Napoleon in 1812
Chapter 109:

19. EuropeanSummit – 6

Ludwigvan Beethoven’s tributesong waslike an illustrationofthe fantasies that intellectualswho did notknow thedark andshadyaspects of international politics and thenationalsystem had about Napoleon.

Their clear, livelyexpectations, hopes andthoughtswouldbethoroughly consumed forNapoleonand France’s national interest. In theprocess, Napoleoncouldbecome adevil, amartyr, or a truemythicalhero.

Napoleon did notfeel anyguiltaboutusingtheirminds. Werethey notusingNapoleonand France to realize their own utopiaanyway? Funny enough, it was a conversation with Talleyrandthat came to Napoleon’smind, ashebecame the hero of the desperateEroica.

Talleyrand wasa traitor who hadbetrayedhis country, but also aperson who hada contradictory loyaltytohis country.

‘A commonEuropeancouncil is only acurtain to make people believe thatthe Empire is takingpeaceand coexistence in Europe very seriously.’

Peopleusually referred to FrançoisCarnot, whomade thefamous declaration, as thefirstperson to comeupwith theidea of ‘union’.

Itwas saidthat he, who was originally an advanced reformer, spoke to Napoleon about hisideasfirst. But thetruthwas different.

Thiswas the work of Talleyrand-Périgord, a conspirator trappedina cage who wasclaimingthat thenationalinterestwas above any other value. And of course, his ideas werenot led by goodwill andnobleintentions.

‘Themore pawns youhave in chess, the better. Bringthem into the Great Warascollateral to take advantage of their safetyand sovereignty. Usetheirideals as ajustification anduse themasconsumable items.’

Then whatwas the goal of Talleyrand-Périgord, whofirstproposedthis ‘union’?

Itwas neithertotransform the image of theFrench Empire nortomake Napoleon an Enlightenment monarch. At atime when the British and Frenchforces wereatodds, itwas meant to put forward acausetouniteotherpowers on France’s side.

Thus, it wastosolidifyits justifiable superiority in the ‘GreatWar’ that would surely break outlater, and to obtainnumerousallies.

Infact, Napoleonand France didnot do anything special. Theyjust wishedfor peace in Europe andonly increasedfalsepromisesand pledgesaboutcommon values. Nevertheless, European intellectuals werepraisingNapoleonvery enthusiastically.

They lookedasifthey hadfoundtheirfuture prophetand savior. The baseofthe influence of intellectuals and experts engagedinculture, art, andmediaonthe overallsociety wasvery wide and deep, especially for thepeople who enviedthem.

The cause of theBritish-Frenchdispute, whichwas now threatening peace on theEuropeancontinent, was, strictly speaking, France’s fault forinfringing on British property rights first.

Nevertheless, Europeanliteracyand public opinion protected Franceand criticizedBritain. This waswhat captivated the literacy class. Beingable to move public opinion.

Britain, whichwas spurring preparations forwar, must be at aloss by now. It was truly a perfectpolitical move. Britainwas alreadyreborn as an axisofevil that was threatening peace in Europe.

‘Honestly, isn’t the territoryofthe Empire wide enough? Now YourMajesty shouldpursue honor rather than conquest.’

Thatwas Talleyrand’s last advice. Atthat time, Napoleon wasable to seethe nervousness, vigilance, and anxiety thatcouldnot be hidden, contained in Talleyrand’s smile.

Napoleon knewwell that Talleyrandhad criticizedNabot’s unreasonableconquestwars in thepast. Ofcourse, he didnot knowthat theownerofhis bodyhad changed.

That was whyhewas showinganxiety even though theEmperor wasdifferent frombefore. He wasafraid thatNapoleonwouldrun rampantagain.

‘And thatwas why I was able to accept Talleyrand’strue words without doubt.’

Napoleon strokedhis bluecloakembroideredwith an eagle, the symbol of theFrench Emperor. In an unexpectedworld, he was in theunwantedpositionofEmperor, a prisoner like Talleyrand.

With the heart of a snake, he could do anything forFrance’swealth and power. Atthe sametime, hewas anatural politician who skillfully usedhypocrisy and deception.

He didnot consider goodorevil. Heonly moved forward thinking about the futureand national interests of hiscountry. Looking forward to tomorrow’sevents, Napoleon lookedfor asleepthat never came.

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Usually, there was no distinction between banquets symbolizing friendshipand harmonyand negotiations to coordinate diplomaticdisputesinplaces where treaties or agreementsbetween European countrieswere established.

