Napoleon and the Catholic Church

Napoleonand theCatholic Churchremained on difficult terms throughout the former's rule. Although Napoleon moderated the radical secularism of theFrench Revolution,he opposed the church as a political power at various turns and had two successive popes held prisoner, resulting in his excommunication byPope Pius VII.

Pope Pius VIIwithCardinal Caprara,papal legate to France. Study forThe Coronation of Napoleon,byJacques-Louis David

Attack on Pius VI

Pope Pius VI byPompeo Batoni,1775

In 1796, French troops under the command of General Napoleon Bonaparteinvaded Italy,defeated the Papal Army, and occupied Ancona and Loreto.

Pope Pius VIsued for peace, which was granted atTolentinoon 19 February 1797, but on 28 December that year, in a riot papal forces blamed on Italian and French revolutionaries, the popular Brigadier-GeneralMathurin-Léonard Duphot,who had gone to Rome withJoseph Bonaparteas part of the French embassy, was killed and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. GeneralLouis-Alexandre Berthiermarched to Rome, entered it unopposed on 10 February 1798 and, proclaiming aRoman Republic,demanded the pope renounce histemporal power.

Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on 20 February he was escorted from the Vatican toSiena,and then to theCertosanear Florence. The French declaration of war againstTuscanyled to his removal, escorted by the SpaniardPedro Gómez Labrador,Marquis of Labrador, by way ofParma,Piacenza,Turin,andGrenobleto the citadel ofValence,the chief town ofDrôme.He died there six weeks after his arrival, on 29 August 1799, having reigned longer than any pope.

Pius VI's body was embalmed, but was not buried until 30 January 1800 after Napoleon saw political advantage to burying his remains in an effort to bring the Catholic Church back into France.

It was not until the conclave of cardinals had gathered to elect a new pope that Napoleon decided to bury Pius VI who had died several weeks earlier. He gave him a gaudy ceremony in an effort to gain the attention of the Catholic Church. This eventually led to theConcordat of 1801negotiated byErcole Consalvi,the pope's secretary of state, which restored limited papal authority over the church in France. However, the Concordat also contained the "Organic Articles" which Consalvi had fiercely opposed but which Napoleon had nevertheless instituted.

Peace of Lunéville

The papacy had suffered a major loss of church lands throughsecularisationsin theHoly Roman Empirefollowing theTreaty of Lunévillein 1801, when a number of German princes were compensated for their losses by the seizure of ecclesiastical property.

Concordat of 1801

The Concordat of 1801 was an agreement between Napoleon Bonaparte andPope Pius VIIthat reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church of France and restored some of its civil status.

While the Concordat restored some ties to the papacy, it largely favoured the interests of the French state; the balance of church-state relations had tilted firmly in Bonaparte's favour. As a part of the Concordat, he presented another set of laws called theOrganic Articles.

Relations with Pius VII

From the beginning of his papacy to the fall of Napoleon in 1815, Pius VII was completely involved with France.He and Napoleon were continually in conflict, often involving the French leader's wishes for concessions to his demands.

Imperial coronation

Portrait of Pope Pius VIIbyJacques-Louis David,1805

Despite the opposition of most of theRoman Curia,Pius VII traveled toParisfor Napoleon'scoronationin 1804. Napoleon placed the crown on his head himself, spurning the pope's intent to do so. The painting byJacques-Louise DavidtitledThe Coronation of Napoleondepicts the seated pope at the ceremony as Napoleon crowns his wife.

Although the pope and the papacy were promised rich gifts and donations, Pius initially refused most of these offers. Napoleon did give him theNapoleon Tiara,decorated with large emeralds from the looted tiara of Pope Pius VI, but it was deliberately made too small and heavy to be worn and meant as an insult to the pope.Napoleon also commissioned aPortrait of Pope Pius VIIby David.

Influence of Cardinal Joseph Fesch

Appointed by Napoleon on 4 April 1803 to succeedFrançois Cacaulton the latter's retirement from the position of French ambassador to Rome, CardinalJoseph Feschwas assisted byFrançois-René de Chateaubriand,but soon sharply differed with him on many questions. Towards the close of 1804, Napoleon entrusted to Fesch the difficult task of securing the presence of Pope Pius VII at the forthcoming coronation of the emperor atNotre-Damein Paris. The Cardinal's tact in overcoming the reluctance of the pope (only eight months after the execution of theDuke of Enghien) received further recognition. He received the grand cordon of theLégion d'honneur,became grand-almoner of the empire, and had a seat in theFrench Senate.He was to receive further honours. In 1806, one of the most influential of the German clerics,Karl von Dalberg,then prince-bishop ofRegensburg,chose him to be his coadjutor and designated him as his successor.

