The 8 and 9 April 2026, the Museo Glauco Lombardi from Parma will host the conference “Nobili, colte, ribelli. Donne protagoniste alle corti napoleoniche”.” (Noble, cultured, rebellious. Des femmes protagonistes dans les cours napoléoniennes), devoted to the role of women in napoleonic courts. Organised in partnership with’Associazione Napoleone ed Elisa: da Parigi alla Toscana APS of Lucca and the Centro documentazione Residenze Reali lombarde in Monza, this event will highlight the major female figures of the’Napoleonic history, while helping to enhance the value of the Napoleonic heritage and the’imperial age.
A conference on women in Napoleonic courts
Through this scientific programme, the symposium aims to highlight women who played an important role in the political, cultural and social dynamics of the imperial era. Court ladies, educators, sovereigns or women of influence, they appear here as true actors of their time.
The meeting will look at a number of court careers and contexts, from Parma, Lucca, Milan, Turin, Paris and other centres of the Napoleonic world. This cross-cutting approach will help to enrich our understanding of the networks of women who accompanied, supported or embodied power in the Napoleonic era.
Two days of exchanges in Parma
The conference starts on Wednesday 8 April 2026 at 2.00 pm with institutional greetings, in particular from Francesca Sandrini, director of the Museo Glauco Lombardi, Marina Rosa, president of the Centro documentazione Residenze Reali lombarde, Roberta Martinelli, president of the Associazione Napoleone ed Elisa: da Parigi alla Toscana, and Eleonora Berti, Director of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities - Destination Napoléon. The first session will be chaired by Luigi Mascilli Migliorini of the Accademia dei Lincei.
Among the speakers announced are Peter Hicks the Fondation Napoléon, the’Élisabeth Caude, curator of the Château de Malmaison and the Château de Bois-Préau, and’Elena Riva, the Centro documentazione Residenze Reali in Lombardy and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.
The second day, scheduled for Thursday 9 April from 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., will be chaired by Roberta Martinelli. She will give the floor to a number of specialists on figures such as the Duchess of Montebello, Maria Hadfield Cosway, Luisa Palma Mansi, Eleonora Bernardini, Filippina di Sales or even Paolina Bonaparte, before a concluding debate.
A meeting place for history, heritage and research
Bringing together researchers, curators, historians and representatives of heritage institutions, this symposium once again illustrates the vitality of research into Napoleonic heritage and the diversity of possible approaches to bringing it to the attention of the public. Dedicated to women in napoleonic courts, It also demonstrates the wealth of cooperation between the network's members and partners, in a European perspective of cultural enhancement.
This event confirms Parma's place as one of the cities that actively contribute to bringing the Napoleonic heritage to life and encouraging dialogue, this time by honouring those who were also key protagonists.
More information
Event title : Nobili, colte, ribelli. The protagonists of the Napoleonic courts
Location: Museo Glauco Lombardi, Strada Giuseppe Garibaldi 15, Parma
Dates Wednesday 8 April 2026 from 2.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. and Thursday 9 April 2026 from 9.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.
Information and bookings: info@museoglaucolombardi.it
Website : www.museoglaucolombardi.it