you enter the term 'Regno Italia 40 Lire 1812' in an internet search engine, you will find this coin immediately.
From March 1, 1808, the French coat of arms was revised in accordance with the emperor's wishes, so that one can also speak of 'Napoleonic heraldry' here. This reorganization not only affected the coats of arms in France, but also those of the annexed territories, e.g. the Confederation of the Rhine. The political reorganization of Europe was thus also followed by the heraldic reorganization, at least of those territories that had been incorporated into the Empire. It would go too far to elaborate on this in detail here. What is certain, however, is that 'Napoleonic stars' and 'bees' played an important role. I would like to cite three examples.
The coat of arms of the city of Paris clearly shows who is now the ruler of the city of Paris, as there are three bees instead of golden lilies on a blue background and a five-pointed star next to a galley bearing the Egyptian goddess Isis on the prow.
If you enter the terms "Blason Paris Napoleon" in an Internet search engine, you will find this coat of arms very quickly.
36 cities of the Empire, the so-called "bonne ville de l'Empire francais" ("good cities of the French Empire") received new coats of arms. By law, the mayors of these towns had to be present when the emperor took the oath of allegiance. German cities that were now part of the French Empire, such as Aachen, Cologne, Mainz, Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen, also received new coats of arms. These cities of the 1st order all bore 3 bees on a red background above the city-specific parts. The cities of the 2nd and 3rd order, however, all bear an "N" under a five-pointed star, the Napoleonic star.
Enter "Armorial des communes d'Empire" as a search term in an Internet search engine and you will find an impressive list of these city coats of arms of the Napoleonic Empire.
The dukes of the Empire were also all given new coats of arms.
Enter "Armorial ducs Empire" as a search term in an internet search engine and you will find an impressive collection of Napoleonic stars.
If we look around the Empire in general, we find these Napoleonic stars everywhere in everyday life. There is no area of everyday life that absorbs and implements the spirit of the times faster than fashion. Ladies' hairstyles were embellished with golden papyrus fronds, laurel wreath earrings were envoque and lapis lazuli necklaces were worn around the neck. In addition to Egyptian motifs such as chariots, the women's gowns also featured palmette bands and acanthus vine patterns, and ultimately also 'Napoleonic stars'. Laurel wreaths and golden Empire stars also often appeared on the ladies' 'reticule', their handbags. The Napoleonic star had become a fashion accessory, an accessory of the Empire style.
Numerous pieces of furniture from the period were also decorated with gold-colored Empire stars; this is so obvious that I do not need to illustrate these examples here.
However, two examples of watches with Empire stars are worth illustrating. The dial of a black marble pendulum by the famous clockmaker 'Lepaute' is surrounded by a wreath of five-pointed brass stars. The dial is signed: Lepaute Hr ( Horloger ) de l'Empereur, Place du Palais Royal à Paris.
This 'Lepaute' is Jean-Joseph Lepaute, who was based there from 1798 to 1811 ( see Tardy, Dictionnaire des Horlogers Francais, page 384 ).
The Empire pendulum by the clockmaker 'Schmitt' has an hour hand with a five-pointed star. According to Tardy, the clockmaker Schmitt was based on the Rue Martin in Paris from 1800 - 1810. ( see Tardy. Dictionnaire.... page 589 ).
It is no exaggeration to say that the five-pointed star is omnipresent in the Empire. While it was certainly not so at the beginning of Napoleon's reign during his time as consul, it was then omnipresent in the Empire, and this development was driven by Napoleon himself, for he himself added the 'N' to his star and thus made it the Napoleonic symbol of power.
The five-pointed star entered the public consciousness from 1802 with the founding of the Order of the Star ( ordre de l'Étoile ), also known as the Order of the Legion of Honor ( ordre de la légion d'honneur ), and after mid-1804.
