Abstract

Recent Napoleonic historiography emphasizes the need to extend our exploration of the Grand Empire beyond an exclusive focus on Bonaparte’s biography or France. Current research directs attention to annexed departments, examining their integration into the empire through diverse indicators. A crucial aspect is the ralliement of local elites to the regime. While existing studies closely examine their interaction with government agents, this primarily reflects the agents’ viewpoint. This paper advocates for a complementary approach, prioritizing the elites, and underscores the necessity for further investigation into their role. This can be achieved by focusing on their networks and adopting a comparative viewpoint.