#consulate

By Andrea Appiani

~ Marguerite Gérard, Duchess of Abrantès and General Junot, or The Hussar and His Family (c.1800) (detail)

To the peacemaker of the world He deprives himself for our sake, of the rest he gives us

From the moment the preliminary peace treaty (of Amiens) was signed in London, a wave of joy and hope swept through France. In the minutes of the Laon (Aisne) town council, clerk Lecointe referred to Bonaparte as “the Peacemaker of the World” on the anniversary of the 18th Brumaire (November 9, 1801). He celebrated with fervor and naiveté the man he believed to be the champion of peace. Like many at the time, the Laon town clerk envisioned a peace that would both last, ratify French victories, and guarantee freedom of the seas, a promise of trade and prosperity.

Paris, 13 Ventôse, Year XI [28 March 1803] I have received the letter in which Your Majesty informs me of the birth of a princess, whom Her Majesty the Queen, your wife, has just safely brought into the world, and it is with genuine satisfaction that I have learnt of this happy event. My keen interest in everything that may contribute to the prosperity of Your Majesty’s Royal House is a sure indication of the joy I share in such a delightful event. I pray Your Majesty will be assured of this, as well as of the feelings of the deepest esteem and friendship I have always held for Your Majesty.