THE CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON by David G. Chandler

Author:David G. Chandler [Chandler, David G.]
Language: zh
Format: mobi
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2009-11-30T16:00:00+00:00

P.M. on 27th June, they watched the Guard infantry on parade; next day, Davout’s corps maneuvered elaborately for the imperial delectation; the 29th found Davout again being inspected on the parade ground; on the 30th, it was the turn of the Guard artillery; on July 1, the Guard cavalry was put through its paces, and so on, day after day.

Behind the closed doors the hard bargaining was taking place. Inevitably the only real victim was unfortunate Prussia. As Napoleon already knew, Frederick William was easy to bully, but he soon found that his Queen was made of sterner stuff. She tried every female wile from tears to coquetry to wring concessions from the apparently stony heart of the French Emperor. At first, Napoleon was abrupt in his references to her in his letters to Josephine. On July 6, he merely records: “The handsome Queen of Prussia is coming to dine with me today.” On the 7th, he was rather more expansive: “The Queen of Prussia dined with me yesterday. I had to defend myself against being obliged to make some further concessions to her husband; I was galant, but adhered to my policy. The Queen is very amiable.” By the 8th, Louise’s charm was having an even greater effect on the increasingly susceptible Napoleon. “The Queen of Prussia is really charming; she is full of coquetterie toward me. But do not be jealous, I am an oilcloth off which all that sort of thing runs. It would cost me too dear to play the galant.”27

All this amiable effort availed Prussia nothing. Napoleon was determined to have his pound of flesh, and as for the fair pleader, Napoleon could never forget or forgive the part she had played in inciting war against him. The Queen was particularly desirous of retaining control of the great fortress of Magdeburg on the Elbe, but this Napoleon refused to countenance. Every possible occasion was taken to humiliate Prussia publicly; her representatives were not even allowed to sign the peace treaty on the same day as Russia. The agreement with the Tsar was executed on July 7 and ratified two days later; that with Prussia was only signed on the 9th and ratified on the 12th. The deliberate differentiation was clear to all.

The terms of the public treaty with Russia spoke at length of the fraternal feelings between the Emperors and their mutual joy at finding themselves at peace with one another once more, and went on to stress the possibilities for creative cooperation that now could be deemed to exist. Obviously, the real points of importance were incorporated in the secret articles. Callously abandoning Turkish interests, Napoleon agreed in the first article that Russia should take possession of European Turkey at will, the only French price for this carte blanche being the cession of the Ionian Isles and the Dalmatian coast. Russia was also to extend her conquests in Asia, and in addition, Finland was similarly alloted to Alexander’s portion. Each side promised to act

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