Napoleonic Monuments: The Committee of Taste

How do you celebrate a war hero? Both during and in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain had to find an answer to this complex question. The answer took many forms, one of which was monuments to the fallen 'heroes'. Abercrombie, Moore, Nelson and many others became the focus of a multi-million pound national project to instal monuments to their memory in St Paul's Cathedral. All of it came under the oversize of the 'Committee of Taste'. Today these beautifully sculpted pieces of marble remind us of the service and sacrifice of some of the key figures of the Napoleonic era. But if you scratch the surface, you find layers of meaning, rivalries, coded messages, and monumental clashes of egos underpinning these relics of history.PhD Researcher Gemma Shearwood helps us unpack what on earth was going on in the 'Committee of Taste', why it matters, and what these memorials were meant to mean to us all........Support our work on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thenapoleonicwarspodSocial media, merch & mailing list: https://linktr.ee/napwarspod

Om Podcasten

Who was Napoleon Bonaparte? What was his legacy on history? And why, more than 200 years later, does the conflict which he gave his name to still matter? Join award-winning Napoleonic historians Dr Zack White, Dr Luke Reynolds, Liam Telfer and Josh Redden as they host Europe's leading show devoted to the American War of Independence, French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. From interviews with leading researchers, to deep dive debates on some of the big questions, this show is ideal for those who want to start building their knowledge deepen their understanding of the period.