著者

西出 不二雄

出版者

教育史学会

雑誌

日本の教育史学 (ISSN:03868982)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.10, pp.127-148, 1967-09-30 (Released:2017-06-01)

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In this article, I intend to consider the relation between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Roman Catholic Church, in order to analyse the characteristics of the religious education in the reign of Napoleon (1799-1815). Immediately after the "coup d'Etat du 18 Brumaire", Napoleon pursued the secular policy as leaders of the French Revolution had done, with respect to religious problem. But Napoleon concluded the "Concordat" with Pius VII, in conformity with the rebirth of a religious atmosphere after the French Revolution. As a result, the religious education was put into practice. Although Napoleon admitted educational action under the direction of the Church, his real intention was to make full use of its traditional authority and organization to serve his regime. Thus, applying the "Articles organiques" to the Church, Napoleon tried to oppress the private schools which contradicted his policies. The Church only had a seminary in each diocese, but the Catholic clergy was occupied in the educational action out of surveillance of the government. That was why Napoleon could not take the "liberte d'enseignement" from the Church. It was a centralism like "patriarcat national" that Napoleon proposed to realize, for he would become a souvereign of both realms: spiritual and temporal. For that purpose, he took two effective measures in 1806. One was to distribute the uniform catechism in which Napoleon emphasized his power, and the other was to found the "Universite imperiale" as a convenient organ to penetrate his will. Napoleon could scarecely attain his purpose in reality. However we can find, in the process of the keen conflicts about religion and moral between Napoleon and the Church, a fundamental subject in the history of French education.