The Fox of France

Chapter 394: The Roman Empire

Napoleon's speech once again stirred up a wave of cheers. If Napoleon, like in history, transformed France from a republic into an empire, many people might have had some reservations.

In the original historical context, when Napoleon declared himself emperor, many students at the Paris Advanced School of Engineering publicly accused him of betraying democracy. Napoleon was very displeased with this and criticized the school's director, Montjoy, for not controlling the students. Surprisingly, Montjoy, a staunch Bonapartist, retorted, "It's all because you deceived them." Even ardent republicans like Carnot resigned in protest.

Abroad, Napoleon's imperial proclamation caused a significant loss of support. Before Napoleon declared himself emperor, France was a beacon of hope in Europe. Anyone with a conscience, in the conflicts between their own feudal rulers and France, unhesitatingly sided with France. The common people struggling under feudal oppression saw France as their liberator. Italians, Poles, Germans, and Scandinavians served as volunteers in the French army, fighting for democracy and freedom.

However, with Napoleon declaring himself emperor, the left-wing forces in Europe felt deceived and betrayed. Subsequently, wars between France and other nations shifted from wars against feudal monarchs to wars between the French nation and other nations.

But this time, the situation was different. Although Napoleon became an emperor, he was not the emperor of France but an emperor of the "Roman Empire" that existed only in ideology. In this context, the crown he wore seemed no different from the "Order of the White Eagle" in everyone's eyes. Moreover, in his speech, Napoleon placed the title of the First Consul before that of the emperor. Besides, the title of the Roman emperor itself carried a certain republican flavor.

So, when Napoleon declared himself emperor in this manner, almost everyone cheered for him.

An hour later, "The Gazette of Scientific Truth," "The Businessman Gazette," and "The Sun Gazette" all published special reports on the matter.

The headline of "The Gazette of Scientific Truth" was: "Long Live the Emperor of the People!" "The Businessman Gazette" declared: "Long Live the Emperor of the Romans!" And "The Sun Gazette" boldly stated: "God Says: Rome's Legitimacy Lies in France."

Although a very few people still worried that Napoleon might further erode France's democratic system, for the majority, Napoleon's current actions were a manifestation of his high principles.

The next day, the First Consul of the French Republic, His Majesty Napoleon Bonaparte, granted an interview to reporters from "The Gazette of Scientific Truth." In the interview, Napoleon once again assured reporters of his loyalty to the democratic system and systematically explained his understanding and thoughts on the "Emperor of the Romans." He told reporters that since he was now the "Emperor of the Romans," he could legitimately grant "Roman citizenship" and even the status of "Roman nobility" to those who had contributed to human progress.

"The Legion of Honor is an honor of the French nation, usually awarded to French citizens. However, Roman citizens and Roman nobility are honors for the entire world. They can be awarded to individuals from all countries who have contributed to the progress of humanity," Napoleon explained the significance of "Roman citizenship."

On the third day, the French Council of State urgently convened a meeting and passed a resolution congratulating the First Consul of France and the "Emperor of the Romans," Napoleon Bonaparte. The resolution also proposed allocating land near Paris to be gifted to the Roman Empire—suggesting the Olympic Games site as a suitable location—for use as the territory of the Roman Empire. The resolution further suggested that the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, dispatch the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Talleyrand, to negotiate on behalf of France and the Roman Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, and to establish a permanent alliance treaty.

After proposing and unanimously passing this resolution, the Council of State quickly put forward a new proposal suggesting complete free trade and mutual tariff exemptions between France and the Roman Empire. It recommended granting each other full national treatment, allowing dual citizenship, dual allegiance, and an agreement for France to protect the security of the Roman Empire.

This proposal was also swiftly approved. However, the first proposal faced obstacles from Consul Bonaparte and Emperor Napoleon. Consul Bonaparte believed that ceding territory amounted to treason, even if it was to the great Roman Empire. Emperor Napoleon, on the other hand, argued that as a friendly neighbor of the French Republic, the Roman Empire also had its dignity, and this dignity prevented him from exploiting the French people's genuine sentiments towards the Roman Empire. Therefore, he suggested a land sale, where the Roman Empire would pay France the market price to purchase some land as its territory.

The statements from Consul Bonaparte and Emperor Napoleon fully demonstrated their high principles, deeply moving the members of the Council of State. Consequently, they promptly considered the suggestions of the First Consul and the Emperor, modified the first proposal accordingly, and swiftly passed it. The modified proposal was then submitted for approval to the People's Assembly.

The People's Assembly, as well as the subsequent Legislative Assembly and the Senate, efficiently reviewed these two proposals and submitted them for the approval of the First Consul.

This time, Consul Bonaparte did not raise objections and approved the agreement. He dispatched Foreign Minister Talleyrand and the newly appointed elder of the "Roman nobility," Elder Talleyrand, to negotiate. Eventually, they signed a series of documents, including the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Friendly Mutual Assistance," the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Friendly Commerce and Navigation," and the "Franco-Roman Empire Treaty of Territory Purchase and Demarcation."

The top leaders of both countries, His Excellency the First Consul of the French Republic Bonaparte and His Majesty the Emperor of the Roman Empire Napoleon, signed these treaties on behalf of their respective governments. This marked the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the French Republic and the Roman Empire.

A month later, on the original Place de la Liberté Square, Emperor Napoleon officially announced the establishment of the government of the Roman Empire. Almost all French ministers were granted the status of Roman nobility and assumed corresponding positions in the Roman Empire's government. In fact, most officials in the Roman Empire were also serving officials of the French Republic. Even the director of the Academy of Sciences was no exception. Of course, since the Roman Empire was in its infancy and not financially prosperous, Roman Empire officials did not receive any salary.