The Soldier's Death in French Culture: a Napoleonic Case Study

Abstract

The death of Marshal Jean Lannes at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809 and its subsequent representation in official reports, memoirs and academic painting provides a case study in how the subject of the soldier's death remains a rich terrain for historical investigation. Studies by André Corvisier, John Keegan, Yuval Harari, Hervé Drévillon and George Mosse identify important dimensions of the topic. Analysis of the death of Lannes in the broader context of Napoleonic warfare identifies this period as a distinctive moment in the history of the soldier's death. Representations of Lannes's death reflected the Napoleonic synthesis of old regime and revolutionary ideals of military glory. Soldiers' memoirs commenting on the death of Lannes and more generally on the encounter with battlefield death reveal a mixture of matter-of-factness and deeper emotion, confirming Harari's picture of this as a transitional epoch in the soldier's experience.

KEYWORDS:

• soldier
• death
• painting
• memoirs
• battle
• Lannes
• Napoleon

Notes on contributor

Ian Germani is Professor of History at the University of Regina, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, where he has taught since 1987. His research has focused on war and culture during the French Revolution.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Humanities Research Institute, the University of Regina.