Broers, Michael

Napoleonic Imperialism and the Savoyard Monarchy 1773-1821 State Building in Piedmont

1997 0-7734-8609-7
Ancien régime Piedmont is a little-studied area, and so there exists a geographical and conceptual imbalance in the historiography of the Napoleonic era which this work addresses. It concentrates on the character and shape of mainstream political life in an area representative of the much of the territory controlled by the Napoleonic régime. It illustrates that the major problems of law and order and political polarization which beset the Revolutionary period did not disappear under Napoleon. They preoccupied his government as much as those of his predecessors. These problems, rather than ideological questions of national unity - were the chief concern of his Italian subjects, and so the question of law and order stands at the center of this work. Chapter headings include: the Absolutist Heritage; Crisis of the Ancien Régime; Patriots in Piedmontese Society; French Policy After Annexation; Resistance & Repression; Defence of Society; Resentment & Ralliement; Restoration & Reaction.