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147 - MURAT (JOACHIM). "THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED WHEN I CAN IN TURN …
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MURAT (JOACHIM). "THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED WHEN I CAN IN TURN THREATEN SICILY...". Letter signed in two places, "Joachim Napoleon" and "JM", in the capacity of king of Naples, addressed to the intendant of Calabria citérieure, Pierre-Joseph Briot. Naples, 28 May 1809. One p. 3/4 in-4. Reputed to be the most difficult part of the Kingdom of Naples to control, due to its proximity to Sicily and its endemic brigandage, Calabria was divided administratively into Calabria citérie, around Cosenza, and Calabria ultérieure, around Monteleone. " ... You can rest assured about the enemy's plans. In all likelihood he will land either at Ste-Eufémie or at Policastro [coastal towns outside the Calabria region, one further north, the other further south], if he wants to operate in the Calabria region. In the 1st case, it is obvious that the general Patouneaux, from his position in the camp of La Melia [to the south of Policastro], would have great difficulty in warning the enemy who would first try to cut off his retreat to Catenzaro [Catanzaro, to the east of Policastro], and try to join me by the shortest routes; And, in the other hypothesis, he would move with lightning speed on the enemy, while I would leave Naples with all my forces, and in this way we would overwhelm the enemy. Also, do not worry about the pay of the active detachments of your provincial legions: perhaps I will let you know tomorrow the decision I have taken in this respect, perhaps I will decide to have them paid like the troops of the line. General Gentile has received the order to organize the gendarmerie in your province; complete it with the same individuals who were to serve in the auxiliary gendarmerie; I formally authorize you to do this because I am convinced that you will only admit reliable people. AS FOR THE LANDING, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE ENEMY PLANS TO ATTEMPT IT, BUT ALL I KNOW IS THAT ALL MY MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT IT IS WELL RECEIVED. My people, far from dreading this moment, should join their wishes to the least so that the enemy does not delay the execution of his measures any longer. This matter will soon be over, and this event will, I hope, ensure the tranquillity of the kingdom for ever. IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN LET IT BE KNOWN THAT THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED WHEN I CAN IN TURN THREATEN SICILY. Continue to enlighten public opinion; declare to my good people of Calabria that I only require them, in this circumstance, to continue to remain calm and not to force me to one day use my weapons against them, as they are only intended against my enemies who are theirs... P.S. Taking into consideration the assurance of repentance you have given me from the inhabitants of the commune of Figlino [...], and wishing to give them proof of clemency, I order that the fine imposed on this commune will be paid in full by those individuals only whom the court declares guilty...". ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATORS OF THE KINGDOM OF NAPLES UNDER JOSEPH BONAPARTE AND JOACHIM MURAT, PIERRE-JOSEPH BRIOT (1771-1827) was first and foremost a leading republican figure during the revolutionary and imperial periods. A lawyer from Franche-Comté and professor of rhetoric at Besançon College, he was a Jacobin anti-terrorist: a deputy to the Convention on behalf of the people of Besançon to denounce this murderous regime, he was imprisoned, but escaped a tragic fate thanks to the pardon of 9 Thermidor. Faithful to his opinions, he then opposed Robespierre's victors, and was imprisoned again. He then led a chaotic life of official posts and disgraces, before being elected to the Conseil des Cinq-Cents (of which he became secretary), where he was the spokesman for the neo-Jacobin minority, and where he already defended the Italian patriots against what he considered to be the selfish policies of the Directoire. One of the fiercest opponents of 18 Brumaire, the protection of Lucien Bonaparte enabled him to obtain a post on the island of Elba, before leaving for Naples in May 1806: King Joseph Bonaparte made him intendant in Abruzzo and then in Calabria, where he remained at the beginning of the reign of Joachim Murat. His energetic firmness during the British landings in the summer of 1809 and his efforts to maintain the prerogatives of civil authority in the face of the military earned him a place on the Council of State. A republican at heart, he refused to accept any title or distinction, and played an important role in drafting the liberal Muratian Constitution of May 1815. He returned to France in September 1815. A Freemason and founder of a Lodge on the island of Elba, he proved to be an essential link between the Bons Cousins Charbonniers of Franche-Comté and the Italian Charbonnerie, whose aim was the political unification of the peninsula under a liberal Constitution. Joseph Bonaparte was the official Grand Master of the Charbonnerie, but Pierre-Joseph Briot set up a parallel secret structure, the Carbonari proper, which Joachim Murat tried to ban. Back in France in 1815, he imported this liberal political Charbonnerie, which was actively hostile to the reactionary Restoration regime.
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About the sale The Empire at Fontainebleau - Second day
Auction location
Auction time 06/21/2026 at 10:30 AM
Pictures credits:
Michel Bury and Henri du Cray
See original version (French)
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