With the beginning of the French Revolution, all the orders of the 'Ancien Régime', which had all been reserved for the nobility or the clergy, were abolished. However, the changed power structure of the new society also required an award system that made it possible to reward military service. While gifts of money or weapons of honor were initially awarded, Napoleon initiated a new medal, which he justified in the National Assembly in 1802 with the following revealing words: "I wager... that no new and old republic can be named to me that has not awarded honors. And that is called toys and tinsel! Very good! But you lead people with tinsel like that. I wouldn't say it from the lectern, but in a council of wise statesmen you can say anything. I don't believe that the French people love freedom and equality. The French have not changed in the last years of the Revolution. They have only one passion, and it is called 'honor'. But this passion must be cherished and cultivated and honors must be bestowed!" ( Kircheisen, Napoleon I., V 272 ) Roman models, how could it be otherwise, served as a model for this new order of the Legion of Honor. The order was divided into five classes and anyone with the appropriate merit could be considered, but women were not initially eligible, unlike today.
While all orders up to the end of the 18th century were actually four-pointed orders, the new Napoleonic Order of State became, unsurprisingly, a five-pointed order.
In this context, there is another possible explanation as to why the Order of the Legion of Honor became a five-pointed order.
Already in the Age of Enlightenment, the five-pointed star had been a symbol of Freemasonry for moral and spiritual authority. The 'flaming star', as the five-pointed star was also called by the Freemasons, often appeared next to the protractor on the tables of the lodge masters. In an oil painting, Alexandre Louis Roettiers de Montaleau, Grand Vénérable de la Maconnerie Francaise ( Grand Dignitary of French Freemasonry ), who was one of the leaders of the French Grand Lodge from 1780 to 1808, wears this 'flaming star' on his chest alongside other Masonic symbols. There are numerous flaming stars in the seal of the French Grand Lodge.
The seal of the 1st Republic, whether influenced by Freemasonry or by the flag of the USA, which at that time had 13 stars, is also framed by a wreath of 83 of these stars, which stand for the 83 departments of the French state of 1790. Napoleon adopted this seal, merely exchanging the motto 'AU NOM DE LA RÈPUBLIQUE' for 'AU NOM DU PEUPLE FRANCAIS BONAPARTE 1er CONSUL'.
Jean-Baptiste Caillot, a Prussian painter and draughtsman, and General Mathieu Dumas, a Freemason and the first organizer of the Légion d'honneur, were certainly inspired by the blazing star when they created the first models of the badges of the Légion d'honneur under the Consulate. The influence of the Freemasons was probably great, as numerous ministers, friends, even Napoleon's brothers and his wife Josephine were Freemasons. However, this did not prevent Napoleon I from having these Freemasons monitored by his secret police. Napoleon I refused the honor of Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of France, which his brother Joseph then took over. The Masonic influence of his environment was evident, but there is no evidence of a direct connection for the decision to use the five-pointed star as the central symbol of the new order to be created. To be fair, the direct influence exerted by the five-pointed stars in the Bonaparte family coat of arms cannot be proven either, at least not at the time of the order's creation.
French historiography, however, tends to believe that the second reason was probably the decisive one.
"Of which étoile is the question in the project presented by Mathieu Dumas?
De la maconnique, de la napoléonienne ou bien de deux?Archival sources tend to favor the second hypothesis."
"Which star does this project proposed by Mathieu Dumas refer to?The Masonic one, the Napoleonic one or both?The archive sources tend to favor the second hypothesis."Anne de Chefdebien writes this on page 42 of the book: L'INSIGNE de L'HONNEUR DE LA LÈGION Á L'ÉTOILE, which was published under her scientific direction with the collaboration of Charles-Philippe de Vergennes by the MUSÈE NATIONAL DE LA LÈGION D'HONNEUR ET DES ORDES DE CHEVALERIE. Mme. Anne de Chefdebien is the current curator of this national museum in Paris.
If we take into account some sources that postdate the creation of the 'Order of the Star' ( ordre de l'étoile ), it becomes clear that there was a process of development in which the five-pointed star present in the Bonaparte family coat of arms evolved into a 'Napoleonic star’.
