1806
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1 January 1806 Nicolò Paganini (23) is named second violin in the Court Chamber Orchestra of Lucca.
By order of Emperor Napoléon, the Gregorian calendar is reintroduced in France, replacing the revolutionary calendar.
The Duchy of Bavaria is made a kingdom. Elector Maximilian IV of Bavaria becomes King Maximilian I, inaugurating a royal house which will be of great importance to music. At the same time, Duke-Elector Friedrich II of Württemberg becomes King Friedrich I.
6 January 1806 The Duchy of Modena-Breisgau is divided between Baden and Württemburg.
8 January 1806 The British retake the Cape Colony from the Dutch.
12 January 1806 French troops evacuate Vienna.
13 January 1806 Commander Francis Beaufort, RN of HMS Woolwich first writes down the wind scale he developed last year. In his log he describes his standardized method for describing wind. Eventually, it will go into common use around the world.
16 January 1806 Georg Joseph Vogler’s (56) Castor und Pollux, directed by the composer, is performed in Munich to celebrate the wedding of Napoléon’s adopted son Eugene to August Amalia, daughter of King Maximilian I of Bavaria.
19 January 1806 According to the terms of the Treaty of Pressburg, France takes control of Venetia for the Kingdom of Italy.
23 January 1806 British Prime Minister William Pitt dies of a digestive ailment in Putney at the age of 46.
King Ferdinando IV of Naples and his family flee the city as a French army marches south.
26 January 1806 Emperor Napoléon returns to Paris after his defeat of Austria.
28 January 1806 Les deux aveugles de Tolède, an opéra comique by Étienne Nicolas Méhul (42) to words of Marsollier des Vivetières after The Thousand and One Nights, is performed for the first time, in the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It receives 20 performances in Paris but is more successful elsewhere.
2 February 1806 Konzertmeister Louis Spohr (21) marries Dorothea Scheidler, the daughter of a court singer, in the court chapel of Gotha, in the presence of the Duchess.
A new chapel is inaugurated by Emperor Napoléon in the northern part of the Tuileries Palace.
6 February 1806 British and French ships engage off Santo Domingo. Two French ships are run aground and three captured.
8 February 1806 King Ferdinando IV of Naples takes refuge in Palermo from the invading French.
L’eccelsa gara, a cantata composed by Gaspare Spontini (31) to words of Balocchi to honor the French victory at Austerlitz, is performed for the first time, in the Salle Louvoise, Paris.
11 February 1806 William Wyndham Grenville, Baron Grenville replaces William Pitt as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The County of Tirol is annexed to Bavaria.
13 February 1806 Frederic Tudor’s first shipment of ice sails from Boston aboard the brig Favorite making for Martinique.
15 February 1806 The Treaty of Paris allies France and Prussia against Great Britain and amends the treaty of last 15 December. Prussia closes its ports to British ships in return for the promise of Hannover, a British possession.
French forces, led by new king Joseph Bonaparte, occupy Naples.
24 February 1806 During Luigi Cherubini’s (45) visit to Vienna, Franz Joseph Haydn (73) dedicates his Symphony no.103 to him, noting this on the autograph manuscript and handing it to him.
25 February 1806 Faniska, an opéra comique by Luigi Cherubini (45) to words of Sonnleithner after Pixérécourt, is performed for the first time, in the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna directed by the composer. The audience includes Emperor Franz and the royal family, Franz Joseph Haydn (72) and Ludwig van Beethoven (35). It is a great success and will receive 28 performances.
1 March 1806 France annexes the Kingdom of Naples.
2 March 1806 John Field (23) makes his highly successful performing debut in Moscow. He will live in Moscow and St. Petersburg for some years.
3 March 1806 The dominions of Lucca are extended over all of Tuscany.
5 March 1806 The brig Favorite arrives at St. Pierre, Martinique with the first shipment of ice by Frederic Tudor of Boston. Eventually he will be known as the “Ice King” and be very wealthy.
9 March 1806 After seven months in the city, Luigi Cherubini (45) departs Vienna to return to Paris.
14 March 1806 Emperor Napoléon announces his intention of creating his brother Louis King of Holland.
15 March 1806 The Grand Duchy of Cleves and Berg is created. Joachim Murat, brother-in-law to Napoléon, is made Grand Duke.
17:30 A chondrite meteor (containing carbon and organic-like chemicals) is identified for the first time when one crashes to Earth outside Alaïs, France.
17 March 1806 Tout le monde a tort, a vaudeville by Gaspare Spontini (31), is performed for the first time, in Malmaison.
23 March 1806 The Lewis and Clark expedition breaks camp at Fort Clatsop (near Astoria, Oregon) and begins the journey home.
