dusaboss
Hyper Active Member
I think that the Pope (current at the time) even supported Hitler. So I wouldn't really consider that as some big plus.Well... Not really the place to discuss that, but actually:
1/ Pope Pius VII didn't take Napoleon's gesture as an offence. He was even actually quite ‘happy’ with him since, after the extreme measures taken by the Revolutionaries of 1789 and above all 1792-1994 against the Catholic Church (priests murdered, properties confiscated, etc.), Napoleon signed in 1801 an ‘agreement’ (it's called a Concordat, I think the word is the same in English) with the Vatican, organising and clarifying the relations between the French state and the Catholic Church and putting and end to 10 years of tension.
2/ Contrary to the Kings of France, under the Absolute Monarchy regime, Napoleon wasn't considered and didn't even try to present himself as a representative of God on Earth. This would not have been accepted by the French people, who could tolerate an authoritarian rule, but not a return to the past. Among many other details, he chose to be crowned in Notre-Dame-de-Paris, rather than the cathedral of Reims (like the Ancien Régime Kings), to clearly show that the Premier Empire had nothing to do with the defunct Monarchy. Is this a sign of illegitimacy? May be.
As for a Napoléon “Vive le Empereur !” Am I spelling that right Rapace? (Please don't tell me “ask your Joseph” )