War and Peace in the Age of Napoleon

I have spent the last three days indulging in all matters Napoleonic in York. The War and Peace in the Age of Napoleon conference was organised jointly on behalf of the Napoleonic and Revolutionary War Graves Charity and the War Studies programme at York St John University. It is hard to think of a better city, outwith the Balkans of course (😂), for a history conference, and the university is also an excellent venue.

There were dozens of presentations covering all aspects of the Napoleonic wars, something for everyone. The delegates were a mix of academics and enthusiasts, all with a wealth of knowledge. An excellent example was on the first day with a panel session covering re-enacting and wargaming. The wargaming session covered the history of the hobby pre-kriegspiel and discussed the balance between simulation and playability.

Rosslyn Macphail talked about discovering a trunk in the attic belonging to her relative, Captain John Orr, a foot soldier who later helped shape military education in Scotland. She found his diary inside, which gave an interesting insight into his service in the Peninsular War. What an amazing find!

If, like me, you like the obscure aspects of the conflict, sessions on Japan during the Napoleonic Wars, Russia's attempts to open a closed frontier, and Napoleon’s ambitions in the East would leave you well satisfied. 

It was not all warfare; the panel session on Radicals, Violence, and Loyalism across the British sphere of influence covered a range of subversive activities in Britain. This was followed by a fascinating keynote speech from Professor Alan Forrest, Memorialising War, Commemorating Empire? The Napoleonic Wars in French Cultural Memory. He actually covered memory more widely than France.

My presentation covered command decisions in the Adriatic. I attempted to show how junior officers would make military and even diplomatic decisions in a complex and fast-moving political environment. They negotiated with semi-autonomous local warlords, allies and enemies whose loyalties were not always transparent. These were borderlands far from the seat of power and created challenges for the states trying to control them.

The conference also included the AGM of the Napoleonic and Revolutionary War Graves Charity, which, in a short period, has done some amazing work restoring the graves of Napoleonic veterans. I would urge you to check out their website and consider joining.

I have only mentioned a few of the presentations I attended. It's an annual event, and it is worth looking out for next year's conference.

No prizes for guessing which conference I was at, although there was an army chaplain on my panel!