29 March 1806 The second version of Ludwig van Beethoven’s (35) opera Leonore (Fidelio) to words of Sonnleithner after Bouilly, with the Leonore Overture no.3, is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna. This version has a much better reception with critics and public than the first. See 20 November 1805 and 23 May 1814.
30 March 1806 Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoléon, is created King of Sicily.
The Principality of Guastalla is created subject to French rule under Prince Camillo Filippo Ludovico Principe di Borghese and Pauline Bonaparte. The Duchy of Massa and the Principality of Carrara are restored by the French under Duke and Prince Felice Pasquale Bacciochi.
1 April 1806 The United Kingdom declares war on Prussia after Prussia annexes Hannover, which is ruled by the British monarch.
Luigi Cherubini (45) arrives back in Paris after an absence of nine months.
4 April 1806 The Imperial Catechism is published to teach young Roman Catholics the virtues of following Emperor Napoléon.
8 April 1806 The Principality of Anhalt-Bernburg becomes the Duchy of Anhalt-Bernburg. Prince Alexius becomes Duke Alexius.
9 April 1806 Reuss-Schleiz und Gera is created a principality.
Publication of the Piano Sonata op.54 by Ludwig van Beethoven (35) is announced.
15 April 1806 Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s (27) cantata Diana ed Endimione to words of Brizzi is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
18 April 1806 The United States Congress votes to end importation of certain British goods in retaliation for British seizure of American ships.
20 April 1806 Georg Joseph Vogler’s (56) Bavarian National Symphony, a reworking of his Symphony in C, is performed for the Bavarian court in Munich.
28 April 1806 Un tour de soubrette, an opéra comique by Adrien Boieldieu (30) to words of Gersin is performed for the first time, in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
29 April 1806 The impeachment trial of First Lord of the Admiralty Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, begins in the House of Lords. He is charged with misappropriation of funds.
1 May 1806 Istria is annexed by the Kingdom of Italy.
Any slave freed after this date in Virginia must leave the state.
5 May 1806 Elector Karl Friedrich of Baden-Durlach becomes Duke of Baden-Durlach.
6 May 1806 Johann Simon Mayr (42) opens his new music school, Lezioni Caritatevoli, in Bergamo, founded to provide musicians for the local church. Among the students is Gaetano Donizetti (8).
16 May 1806 A limited blockade on France against neutral shipping is imposed by Great Britain. Named after the Foreign Minister, it is called the Fox Blockade.
17 May 1806 The impeachment trial of First Lord of the Admiralty Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, concludes in the House of Lords. He is acquitted, but will never again hold public office.
Étienne Nicolas Méhul’s (42) opéra comique Malvina to words of Saint-Victor after MacPherson (Ossian), is performed for the first time, in Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It will later be called Uthal.
20 May 1806 Gott hat unter uns aufgerichtet das Wort von der Versöhnung by Johannes Herbst (70) is performed for the consecration of the Moravian church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
24 May 1806 The Principality of Guastalla is attached to the Kingdom of Italy.
26 May 1806 Emperor Napoléon decrees the dissolution of the Republic of Dubrovnik.
27 May 1806 Ansbach, currently under French occupation, is annexed to Bavaria.
1 June 1806 Bavaria officially becomes a kingdom by the terms of the Treaty of Pressburg.
5 June 1806 Napoléon transforms the Batavian Commonwealth into the Kingdom of Holland. His brother Louis is crowned king.
The Principality of Benevento is created, subject to France.
21 June 1806 Carl Maria von Weber (19) closes his career in Breslau (Wroclaw) with a farewell concert.
24 June 1806 The Bologna Accademia Filarmonica admits Gioachino Rossini (14) without charge, due to his excellent singing.
25 June 1806 Gabrielle d’Estrées, ou Les amours d’Henri IV, an opéra by Étienne Nicolas Méhul (43) to words of Saint-Just, is performed for the first time, at the Théâtre Feydeau, Paris. It is popular, perhaps because of the similarity of Henri IV to Napoléon, but will be suspended after six performances. The reason is unknown, although Saint-Just suspects government interference.
27 June 1806 Fearing that Napoléon will soon usurp the Spanish throne, English troops land at Buenos Aires and occupy the town. The Spanish governor flees to Córdoba. Local forces will evict the British in August.
29 June 1806 Das Fest des Dankes und Freude, a cantata by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (27), is performed for the first time, in Vienna.
