THE TRIAL OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
You can use the material below as a guide to create trials for other people or events. Material presented here was developed and is copyright © Colin Welch, Chilliwack Senior Secondary School,
Chilliwack, B.C., Canada
The purpose of this trial is to judge the actions of Napoleon
Bonaparte. Was he a great leader and patriot, or was he a
power-hungry dictator? The year is 1815 and his last 100 days as a
general have ended on the fields of Waterloo. What are we to do with
this man? Our task is to examine his life and produce a verdict on
the charge of "crimes against humanity", a charge later used against
the Nazis after World War Two. Be careful, because the Congress of
Vienna - which is sponsoring this trial - may not be completely
innocent!
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS/STUDENTS:
Courtroom Personnel:
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The Judge:
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The Lawyer(s) for the Quadruple Alliance:
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The Lawyer(s) for the Defence:
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The Court Clerk/Sheriff:
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Witnesses for the Prosecution (representing the Quadruple Alliance):
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Prince Metternich of Austria:
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Czar Alexander 1st of Russia
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Lord Castlereagh of Great Britain:
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The Duke of Wellington of Great Britain:
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A Prussian Nationalist Soldier:
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An anti-Napoleon French soldier who fought in Russia:
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A British Merchant and Trader:
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Others (see your teacher):
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Witnesses for Napoleon:
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Napoleon:
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The Chief Justice of the French Court:
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A French School Teacher:
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A loyal French officer who fought at Austerlitz:
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A loyal French soldier:
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A French peasant:
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An Italian nationalist:
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Others (see your teacher):
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Preparation And Expectations For The Participants:
1) The chief responsibility of the judge and clerk/sheriff is to be
familiar with courtroom procedures. They will be responsible for
conducting the trial and making sure all participants are following
proper legal procedure. These two members must complete, before the
trial, a minimum two-page summary of their respective duties in a
trial. A summary can be done by each person, but it is recommended
that the summary is completed jointly; this summary should follow the
suggested order of trial listed below. The judge and clerk/sheriff
are expected to cover what their characters will say and how they
will deal with lawyers and witnesses during the trial. You can talk
to the teacher for references about these duties. This summary must
be typed or neatly written; it will be distributed to the rest of the
class before the trial to help facilitate the smooth operation of the
activity.
2) The lawyers must understand how each witness (their own or the
hostile witnesses) will contribute to their legal strategy. Each
legal team must complete an introductory speech which outlines: the
witnesses they will call in their favour; the weaknesses of the
opposing side's case; and the major arguments of their own case. They
will also write a closing statement which: summarises the arguments
in favour of their case; explains the weaknesses of the other side's
arguments and witnesses; and a recommendation on sentencing. Lawyers
should write this conclusion before the trial by anticipating what
will happen, but they should also leave room on the conclusion to add
details which may emerge during the trial. Finally, the lawyers will
write up at least 6 questions for each of their own witnesses which
highlight their witnesses' title and position, experience regarding
Napoleon, and their opinion about Napoleon. They will need to share
their questions with each witness, and reach a consensus on the best
questions. The lawyers will also need to create two or three
questions for their cross-examination of hostile witnesses. These
questions should put the witness on the defensive and reinforce the
arguments of the cross-examining lawyers.
3) Each witness must prepare a 200 to 300 word summary of their
character. The summary should include their character's upbringing,
position, general political beliefs and opinions toward Napoleon.
Those witnesses who are not specific historical characters may have
to create much of their character, as long as it is within reasonable
limits and nothing inaccurate about Napoleon is said. These
non-specific characters are important for what they represent about
Napoleon, not who they are in particular (sorry!).The witness must
also create 6 to 10 likely questions they would face from their
lawyers. An appropriate answer for each question will be required.
These will be shared with their lawyers. Ask your teacher for
appropriate kinds of questions.
Suggested Order For The Trial Of Napoleon Bonaparte
A) Opening the Trial:
1. The entry of the Judge.
2. The opening statement by the Clerk/Sheriff.
3. The entry of the prisoner.
B) Taking Pleas:
1. The introduction of the lawyers.
2. The reading of the charge against the accused.
3. The plea of the prisoner.
C) The Case for the Prosecution:
1. The opening statement of the prosecution lawyers.
2. The examination of the prosecution witnesses, with
cross-examination and rebuttal.
D) The Case for the Defence:
1. The opening statement of the defence lawyers.
2. The examination of the defence witnesses, with cross examination
and rebuttal.
E) Summations by Counsel:
1. Defence Lawyers.
2. Prosecution Lawyers.
F) The Verdict:
1. The decision of the jury regarding guilt and sentencing.
G) Closing the Trial:
1. The exit of Napoleon and the Judge.
NOTES TO THE TEACHER:
1. Like any mock trial, many things will have to be improvised. Each
witness, for example, may have to create many elements of his or her
character. Napoleon's witnesses, for example, can be fictional, as
long as they summarize Napoleon's various achievements. As a teacher,
you'll have to decide for yourself about selecting roles, costuming,
timing, etc. This can be stressful, but it's also very creative and
rewarding!
2. You will need many resource books for this project. Ask your
librarian well ahead of time to pull all of the available books. A
particularly good resource, and one which helped me create this mock
trial, is Charlie and Cynthia Hou's The Riel Rebellion: A
Biographical Approach. The teacher's guide, in particular, has
some excellent ideas on the roles of the Judge, the Clerk/Sheriff and
the lawyers. Another good legal resource is a Law 12 textbook,
All About Law (3rd edition). Chapter 7 is especially helpful
with trial procedure. Incidentally, even though this trial is
supposedly set in 19th century Europe, the courtroom procedures I've
employed are from modern Canadian criminal law.
3. Preparation is very important; it can be tedious but it makes a
world of difference for the actual trial. You should read through the
expectation and suggested order pages with the entire class and make
sure everyone knows what to do. (A limited "dry run" is recommended
to familiarize everyone with trial procedure). This and the library
research may take 3 to 5 one-hour classes. The trial and wrap-up
should take 2 classes.
4. I recommend that a very responsible and out-going student is
selected as the judge. You should also have strong students acting as
lawyers. They will have to be resourceful, thorough and be able to
interact with others (especially when creating questions). Finally,
avoid hassles - don't have a separate jury, because they tend not to
do much. Let the whole class decide!
The Trial of Napoleon Bonaparte
A Mock Trial for Social Studies
Developed by: Colin Welch, Chilliwack Senior Secondary School
Chilliwack, B.C., Canada
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