It was thetraditionaland aristocratic European negotiation methods to dance withmusicwhileenjoyingluxurious foodand colorful palace parties, andtosecretlybut warily express one’s own opinions.

Evenwhen Napoleon signedanagreement withthe RussianTsar in thecity of Druskininkaiafterwinning theBattle of Hrodna, the party venue and thenegotiatingvenuewere mixed andindistinguishable.

However, thegreatevents hereatthe Rohan Palace in Strasbourg wereheld in separate places, differing from the past tradition.

The party wascontinuing in themain hall of the Rohan Palaceasitdid the daybefore. However, theactual protagonists of thetalkswere filling their seats in aconference room of the detached palace.

January 1st, 1818. The expressions of European monarchs and attendants, whostoodina position that would create a new history for theEuropeancontinent, were solemn.

“Then… We willstartthe first European summit now.”

Theireyes lookedaround in asolemn atmospherewherethe brightnessand splendor of the party could notbefound.

‘They’re just readingthe room.’

And thiswas alsoa characteristic of organizations formed by an ideal justification. Themembers pretendedtowant to find autopia, butavoided takingthe leadand riskingtheirown sacrifice.

In the end, theywouldonly move for thebenefit of individuals andgroups. Andthat wastrue forNapoleonhimself as well. Thekey was howsophisticated it waspackaged.

“Even withina small society, there areconstantdisputesamongpeople, so what about ahuge setofcountries? I knowthat it’s impossibletohave a world withnoquarrel at all.”

Heraised ahot topic. Feeling thatthe monarchs’ attentionwas focusedonhim, Napoleon continued.

“The willofthe French Empireistoachieve it even if it is witha limited scope. At least in Europe, we wanttosolveproblemsbetween countrieswith dialogue andgoodwill, not guns and cannons. Of course, thisisnot something that one country can do alone. Wedesperatelyneed thenoblecooperationofthe guests.”

Napoleon’s remarksopened the door to the talks, and the Minister of theAdministrationFrançois Carnot, the author of the‘Carnot Declaration’, explained thespecificplansfor the European Council.

“We haven’tnamedthe councilyet, so we’ll call it the ‘Union’. Members of the Union are, of course, countries thatattendedthe Strasbourgtalks. Countries belongingtothe Union willbeprotected fromexternalenemies as a whole.”

Carnot made military alliances andmutual defensesystems thefirstpillar of the Union. Members of theUnionadvocated the principleofjointly responding to external threatswhilerefraining from bloody internal disputes.

“My country approves.”

“We will worktogether.”

Some countriesexpressed disapproval, butthe small states of theConfederation of theRhine, especiallythe bishopricsand the free cities, agreed as if it wentwithout saying. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

‘From thepointofview of thesmallcountries of the Confederation of the Rhine, France, Austria, Prussia, as well as Denmark, Bavaria, and Saxonylook like threatening predators targetingthem. They will not miss the opportunity to be guaranteed safety withinthe Union.’

In the past, small andmedium-sized countries of theHoly Roman Empirewere protectedbythe Habsburg Empire, but now that empire haddisappeared.

In fact, thesmallcountries of the Confederation of the Rhine, whichwere only as big as city-states, had to protectthemselves andtheirneighbors in similarsituations, but their influence wasminimal in thehuge plate ledbythe great powers.

Theyattendedthe Strasbourgtalksontheirown willtoprotect their sovereignty from neighboring powers, not under any Frenchpressure.

‘Inotherwords, there is no needtooverdo it or to givethem benefits to persuade them. They willapprove theUnionontheirown.’

Rather, they would be well-behavedmembers of theCouncil andwouldactivelyfollow the French-led order. Andthe number of peoplerepresenting thematthe talks was notsmall.

With the activesympathyofpro-France countries, the atmosphere of the talks seemedtobeloosening under the leadership of France. Then, someone asked forthe right to speak.

“I wouldlike to saya word to the FrenchEmperor, the organizer of this conference, and to theEuropeanmonarchsgatheredhere.”

Themost importanttarget of vigilance of theFrench ForeignMinistry, the Austrian Empire’s Foreign Minister Klemensvon Metternich[1], steppedup.

“Please speak.”

“Thank you, Minister of the Administration. Wefullyacknowledgethe value and necessityofthe European Union claimedbythe French Empire. Of course, our perspective is alittle different from the other countries… But let’s discussthis later.”