Am 16. Juli 1803 wandte sich ein königlicher Agent mit diesen Begriffen an Louis XVIII, indem er sagte:
"Others say that Bonaparte is going to have himself proclaimed Emperor (...) The new coat of arms of the French Empire is also insensitively being prepared. The main piece will be, it is said, the Star of Bonaparte, the miraculous star that guided him so happily from Alexandria to Toulon, and whose commemorative painting can be seen in his gallery at Malmaison. This star has already replaced the pomegranate that consular guides used to wear embroidered on their lapels. Already, it is sowing the carpets on which the organs of justice sit. It reappears in decoration designs. ( Archives du Ministère des Affaires étrangères, Mémoires et documents, fonds Bourbon, vol. 602, letter from Paris, July 16, 1803; Comte Remaclle, op.cit., p. 355 )
" Others say that Bonaparte will proclaim himself emperor. (...) The new arms of the French Empire are imperceptibly being prepared. The main part, it is said, will be the star of Bonaparte, that wondrous star which guided him so happily from Alexandria to Toulon, and of which there is a commemorative painting in his gallery at Malmaison. This star has already replaced the grenade that the consular guards wear embroidered on their lapels. It is already sown on the carpets on which the judicial bodies hold their meetings. It appears in the designs of decorations."
This commemorative painting, mentioned in the previous section, can still be admired by visitors to the Chateau de Malmaison today. This 'Portrait du Premier Consul' of the young Napoleon dates from 1803 and was painted by Joseph-Marie Vien, dit le jeune ( called the young ) ( 1761-1848 ). An impressive frame with bees and stars.
In the Musée National De La Légion d'Honneur Et Des Ordres De Chevalerie ( Museum of the Legion of Honor and the Orders of Chivalry ) in Paris, there is a large semicircular painting whose entire border is also decorated with five-pointed stars.
In 1803 and 1804, there were also popular depictions of Napoleon in which he is crowned with stars or surmounted by a single shining star. On the occasion of Napoleon's assassination on December 24, 1800, a medal was minted bearing his face next to his small star.
On the coins of the Kingdom of Italy, the five-pointed star appears together with the Napoleonic coat of arms. The coin shown below dates from 1811.
The official inauguration of the new Order of the Legion of Honour took place by Napoleon on July 15, 1804, after the form of execution had been determined by decree on July 11, 1804. Several artists had worked on it for 2 years.
This Napoleonic medal itself was a five-pointed star made of heavy silver under white and green enamel. The current design still corresponds to the original from 1804, with the exception of the head of Apollo, which bore a striking resemblance to Napoleon himself, who has since been replaced by 'Marianne' as the embodiment of the Republic. The imperial crown has also been replaced by the laurel wreath.
The necklace itself consists of three chains, of which the outer and inner chains alternate between five-pointed stars and cartouches decorated with bees. The pendant medal itself consists of five double prongs.
Other orders of vassal states followed the design given by Paris when Joseph Bonaparte, the Emperor's brother, gave the two orders he created, namely the Royal Order of the Deux-Siciles (1806) and the Royal Order of Spain (1808), the general border of a star with five points.
If we now look at the Comtoise clocks of the Napoleonic era, on which we find the imperial symbolism again, we can now date many clocks more precisely according to the above explanations.
Until March/April 1806, the eagle is always without a crown ( see Schmitt plate 12 page 91, fig. no. 52 page 93, see Bergmann fig. no. 36 page 60, fig. no. 150 page 179, fig. no. 295 page 278 ).
After this date, from April 1806 at the latest, the eagle wore a crown until its final banishment in 1815.
( see Schmitt plate 13 page 94, see Bergmann fig. no. 297 page 280, )
The portrait of Napoleon under the eagle ( see Schmitt fig. no. 51 page 92, see Bergmann fig. no. 296 page 278 ) dates from 1799 - 1804.
The model with a large 'N' under an eagle sitting on a globe in front of crossed cannon barrels and lightning bolts ( see Museum Schoonhoven exhibition catalog fig. no. 26 page 21 ) probably dates from the first year of his power, when he was already consul but certainly still dreaming of the world empire that the English had destroyed.
Beneath a bowl of flowers we see a large eagle with spread wings (see Bergmann fig. no. 299 page 282), a truly rare model.
