The Count of Monte Cristo (Historical Context)

Historical Context

Napoleon and the Restoration of the Bourbons

The year 1815, in which The Count of Monte Cristo begins, was a watershed year in European history. It brought to a conclusion over twenty years of war. The turbulence had begun in 1789, with the outbreak of the French Revolution. In 1792, France established itself as a republic, and King Louis XVI was beheaded on January 21, 1793. Revolutionary France alarmed the rest of Europe with its aggressive territorial ambitions, and within two months of the king's execution, a general European war broke out. It was during this war that Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born on the island of Corsica, rose to power within the French Army and transformed it into a formidable military force. In 1799, he seized control of France, and in 1804 declared himself emperor. Until 1812, Napoleon controlled most of Europe. But he over-reached himself by invading Russia in 1812. After his army was forced to retreat from Moscow, Napoleon's power was on the wane.

In April, 1814, Napoleon abdicated as Emperor and was sent into exile on the island of Elba. The major European powers, Prussia, Austria and Britain, had declared him to be a destroyer of the peace of the world. Louis XVIII, brother of the executed Louis XVI, ascended to the French throne. This event, which put the Bourbon dynasty back in power, is known as the First Restoration. It is this political situation that existed in France when The Count of Monte Cristo begins.

The restored Bourbons had the support of the old aristocracy, who had been dispossessed of their lands by the revolution, but they did not have the allegiance of all the people. Many wanted the Emperor to return, and there were conflicts between royalists and Bonapartists. This is reflected in the early part of the novel. Villefort's father, Noirtier, is a Bonapartist and a former Girondin (the Girondins were a political faction during the French Revolution), whereas Villefort is content to serve whoever is in power, although he claims to be a royalist. It is this situation, in which a restored monarchy represses and persecutes the remaining Bonapartists, that Dantès gets caught up in.

Napoleon remained on Elba for only ten months. He escaped and landed with 1,100 men near Cannes on March 1, 1815. He crossed the Alps and marched on Paris, gathering support from peasants and soldiers alike. When he entered Paris, Louis XVIII realized the danger too late — he is presented in The Count of Monte Cristo as complacent — and fled. But another war soon broke out. Heavily outnumbered, Napoleon was defeated by the British general, Wellington, at the Battle of Waterloo in June, 1815. Napoleon returned to Paris and abdicated. His return had lasted only just over three months, the period known as the Hundred Days. He was again sent into exile, this time to the island of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later. Louis XVIII returned to the French throne. It was then dangerous once more to be known as a Bonapartist (as Dantès finds out). In the south of France there was an outbreak of unrest in which many Bonapartists were killed, and the Chamber of Deputies, under Royalist control, demanded and took action against Bonapartists active during the Hundred Days, whom they called traitors.

Compare & Contrast

1. 1840s: France is ruled by King Louis Philippe until he is overthrown in the February Revolution in 1848. The monarchy is succeeded by the Second Republic, which lasts from 1848 to 1852.

   Today: As a long-established parliamentary democracy, France is a more stable society under the Fifth Republic, which began in 1958.

2. 1840s: The use of the recently invented electric telegraph makes communications much faster than ever before.

   Today: Electronic communication reaches new levels of sophistication with the invention of the Internet and the widespread use of electronic mail.

3. 1840s: Railway construction begins all over Europe. The French railway system is constructed with Paris at its center.

   Today: France has a high-speed rail network that is one of the most advanced in Europe. High-speed trains travel at top speeds of between 150 mph and 180 mph. The system is safe and there have been no fatal accidents in two decades of operations.