Dynasty by Jeroen Duindam

Author:Jeroen Duindam
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2019-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

Like imperial Rome, the Chinese imperial legacy furnished a coherent image of authority exercised in practice by a long string of dynasties each lasting up to several centuries. All dynasties adopted the fundamental accoutrements of traditional Chinese imperial power. Moreover, China could boast greater political continuity than Rome, notwithstanding frequent conquests, rebellions, and divisions. The exemplary rule of legendary sage kings Yao, Shun, and Yu was invoked throughout Chinese history. The deeds and writings of famous emperors, most notably Tang Taizong, were absorbed by newcomers. How did such novices deal with the dynasties immediately preceding their rule? Even before the Manchu Qing dynasty conquered China, it acquired the supposed seal of the Chinggisid Yuan dynasty (1279−1368). Once safely vested in power, the new dynasty presented offerings at the Ming tombs. Following Chinese custom, it now also ordered the history of the Ming dynasty to be compiled. These forms of respect for predecessors underlined the legitimacy of the new ruling house. At the same time, there was no clemency for recalcitrant supporters of the Ming pretender.

A well-documented, comprehensive, but short-lived attempt to consolidate a new ruling house can be found in the recent past: Napoleon. The Corsican general started out as a revolutionary, became a consolidator, and soon coveted the supreme accolade of imperial dignity. In the process he rapidly adopted the trappings of royalty. When in 1801 Napoleon reconciled France with the Catholic Church through the concordat with Pope Pius VII, he also created a group of staunch supporters who were relieved to see their lucrative purchase of confiscated church lands acknowledged by the Pope. Having secured a stable basis in France and a modus vivendi with the papacy, the First Consul moved on to acquire imperial and royal dignity. Napoleon vainly tried to obtain the regalia of the Holy Roman Empire, safely stashed away by the Habsburgs. Making do without Charlemagne’s crown, Napoleon eclipsed earlier emperors by forcing the Pope to be present at his coronation, while usurping the right to put the crown on his own head. In 1805, moreover, he acquired the prestigious iron crown of Lombardy for his coronation as king of Italy in Milan. The new emperor cherry-picked distinctive items and habits from various traditions to fashion his own palace staff and forms of representation. In addition, he created honorific rewards for soldiers, administrators, and nobles. To his grand-style bricolage of dynastic legacies he added marriage alliances with European royalty, most notably his own second marriage to the Habsburg princess Marie-Louise of Austria. The members of his clan and his most loyal supporters were positioned as monarchs and governors in satellite states. This was a dynasty in the making.

Napoleon did what others had done before him: he established a new order by connecting the charisma of the successful warlord to hallowed traditions. His case might appear to be an exception because the French Revolution so severely dented the foundations of European royalty. Did this turbulent phase of change grant more manoeuvring space to the parvenu

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