Two emblems with images of Napoleon and Josephine (cf. Bollen fig. no. 46, cf. Schmitt plate 14 page 95, cf. Bergmann fig. no. 298 page 281, cf. exhibition catalog Museum Schoonhoven fig. no. 25 page 21 ). Napoleon is depicted here with his first wife Josephine and not Marie-Louise, his second wife. There are two versions of this model, in which the eagle is depicted with and without a crown. The clock depicted by Bollen dates either from the end of 1804 or from 1805, as this clock has a republican calendar that was valid until December 31, 1805. Clocks with an uncrowned eagle and images of Napoleon and Josephine date from before March/April 1806.
The rooster motif definitely does not appear during Napoleon's reign, whereas the radiating head continues to appear, albeit much less than the eagle ( see fig. no. 28 CUM, see Schmitt fig. no. 48 page 87 )
The most commonly used cast attachment of the Napoleonic period, however, is the radiate aureole of the divinized Augustus, as already described in the chapter 'Solar Emblem', which occurs most frequently with a five-pointed star below it.
This five-pointed star also occurs in connection with the eagle (cf. fig. no. 31 CUM / vol. 1, cf. Schmitt fig. no. 53 page 96, exhibition catalog Museum Schoonhoven fig. no. 24 A page 21), but very rarely.
If this five-pointed star appears in connection with both the eagle and the radiant aureole, then it is reasonable to assume that this star is also a Napoleonic symbol of power.
Why a five-pointed star and not a three- or six- or seven-pointed star? Why the number five?
There are certainly numerous explanations as to what a five-pointed star, a pentagon, a pentagram could stand for, but they do not help in our particular case, which is called Napoleon.
If Napoleon adopted existing symbols of the empire in the form of the eagle and the aureole, the five-pointed star was a symbol of power in its own right.
The explanation of the number five is so simple and obvious that it could be overlooked in the multitude of possible interpretations.
There are two five-pointed stars in the Buonaparte family coat of arms, which thus stand for this family's or Napoleon's claim to power. Whereas there had previously been three Bourbon lilies in the medallions under the cockerel, the five-pointed star from the Buonaparte coat of arms was now present under the eagle or the sun's head as a symbol of the ruling dynasty.
"Ces differents motifs sont directement liés à la symbolique napoléoniennes: l'étoile est celle des armes des Bonaparte, l'étoile inséparable de l'image du conquerant…….."
"These various motifs are directly linked to Napoleonic symbolism: the star is that of the Bonaparte coat of arms, the star inseparable from the image of the conqueror......."
Citation: page 168 Symboles des pouvoirs sous Napoléon.Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris, et American Federation of Arts, 2007. ISBN: 978-2-916914-01-5Since the five-pointed star symbolizes the Order of the Legion of Honour, which was only founded by Napoleon I in 1802, the pointed-rayed aureole cannot be dated before 1802 either (cf. illus. no. 32 CUM, no. 93 CUM, no. 94 CUM, no. 149 CUM all vol. 1, cf. Schmitt fig. no. 44 page 83, no. 45 page 84, cf. Bergmann fig. no. 35 page 59, fig. no. 37 page 60, (( fig. no. 32 CUM shows clock no. 24 of 1809 by Chavin, fig. no. 37 page 60 in Bergmann shows clock no. 25 of 1809 by Chavin )), fig. no. 77 page 108 ).Some authors date the clocks with the five-pointed star to the Directoire period of 1795 - 1799, but this is not tenable.If you look at the imperial coat of arms of Napoleon I, you will find all the attributes with which Napoleon adorned his reign, including the five-pointed Order of the Legion of Honor.
