In March 1802, France and Britain signed the Treaty of
Amiens, ending the war that had raged between the two countries since 1793. It
was a time of great excitement for both Paris and England. English high society
was in a flutter as it rushed to France to enjoy once again the delights of
Paris, an indulgence denied to them by the last nine years of conflict.
Upper class England’s love of all things French is what made
Paris so alluring. It was a mark of breeding to speak French fluently, employ
French cooks and follow French fashion. Before the war, wealthy young
gentlemen, and sometimes young ladies, weren’t considered properly educated
until they’d spent a year or two on the continent. Once France was closed off
to the English, many grand dames and old gentlemen lamented the loss of its
culturing influence on their children and grandchildren. With the Peace of
Amiens, it was once again safe to accompany the younger generation across the
Channel.
It wasn’t just the English who found opportunity in the
peace. Paris benefited from the influx of money from the tourists. During the
war years, the city had been left to rot while Napoleon concentrated on
conquering the world. Many of the English who returned to it were surprised at
the decay and decline that had taken place over the last nine years. Also,
thanks to the French Revolution, the old social order of Paris was gone.
Napoleon and the new aristocrats he’d created were the center of society now
and he wanted to make an impression on the English. He arranged an exposition
to show off French goods and allowed many high born English ladies to be
presented to his wife, Josephine.
Outside Napoleon’s circle, there were other delights
awaiting the English. Balls, dinners, and card parties were very popular
nighttime activities. During the day, visitors would travel to view galleries
full of paintings, Roman marbles and other artifacts which the English had been
denied access to because of the war. Then, just as now, Paris was all about
shopping for high end goods, and the English certainly shopped! Many spent
exorbitant amounts of money on china services, paintings, ancient marbles and
clothes.
The Peace of Amiens was also a time for reunions. Many old
aristocrats who’d fled France and the Terror now returned to visit family, and petition
Napoleon for the restoration of their lands. Some were successful, most were
not. Untitled people also went to France to visit family they hadn’t seen for nine
years. The poet William Wordsworth travelled to France to visit his former
mistress and the illegitimate daughter he’d sired with her ten years before.
Alexandre d’Arblay, the husband of author Fanny Burney, travelled to France with
his wife and their only son to try and reclaim his land and to see his family.
The excitement of the peace did not last. In January, cracks
in the peace began to show and the tide of visitors to France began to shift as
people returned home. By early May 1803, it was imperative that anyone who
wanted to leave France needed to do so immediately. Those that were able to
make their way back to England were lucky. There were many who were not so
fortunate. Fanny Burney, her husband and son were trapped in France. She and
many others would not see England again until the Battle of Waterloo brought
down Napoleon in 1815.
The year after the Peace of Amiens was a glittering time that
ended almost as quickly as it had begun. For a few months, the English were
able to indulge their love for all things French, reunite with loved ones,
visit old friends and gather experiences before war denied them access to the
country for another twelve years. It was a time rife with conflict, excitement,
anticipation, loss, hope and fun, a great time to provide drama for a romance
novel, such as my latest release, THE COURTESAN'S BOOK OF SECRETS.
Check out my books to see more of how I incorporate history into my novels. www.Georgie-Lee,com
1 comment:
What a fine moment in history -- bittersweet with brevity. I didn't know about this, thanks for sharing it!
Do you know about the Dreaming of France meme? It's on Mondays on the Accidental Blog: http://paulita-ponderings.blogspot.com/ Your post would fit equally well there!
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