“…”

“First of all, itseemsnecessary to explainthe standards of theinternalmembers of theUnionand their individualspeakingrights. When discussinganimportant agenda forthe Union, thebiggest countriesdominating thecontinent and thesmallcountries of the Confederation of the Rhine will not exercise equal influenceand executive power, will they?”

Thistime, the monarchs and leaders of small states of theConfederation of theRhineshowed unpleasantsigns.

‘Metternich. You’re starting to act.’

Carnotglanced at them and replied.

“Of course. Member countries belongingtothe Union willbedivided into ranks based on variousstandards set by theForeign Ministry of theEmpire, includingtheirsize, population, and economic power. Dependingontheirranks, the members of the Union will exercise different powers.”

Infact, this wasa given. Itdid not make sense for a city-statewith a populationof50,000 and Francewith more than45 million citizens to speak on an equal footing.

However, revealing thispart first andsaying it in aroughtone wasonly a blatantact of blurring the water of theconference hall.

“The Foreign Ministry of the FrenchEmpire… Hmm, inthe end, the ranks of the membercountries willbedivided accordingtothe intentionsand tendenciesofthe French Foreign Ministry, so canwetrustand accept them completely?”

Metternich raisedhis headand shoutedatrepresentatives of other countries.

“It seems difficulttotrustthe objectivity of sucha rating, which is to evaluate member statesbydividingthem into severalranks. The Union is a consultative body established to protectand promotecommon European values. Then of course, it is right to discussand set theranksofthe member statestogether, don’t you think so?”

Therepresentatives became noisy. Itwas nothingbad fromtheirpointofview. This oneremark shook numerous pro-Francecountries.

“I can’tagreewith that at all. Aboveall, it soundseven more suspicioustosay thatafterattending the meeting and ignoring theintentions of thehost country (France). Think about whose concessions andgood faith preceded theformation of thisallianceinthe first place.”

Of course, therewere countriesthat didnot agree withMetternich. Poland, among them, wasanextreme pro-France country. WhenJózef I condemned Metternich, sparks erupted betweenAustrianand Polish officials.

These twocountries had jointly responded to theinvasionofthe OttomanEmpire and hadachieveda feat thatwouldremain in the history of the Christianworld, but their friendship had long beenbroken becauseofAustria’s contribution to Poland’s historical pain(the partitionofPoland).[2]

The atmosphere in the conference hallfroze, and therepresentatives of somecountries wondered if theyattendedfor nothing. French foreign officials were perplexed as if they had notexpectedthis situation.

It wasnot goodfor France to be dragged by other countries from the beginningofthe talks. It wasnot Napoleon’splacetointervene, buthestilltriedtostep up himself. However, someone elseopened his mouth first andcleared thesituation. It wasCarnot, theMinisterofthe Administration.

“Any organizationneedsa leadertooversee it. Althoughithas not been announced yet, there willbealso a chairman in the Union. No, to be exact, it will be a‘chair country’ thatwill play the role of chairman. Of course, there is no countryotherthan theFrench Empire to take thisplace. If you have any objections to this, please raise your hand.”

Noone raised a hand. The chaotic situation at theconference hall alsocalmed down. France, whichwas acontinentalhegemonyand led theformation of thisconference itself, was well qualified to be this ‘chair country’.

‘Franceistrying to holdthe Union and to make it adictatorship!’ became ‘Franceisjust tryingtoplay therole of a chair country.’ Thenuance was completely different. This wasCarnot’sbrilliant response, notallowingany accusation.

“Austria’s ForeignMinistershould pay attentiontowordsand expressions withconsideration andrespect forneighboringmember states.”

“I will keepthat in mind.”

Metternichraised bothhandsasifheacknowledged it. It wasa gesture meaningthat he would notstandout anymore. Napoleon, whowas watching the scene, narrowedhis eyesslightly. Austriawas unlikely to easily hand overthe initiativetoFrance.

The reason whyMetternich waspraised both in the other world andinthis onewas becauseofhis skillful speech anddiplomatic wayofnot making enemies. Metternich madeAustria’s influence stand outwithin the memberstates in justa fewwords.

Countriesthat would notlike thecalculationmethod and results of the ranking would remember Austriabeingdissatisfied withFrance.

Napoleonturned to Franz I. He was sitting relativelyclosetoFriedrich WilhelmIII, theKing of Prussia, with an expressionless face.

‘Perhaps it is necessarytobuilda wall in advance.’

Napoleon, who neededa quick endtothe talks for various reasons, intended to put away the annoyancerightaway.

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