tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post6454315315169842284..comments2024-03-18T14:05:01.415-04:00Comments on Heroes, Heroines, and History: Why Are We Fighting? the Napoleonic WarsDebbie Lynne Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-49807455639615098732015-02-25T14:44:13.865-05:002015-02-25T14:44:13.865-05:00Hey Medieval Girl, Thanks for sharing with us. Cou...Hey Medieval Girl, Thanks for sharing with us. Could you email me privately? I have a question for you. It isn't about this particular post but I'd really like to ask you something. debbielynnecostello (at) hotmail (dot) comDebbie Lynne Costellohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-86054431038252565712015-02-25T14:26:45.910-05:002015-02-25T14:26:45.910-05:00Indeed, its not a period I know a lot about, but I...Indeed, its not a period I know a lot about, but I tend to think it fell far short of the ideals, and I felt that this assessment was oversimplifying things. One of the main reasons we did not have a Revolution in Britain I think was because we did not have an Absolute Monarchy like France or Russia- we had not for centuries. Ours is known as a 'Constitutional' or 'Parliamentary' monarchy, in which the monarch ruled alongside Parliament who could for advice, counsel and consent- but by the 1800s, the monarch had almost no Political Power- I think I am correct in asserting the King certainly did not have the power to require any of his subjects to go to war. <br /><br />This article provides a useful overview https://mmbennetts.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/a-word-or-two-about-the-british-monarchy/. English Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17806974885775295349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-61043684534353266072015-02-25T12:04:05.189-05:002015-02-25T12:04:05.189-05:00Hi Medieval Girl, thanks for stopping by and takin...Hi Medieval Girl, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to share your opinion. The French Revolution is certainly one of the more controversial wars of the past 250 years. Naomi Rawlingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02431203734855694561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-41587739314266450332015-02-25T02:53:37.361-05:002015-02-25T02:53:37.361-05:00I am afraid that I must express disagreement with ...I am afraid that I must express disagreement with this assessment of the French Revolution. It may have began with noble ideals, but, as even a quick reading of a Wikipedia article reveals, within a year or two France was in the grip of dictators, and countless thousands were summarily executed because they were perceived as 'counter-revolutionaries' in the Reign of Terror- in which many thousands- maybe tends of thousands were killed in less than two years.<br /><br />According to said article, 72% of those sent to the guillotine or murdered by their countrymen were 'workers and peasants'. Many members of the clergy also died- priests,nuns and others, because some of the early Revolutionary leaders were atheists and determined to de-Christianize society. This culminated in an act of Sacriege or 'goddess worship' in Notre Dame Cathedral. <br /><br />In other words, in the years following the Revolution, far from being some haven of liberty, equality and freedom, the streets of Paris literally ran red with blood, and even to this day, there is supposed to be a wall made of the skulls of many who lost their lives at this time- likely for no other reason that that a dictator perceived them to be the enemies of their ideology. <br />I don't know if things had changed by the time of Napoleon what, 15 years later, but I do not blame the people of Britain for not wanting that to happen over here. <br /><br />Also, I think this article is misinformed. It makes 19th century Britain sound as if it was some of of feudal state in the grip of Absolute monarchy. It was not. We had our owv revolution of sorts in the time of Cromwell and the aftermath of the English Civil War, in which parliament fought against a King who overreached his constitutional and customary powers and authority- and parliament won. By the 1800s, the direct role of the Monarch in the government of the British Isles was hugely reduced- negligible even. <br /><br />Furthermore, the House of Commons includes a number representatives, usually elected from various areas of Britain- as it has done since its inception in the 13th century. The government of my country is not appointed by the monarch, nor is in 'inherited' from the monarch. To say so is a gross misunderstanding. English Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17806974885775295349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-55054418053491759672015-02-01T10:00:05.247-05:002015-02-01T10:00:05.247-05:00I never realized he awarded positions to those who...I never realized he awarded positions to those who earned them. That is a far cry from buying an officer position. Thanks Naomi.Jillian Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-52882528662271534472015-01-31T11:09:34.225-05:002015-01-31T11:09:34.225-05:00I was really shocked by how forward thinking Napol...I was really shocked by how forward thinking Napoleon was in the area of civil liberties. Lot's of people call him a tyrant, and by today's standard, he probably is. He certainly had no qualms about attempting to take over Europe. But at the same time, his view of and treatment of the commoners (or citizens, as they were called during this era of French history) was a lot more humane than that of any monarch in England at the time.Some historians use this to explain why Napoleon's army was able to take over so much of Europe. He awarded officer positions to soldiers who earned them, while Britain gave officer positions to aristocrats and people who bought them. Napoleon's method of choosing military leadership certainly seemed to give him a more effective army.Naomi Rawlingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02431203734855694561noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-81868325881323045472015-01-30T13:48:38.735-05:002015-01-30T13:48:38.735-05:00Awesome post, Naomi. Sounds like you really studie...Awesome post, Naomi. Sounds like you really studied up on your history of the Napoleonic Wars and the viewpoints about the reason to fight. Love the title of your novel. Is there anything you learned that really shocked you during your research that you haven't mentioned here? Jillian Kenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12565274151603868808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-86714733999518588992015-01-30T13:32:37.805-05:002015-01-30T13:32:37.805-05:00I know very little about these wars and found it v...I know very little about these wars and found it very interesting. Sm Wileygreen1(at)yahoo(dot)com sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01667697363749218857noreply@blogger.com