Abel Douay, Gérard Hertault: Franc-maçonnerie et sociétés secrètes contre Napoléon. Naissance de la nation allemande (Freemasonry and secret societies against Napoleon. The birth of the German nation)

Among the several states which made up Germany in 1803, only Prussia could hope to play a significant role against the French. But on 14 October 1806, the French victories at Jena and Auerstedt revealed the unravelling of the country led by Friedrich-Wilhelm III, a conservative and indecisive monarch. And yet, seven years later, Prussia performed brilliantly in the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig. How did the situation turn around like this? It was thanks to the awakening of the nation, galvanised by Luther’s religion (the cohesive factor), by a language imbued with divine spirit (the unifying factor) and, ironically, by the ideals of the French Revolution.

Paris: Fondation Napoléon – Nouveau Monde Editions, 2005, Series Études, 463 p. To order, click here: Nouveau Monde Éditions.