helden. heroes. héros. 1.1 (2013): Held und Nation. Französische Napoleon-Biografien zwischen Restauration und zweitem Kaiserreich

Throughout the 19th century the biography proved to be a constant and potent medium of the Napoleonic legend. The tradition of biographical narrative for this new model of political hero developed with the memorialists following Napoleon's time on St. Helena. This paper intends to analyse forms and functions of the biographical tradition surrounding the Napoleonic model in France between 1821 and about 1860. Furthermore, it aims to establish the importance of Napoleon's biography for the construction of national categories and contemporary historical interpretation.