Subsequent events damaged his prospects. From 1806 to 1807, Napoleon clashed sharply with the pope on matters both political and religious, as Fesch sought in vain to reconcile them. Napoleon was inexorable in his demands, and Pius VII refused to compromise the discipline and vital interests of the church. The emperor several times rebuked Fesch as weak and ingrateful. It is clear, however, that the Cardinal went as far as possible in counselling the submission of the spiritual to the civil power. For a time he was not on speaking terms with the pope, and Napoleon recalled him from Rome.

Role of the Archbishop of Paris

Napoleon appointedJean-Baptiste de Belloyas bishop to theSee of Paris.Notwithstanding his extreme age, he governed his new diocese with astonishing vigour and intelligence, reorganised the parishes, provided them with good pastors, and visited his flock in person. He restored theCrown of Thorns(10 August 1806) to its place of honour in theSainte-Chapelle.Napoleon was so satisfied that he secured for him the cardinal's hat, which Pius VII placed on the prelate's head in Paris on 1 February 1805.

French annexation of the Papal States

Relations between the Church and Napoleon deteriorated. On 3 February 1808, GeneralSextius Alexandre François de Miollisoccupied Rome with a division. The following month, theKingdom of Italyannexed the papal provinces ofAncona,Macerata,Fermo,andUrbino,and diplomatic relations were broken off.

On 17 May 1809, Napoleon issued two decrees fromSchönbrunn PalacenearViennain which he reproached the popes for the ill use they had made of thedonation of Charlemagne,his "august predecessor”, and declared those territories which were still under the direct control of thePapal Stateswere to be annexed by theFrench Empire.The territories were to be organised under Miollis with a council extraordinary to administer them. As compensation the pope would receive a stipend of 2,000,000francsper annum.On 10 June, Miollis had the Pontifical flag, which still floated over theCastle of Saint Angelo,lowered.

Excommunication

Monument to Pius VII inSt. Peter's Basilica

Main article:Quum memoranda

When Pius VII subsequentlyexcommunicatedNapoleon, one of his most ambitious officers, Lieutenant Radet, saw an opportunity to gain favour by kidnapping the pope. Although Napoleon had capturedCastel Sant'Angeloand pointed cannons at the papal bedroom, he did not approve this outrage. Yet Napoleon kept the pope a prisoner, moving him through out his territories despite his infirmity, though most of his confinement took place at Savona. Napoleon sent several delegations to pressure the pope to yield power and sign a new concordat with France, including invokinga church council.

Papal rescue

The pope remained in confinement for over six years, and did not return to Rome until 24 May 1814, when the 5thRadetzky Hussarsof the Coalition forces freed him during a pursuit of French forces.Hungarian hussars escorted the pope back to Rome through theAlps.

Captain János Nepomuki Horváth gave his own coat to warm the pope, the same officer depicted as the protagonist ofSándor Petőfi's epicJános Vvtéz.For his gallantry, Horváth received the highest papal decoration, theSupreme Order of Christ.The pope also gave the hussars a flag, now in theVienna Arsenal,reading "Ungariae Patronae Pium comitatis ad Urbem; O felix tanto Roma sub auspicio - Boldog vagy Róma, hogy érzed a Magyarok Nagyasszonyának oltalmát, ki Piust a Városba kísérte"(You are happy Rome to feel the protection of Our Lady of Hungary, who accompanied Pius to the City).

Congress of Vienna

At theCongress of Vienna,the Papal States were largely restored along with theJesuits.The pope offered a refuge in his capital to the members of theBonaparte family.PrincessLetizia,the deposed emperor's mother, lived there; likewise did his brothersLucienandLouis,and his uncle Fesch.

Reconciliation with the Church

Napoleon and Pius VII at FontainebleaubyDavid Wilkie,1836

During Napoleon's exile onSaint Helena,the pope wrote to theBritish governmentasking for better treatment of the former emperor, saying: "He can no longer be a danger to anybody.Wewould not wish him to become a cause for remorse. "

Napoleon reconciled with the Catholic Church and asked for achaplain,saying "it would rest my soul to hear Mass".The pope petitioned the British to allow this, and sent theAbbéAnge Vignali to Saint Helena. On 20 April 1821, Napoleon told GeneralCharles Tristan,"I was born in the Catholic religion. I wish to fulfill the duties it imposes, and receive the succour it administers." To Tristan, he affirmed his belief in God and read aloud theOld Testament,theGospels,and theActs of the Apostles.He died on 5 May 1821, after receiving thesacramentsofConfession,Extreme Unction,andViaticumin the presence of Vignali.