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Population There are about 180 million in Europe at the beginning of the 1800s, one fifth of the world's population. Britain's first-ever census, in 1801, shows it has a population of 10,501,000 (double what it was half a century earlier). Ireland, which is joined with Britain by the Act of Union in 1801, is estimated to have a population of 5 million or so. Censuses have not been held elsewhere in Europe, so population figures
for other countries are estimates. Changing borders also mean that it's
difficult to produce definitive figures. However, in 1800 there are thought
to be about ... Government Monarchy almost everywhere, often members of the Bourbon family, who used to rule France and still ruled Spain until 1808. Napoleon has appointed members of his own family to reign where the native monarchs are deemed inadequate, such as Joseph in Spain, Jérôme in Westphalia and Louis in Holland (until he fires him in 1810). Marshal Murat, who is married to Napoleon's sister, Caroline, is king of Naples, in place of the former Bourbon family member. The British Parliament is the strongest in Europe, but the vast majority of people still do not have the right to vote. The king also wields considerable power, as he does when he forces William Pitt's resignation over Catholic emancipation in 1801. European monarchs in 1812 Austria: Emperor Francis II Currency The nearest you get to a universally accepted currency is the franc. Although it suffered from massive inflation in the 1790s (in 1795, a 20-franc gold piece was worth 750 paper francs), it has been stabilised by Napoleon's creation of the Bank of France, which has a 15-year monopoly on printing paper money. Don't try using the franc in Britain, though, where only gold or the pound is acceptable tender. Calendar Most of Europe uses the Gregorian calendar. But in France, the Revolutionary Calendar is still in use until 1806. Under this, the year starts with the autumn equinox. Weeks are replaced by 10-day cycles (called décades). Days are named primidi ('oneday'), duodi ('twoday'), tridi ('threeday') and so on. Months, made up of three décades each, all have unfamiliar names based on their characteristics. The full year goes: Vendémiaire (from the Latin vindemia, grape harvest) Transport The first public railway isn't opened (in England) until 1825, so transport in Napoleon's Europe is limited to foot, horse or boat. Roads are poor, and even the shortest journeys can take several days. They can also cost a lot of money: there are turnpikes charging tolls, sometimes every few miles, on most routes. One of the fastest forms of travel is the mail coach system used to carry newspapers and post between major British towns and cities. The coaches, which also take passengers, have reduced travel times dramatically. A journey from London to Newcastle, for example, which used to take six days, can now be done in two. And the fastest coaches from London to Brighton are now getting there in barely half a day. For the thrill of innovation, get down to Bristol where, from 1810, John McAdam is pursuing a 'hobby' creating modern cambered roads made of crushed stone. For heavy goods, water is often the only affordable means of transport. One of the firms in the cradle of the new iron-manufacturing industry in Shropshire, England, is reported to have preferred a 550-mile journey by river and sea to get goods from its premises to their destination rather than the 60-mile journey overland. Taxes These have risen everywhere to meet the cost of Europe's wars. And in Britain there's the new income tax, introduced for the first time in 1799. It starts at two pence (less than 1p) in the pound on incomes of £60 a year, rising to two shillings (10p) in the pound on incomes above £200 per annum. |
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