Apokalyptische Gestalt oder „Feind Russlands“? Napoleon in russischen Karikaturen zu Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

This article is devoted to “sacralized” imaginations of Napoleon and his army as enemies as they appear in Russian caricatures of 1812. It consists of three parts: the first one deals with the images of the “holy war,” Napoleon, and France in Russian official political manifestos and Church sermons from the beginning of the 19th century. The second part examines West European “demonic” images of the French Emperor. Finally, the third part explores whether Russian caricature interpreted the war of 1812 as an event in the history of Christian salvation. The analysis suggests that Russian caricaturists mostly ignored the “demonized” images of Napoleon and his army. They predominantly concentrated on depicting heroic fights of the common people with the French invaders. The reasons for this astonishing lack of Napoleon-Antichrist-images can be explained by both a new interest in „the Russian people“ and old traditions of the Russian Orthodox iconography which did not provide frightening devil images either.