Charismatic Authority in Revolutionary and Napoleonic France

The essay examines the emergence, during the eighteenth century, of what the author calls the figure of the charismatic revolutionary leader. It shows how an image of virtuous, powerful, redeemers and founder-figures became enormously popular in the Atlantic World during the 1760s. It goes on to consider the characteristics associated with these figures, tracing their roots in such sources as the Enlightenment cult of genius, the eighteenth-century worship of “les grands hommes,” new forms of celebrity, and the sentimental novel. It discusses the applicability of the Weberian definition of “charisma” to the figure, and distinguishes it carefully from monarchy. The essay then explores the consequences of this transformation for our understanding of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.