1812: Non-military chronicles of 1812 war. Part II: Voice of Russia

We have already mentioned that on the eve of the war against Napoleon Russia was gripped by Francophilia. But it would be wrong not mix ?Belle France? which was so much adored by Russian Francophiles and Napoleon?s Empire ? the sizes and borders of those two Frances did not coincide.

It looked as if ?Belle France? was occupied and forcefully made part of the state established by a revolutionary ?parvenu? and intriguer, whom Russian Francophiles called by his plebeian name ?Buonopartia?. When they pronounced Napoleon?s family name this way they stressed that they did not recognize his title.

Although they were brought up in French culture the Russian aristocrats remained isolated from the rest of the world in terms of information so they were not very much advanced even in comparison with their servants and serfs. As for the lower middle class people many of them were interested in international politics and read handwritten copies of works by Wilhelm Friedrich Hezel, professor at the Derpt University, who tried to prove that Napoleon was Antichrist (on the base of his scientific studies of the Apocalypses). The professor was dismissed for his controversial statements but his works became wide spread.

The Russian aristocracy welcomed the news that Napoleon had married Austrian princess Maria-Louise hoping that this would put an end to his victories. Such forecasts came from beliefs that Napoleon?s first wife Jos?phine de Beauharnais was a witch and accompanied her husband in all his campaigns. She could turn into a dove, flew above the positions of the enemies and returned with valuable information which gave Napoleon a serious advantage over his rivals. But God punished Jos?phine and she could not be a mother. In order to prolong the dynasty Napoleon left her and married the Austrian princess but he also lost Jos?phine?smagic support.

In 1811, in Moscow the ladies from the Russian aristocracy circle devised a plot against Napoleon. They decided to kill him using witchcraft practices. Sticking needles into a wax figure of Napoleon they hoped that it will kill the real French Invader. When later they saw that their attempt was useless they declared that Napoleon was the Evil spirit child, an evil magician who was immune to the spells of amateur witches.

When the war broke out nobody was confident of Russia?s victory. This caused agitation which assumed different forms. In particular, when common people heard French talking in the streets they caught Francophiles beat them and brought them to police.

But soon after Napoleon left Moscow and led his army towards a terrible disaster, the pre-war Francophile sentiments gripped the Russian society again. Russian noblemen took new tutors from the prisoners of war. The captured Frenchmen quickly adapted to the new situation and some of them even became favorites in their Russian families. Many of them assimilated in Russia and decided not to leave the country where they could lead a happy life by simply being French.

When the ladies who waited out the war in their country mansions returned to Moscow they saw that many shops had French names. Russian noblemen took dance classes from the renowned French dancers of that time and French theater companies were giving performances in Moscow.

Alexander I granted amnesty to all subordinates of the Russian Crown who had been forced by the war time circumstances to serve the enemy. He also announced the restitution which guaranteed the return of the property which had been confiscated.

Life in Russia resumed its natural course, there was no trace of yesterday fears and exasperation. Though the war was Patriotic it did not start hate between the Russian and French nations. This is how most of the wars ended when Europe did not know ideological and ethnical divisions.

Source: http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_11_28/1812-Non-military-chronicles-of-1812-war-Part-II/

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