Mons Memorial Museum Hosts Its First Temporary Exhibition, One Number, One Destiny

1 Press pack PRESS RELEASE From 13 June to 27 September 2015 , Mons Memorial Museum hosts its first temporary exhibition, One number, one destiny. Serving Napoleon . In a unique visitor experience , the exhibition offers a chance to relive the practice of conscription as used during the period of French rule from the Battle of Jemappes (1792) to the Battle of Waterloo (1815). This first temporary exhibition expresses the desire of the new military history museum of the City of Mons to focus on the visitor experience . The conventional setting of the chronological historical exhibition has been abandoned in favour of a far more personal immersion . The basic idea is to give visitors a sense of the huge impact of conscription on the lives of people at the time. With this in mind, each visitor will draw a number by lot to decide whether or not he or she has been ‘conscripted’, and so determine the route taken through the exhibition – either the section presenting the daily existence of conscripts recruited to serve under the French flag, or that focusing on life for the civilians who stayed at home . Visitors designated as conscripts will find out, through poignant letters, objects and other exhibits, about the lives of the soldiers – many of them ill-fated – as they made their way right across Europe in the fight against France’s enemies. Meanwhile, visitors in the other group will learn how those who stayed behind in Mons saw their daily lives turned upside-down by the numerous reforms introduced under the French, including the adoption of a new calendar, the eradication of references to religion, the acquisition of the right to vote, access to a new economic market and exposure to new cultural influences. However the initial lot falls, each visitor will have the chance to explore the other section of the exhibition in order to gain an understanding of all facets of life at the time. Curator: Corentin de Favereau de Jeneret Exhibition coordinator: Odile Moreau / 065/40.53.23 / [email protected] Press preview: 11 June 2015 Organised by the Museum Cluster of the City of Mons, with the support of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the Mons 2015 Foundation © Grafisch Buro Lefevre, Heule 2 Press pack THE EXHIBITION • Context 1792: French revolutionaries win the Battle of Jemappes and arrive in Mons with the intention of putting an end to the Ancien Régime and its privileges there in order to establish democracy and a new system of liberties. The ‘Belgians’ are regarded as a friendly people whom the French have come to liberate. Four months later, following the French defeat at Neerwinden on 18 March 1793, the Ancien Régime is restored; however, in June 1794, following yet another reversal of fortune caused by Jourdan’s victory over the Austrians at Fleurus, this part of the world comes under French control once again. This time, French policy on ‘Belgium’ has changed from fraternal relations to outright annexation. And so it is that, on 1 October 1795, Belgium is officially incorporated into the French Republic. Its inhabitants become French citizens, remaining so until 1815 and the Battle of Waterloo. This period of our history has left behind indelible traces, including reforms which still shape our society today. After 1815, the importance of the French Revolution’s achievements was generally acknowledged: the birth of human rights, the notion of the sovereignty of the people, the end of the seigneurial system and the introduction of a new institutional, economic, social and legal order. During the Revolutionary period itself, however, this was not always the case. Public opinion was divided about the benefits of the changes introduced by the French. A number of measures were profoundly controversial, such as the levying of taxes to finance the French policy of conquest, or the sale of Church property. However, there was one measure that overshadowed the rest: conscription. France, in permanent need of new recruits for the campaigns by which it was extending its power across Europe, organised a huge system for the random selection of young men to fight for its glory. © Paris - Musée de l'Armée, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / image musée de l'Armée 3 Press pack Thus, as first the Republic and then the Empire under Napoleon expanded, the number of recruits conscripted to the French colours rose steadily in Belgium. Every city, village and family was to see one or more of its children leave home for a long journey at the end of which lay the prospect of fortune and glory. The vagaries of the lot therefore decided the fate of much of the population. Those who were called up set out with hearts wavering between hope of adventure and prosperity and fear of the violence of battle. Those left behind would wait anxiously for news of their loved ones who had gone off to the wars; meanwhile, their daily lives were turned completely upside-down by the reforms introduced by the French. So it was that two worlds, two ways of experiencing the ‘French period’ of Belgium’s history existed side by side. There was little interchange between these two worlds, and the image that each entertained of the other was often more imaginary than real. News from the front was rare, the only sources of information being official bodies or the rumours that found their way back to Belgium. Military campaigns were officially described as glorious and the French army as a model employer. The sense of participating in a noble cause was thus exalted. The conscripts, meanwhile, generally developed an idealised vision of home. They dreamt of returning to a warm welcome and praise for their courage, but were often unaware of the tumult and transformations through which their towns and villages were passing. • The visitor experience It was seen as essential for the design of this project to be consistent with the general philosophy of Mons Memorial Museum: firstly, the history of individuals should be linked to important historical events, and secondly, the familiar setting of the chronological historical exhibition should be abandoned in favour of an emphasis on human perception and interpretation. Accordingly, the underlying idea of this exhibition is to enable visitors to feel for themselves the huge impact that conscription had on the people’s lives during this period. To this end, each visitor will draw a number by lot to ascertain whether he or she has been selected as a conscript. This will determine the route taken through the exhibition. If the number drawn is for a conscript, the visitor will start the exhibition by touring the section relating to the military campaigns of this period. If the visitor is not ‘conscripted’, he or she will head for the section on civilian life and the profound transformations that were occurring in Belgium. Once the visit to the first section has been completed, the visitor will have the opportunity to visit the other section and discover the other side of the mirror – the other side of life during this period. This is important, as the issues and challenges of either one of these two ‘worlds’ can only be properly understood with reference to those of the other. For example, considering the consequences in terms of the opening up of markets may lead to a better appreciation of what was at stake in Napoleon’s conquests. The main purpose of the exhibition, then, is to raise awareness of the impact of conscription and the sudden and harsh impact it could have on people’s lives. The use of the lot-drawing device imparts to visitors a more personal and representative experience of the period of turmoil initiated by the Revolution and the Battle of Jemappes. In view of this imposed experience, it is important not to be over-prescriptive, but to allow visitors to form their own conclusions about this period and the conscription system. From an educational viewpoint, an effort will therefore be made to set out the facts and their consequences without analysing them from an historian’s viewpoint. Through this personal experience of the exhibition, visitors will be able to make up their own mind about these contemporary issues – just as feelings about them were divided at the time. 4 Press pack • Exhibition structure 1. First room Information about the regional context during the occupation period: presentation of contemporary images and documents relating to the Battle of Jemappes. 2. Dilemma room Presentation of objects and documents relating to conscription. 3. Military route Documents and objects illustrating daily life during the Napoleonic campaigns. 4. Civilian route Documents detailing the changes in civil society in Mons during the Napoleonic period. 5. Communication area: between the two worlds Mainly illustrated with press materials. 6. The Hundred Days Evocation of the Hundred Days period. © Julien Vidal / Musée Carnavalet / Roger-Viollet Tambour à conscription © Paris - Musée de l'Armée, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais Pascal Segrette 5 Press pack THE CURATOR Corentin de Favereau has a doctorate in history. His thesis, defended at UCL in November 2011, was about agricultural patents in Belgium between Independence and the First World War. The choice of subject reflects his primary interest in the nineteenth century and the socio-economic transformation that Belgian society experienced at that time. From this point of view, the French Revolution and the First Empire period occupy an important place in his research. In 2012, with Philippe Raxhon, he acted as academic adviser for the ‘Napoleon Trail in Wallonia’ project initiated by the regional authorities in preparation for the celebrations of the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.

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