A memorable evening organized by the Monaco Baltic States association and the Society of Members of the Legion of Honor, Monaco section

More than 200 historians, diplomats, military history enthusiasts, and members of the French and European Napoleonic community gathered for an evening dedicated to the enduring legacy of the Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805), Napoleon’s most celebrated victory.

The evening was brilliantly hosted and animated by two prominent figures in Napoleonic studies: Professor Thierry Lentz, director of the Fondation Napoléon, and Franco Borruto.

In a passionate and deeply personal address, Franco Borruto opened the proceedings by emphasising that the presence of such a large audience – over 200 people – was itself the most eloquent testimony to the living attachment that France and Europe still feel for this decisive chapter of their common history.

He shared an emotional recollection of his visit to the Austerlitz battlefield years ago alongside his friend Riccardo Di Caria (to whom he expressed heartfelt public gratitude) and highlighted the exemplary respect with which the Czech people continue to honour the site and the French soldiers who fell there – a respect movingly illustrated by a short video shown to the assembly.

Borruto did not hesitate to recall the bitterness felt in the Czech Republic when, after generously offering France the symbolic heart of the battlefield, the French President of the time chose to commemorate Trafalgar rather than Austerlitz.

Placing the battle in its wider geopolitical context, the speakers stressed that Austerlitz was not merely a military triumph but the founding act of a new European equilibrium: it paved the way for the Treaties of Tilsit, incorporated the Baltic into France’s strategic sphere, and rekindled the dream of an independent Poland. More than 100,000 Poles would later fight under French colours alongside generals Dąbrowski and Prince Józef Poniatowski – the only foreigner ever named Marshal of France. To this day, Poland remains the only nation whose national anthem still celebrates Napoleon by name; an excerpt, played during the evening, deeply moved the 200 attendees.

Throughout the event, Franco Borruto and Professor Thierry Lentz took turns guiding the audience through this rich history, combining personal testimony, rigorous analysis and contagious enthusiasm. The evening concluded with prolonged applause when Franco Borruto officially passed the floor to Thierry Lentz, saluting him – alongside Jean Tulard – as one of the greatest living embodiments of excellence in Napoleonic scholarship.

For the 200 participants, this conference animated by Thierry Lentz and Franco Borruto was far more than a historical commemoration: it was a vibrant demonstration that the memory and the ideals born at Austerlitz continue to resonate powerfully in today’s Europe.

 

### Austerlitz Remembered: A Memorable Evening Animated by Professor Thierry Lentz and Franco Borruto