The central symbol is the eagle of the ancient Roman Empire, sitting on a thunderbolt and hurling thunderbolts. As you have already learned in the chapter 'Eagle emblem', this eagle sat on the vexilia, the pole-shaped field signs of the Roman legions, which the centurion used to convey orders and which were therefore known with the eagle in every corner of the Roman Empire.Napoleon wanted to express his intention to establish a new empire of equal size and power under his leadership, but also to emphasize his claim to the title of Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, as he saw himself as the successor to Charlemagne.That this was the case can be seen from the fact that the sceptre pointing to the right bears a figure of Charlemagne with a sceptre and imperial eagle at its tip.As is well known, Charlemagne had a Roman eagle placed on the imperial palace in Aachen after his coronation in 800 to express that he considered himself the heir to the Roman emperors.The sceptre, pointing to the left, has a hand at the tip that is shaped like an oath hand.The eagle image itself is framed by the Grand Master's chain with the letter 'N' of the Order of the Legion of Honor, from which the five-pointed medal hangs.
Above the Grand Master's chain of the Order we see a knight's helmet with an open visor, which itself also bears another chain with the Order, but which also bears the imperial crown.
The two sceptres and the central crown have an ermine mantle hanging in the background, which is now covered with bees instead of small lilies, as was the case with the Bourbon kings. Napoleon chose the bees in allusion to the origins of his own French monarchy through the Merovingian King Childeric in the 5th century AD. which were an attribute of this king.
Napoleon proceeded purposefully and consistently, everything was planned and staged to advertise his emperorship.
While the eagle is restricted to the period from 1799 to 1814/1815 and the eagle with the imperial crown to the period from 1806 to 1814/1815, the radiate aureole with the head of Apollo, which of course was used in the period from1802 to 1814/1815 to Napoleon I, and the five-pointed star from 1802 onwards, continued to be tolerated or used by his successors Louis XVIII and Charles X until 1830, even after the fall of Napoleon I, because the legacy of Napoleon I lived on, e.g. with the Order of the Legion of Honor, which still exists today as the highest state order in France, but especially of course the 'Code Napoleon', Napoleon's extensive code of law. Although the Bourbons returned to power during the Restoration, they were kings in a constitutional monarchy and the citizens ensured that their rights were preserved.
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On the Lower Rhine in the Wardhausen district of 47533 Kleve-Rinder, there is an impressive monument which immediately brings to mind the French Emperor NAPOLEON I due to its stars.
The name Napoleon is not mentioned, and yet at the time, every observer of this monument knew from the 'Napoleonic stars' that it had been erected on his behalf.
JEANNE SEBUS
JEUNE FILLE DE XVII ANS
APRÈS AVOIR SAUVÉ SA MÉRE INFIRME
OF THE EAUX DU RHIN DEBORDÉ L'AN 1809
SE PRECIPITA DE NOUVEAU DANS LE FLEUVE
POUR ARRACHER À LA MORT
A MOTHER AND HER CHILDREN
ELLE Y PERIT
CE MONUMENT À ÉTÉ ÉLEVÉ
À SA MEMOIRE
L'AN 1811
Johanna Sebus, a 17-year-old girl, after saving her mother from the floods of the Rhine, which overflowed its banks in 1809, threw herself into the river again to save a mother and her children from death. She drowned in the process. This monument was erected in her memory in 1811.
Above the inscription is a white rose surrounded by 12 stars.
On the occasion of his coronation in 1804, Napoleon I founded the Order of the White Rose, which was to be awarded to particularly virtuous young women in his empire. Normally, the young women deemed worthy received a golden ring of honor as well as the payment of their dowry by the state. Johanna Sebus was posthumously honored for her heroic behavior with this monument and with the reconstruction of the Sebus family home, which had been destroyed by floods.
A postcard from around 1900 shows Napoleon I in a typical pose. He is looking up at a five-pointed star surrounded by rays, his STERN.
The card is labeled: 4th - Son Etoile.
For people in the 19th century, it was perfectly normal to associate Napoleon I with his five-pointed star.
In the magazine L'ILLUSTRATION of March 11, 1911, the perfume 'L'ÉTOILE de NAPOLÉON' was advertised.
There can be nothing more ideal for a merchant if he can sell his product under a symbol that every customer knows. He didn't even have to pay anything for the NAPOLEON'S STERN trademark!
At the beginning of the 20th century, everyone (every customer, every child) knew the Napoleon's Star.