1 July 1806 Overtura Chinesa by Carl Maria von Weber (19) is performed for the first time, in Breslau (Wroclaw).
4 July 1806 British forces defeat the French at Maida in Calabria, then return to Sicily.
10 July 1806 Sepoys revolt at Vellore (presently in Tamil Nadu) against changes in the dress code ordered by the local British commander. The changes are offensive to both Hindus and Moslems for different reasons. They take over the fort, killing about 100 of their comrades. A relief force arrives from Arcot later in the day and retakes the fort. About 100 mutineers who survive the battle are lined up and shot on the spot by the British commander. 19 Sepoys will be executed.
12 July 1806 By a treaty signed today in Paris between France and 16 German princes, the Confederation of the Rhine consisting of Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt and other smaller states is created. Carl Theodor, Baron von Dalberg, Archbishop of Mainz becomes Prince-Primate of the confederation.
The Duchy of Cleves and Berg is made into the Grand Duchy of Berg. Duke Joachim Murat is created Grand Duke.
The County of Hohengeroldseck becomes the Principality of Hohengeroldseck. Philipp Franz Wilhelm Ignaz Peter, Count of Leyen and Hohengeroldseck takes on the title Prince of Leyen and Hohengeroldseck.
Liechtenstein becomes a sovereign principality under Prince Johann I.
18 July 1806 Giovanni Paisiello (66) is created a member of the French Legion of Honor by Emperor Napoléon.
20 July 1806 Representatives of France and Russia sign a draft peace treaty in Paris. It will never be ratified by Russia.
23 July 1806 Louise Reichardt’s (27) first publication of 12 songs is favorably reviewed in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung.
1 August 1806 Emperor Napoléon declares that the Holy Roman Empire no longer exists.
Bentheim and Steinfurt are annexed to Berg. The County of Salm-Horstmar is also annexed to Berg.
6 August 1806 Emperor Franz II renounces the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and becomes Emperor Franz I of Austria. This single act ends the thousand-year history of that most indescribable of political entities, the Holy Roman Empire.
8 August 1806 During a concert given by students of the Accademia Filarmonica of Bologna, Gioachino Rossini (14) makes his last appearance as a soprano.
10 August 1806 Johann Michael Haydn dies in Salzburg of consumption, aged 68 years, ten months and 27 days.
12 August 1806 The British garrison at Buenos Aires surrenders to local troops from Argentina and Uruguay after holding the city for 46 days.
13 August 1806 Duke Karl Friedrich of Baden-Durlach becomes Grand Duke of Baden-Durlach.
Hesse-Darmstadt is created the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Duke Ludwig X of Hesse-Darmstadt becomes Grand Duke Ludwig I.
18 August 1806 Ottoman Sultan Selim III deposes the rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia replacing them with pro-French monarchs.
Kantate zur Geburtstagfeier von Liebmann Meyer Wulff by Meyer Beer (Giacomo Meyerbeer) (14) is performed for the first time.
20 August 1806 Viktor II replaces Karl as Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym.
30 August 1806 The Principalities of Nassau-Weilburg and Nassau-Usingen are joined together to form the Duchy of Nassau. It is ruled jointly by Friedrich August, Duke of Nassau (-Usingen) and Friedrich Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau (-Weilburg).
3 September 1806 Emperor Napoléon receives Tsar Alyeksandr’s rejection of the 20 July treaty.
5 September 1806 Emperor Napoléon calls to service 50,000 conscripts and 30,000 reservists, fearing an international conspiracy against France.
13 September 1806 Charles James Fox, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, dies at Chiswick House near London at the age of 57. He was one of the most prominent Whig leaders and opponents of William Pitt (who died last January).
15 September 1806 The free city of Nürnberg is attached to Bavaria.
19 September 1806 The free city of Frankfurt-am-Main is attached to the possessions of the Prince of Regensburg.
20 September 1806 The Lewis and Clark expedition reaches La Charette, the furthest white settlement on the Missouri River.
23 September 1806 The Lewis and Clark expedition reaches St. Louis two years and four months after leaving it.
26 September 1806 An ultimatum is sent from King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia to Napoléon demanding the removal of all French troops over the Rhine and French acquiescence in a North German Confederation, as well as other issues. The Emperor is already on the march in Germany.
Würzburg becomes a Grand Duchy under Grand Duke Ferdinand Joseph Johann Baptist of Austria.
1 October 1806 Georg Joseph Vogler (57) buys into a printing company in Munich.
Jan Ladislav Dussek (46) writes to his publishers, Breitkopf and Härtel, that he is leaving for war, accompanying his employer and friend, Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia.
2 October 1806 Prussia’s ultimatum of 26 September reaches Paris, but Emperor Napoléon is not there. He has already taken command of his troops at Würzburg.
7 October 1806 The Prussian ultimatum finally reaches Napoléon at Würzburg.
Ralph Wedgewood receives a British patent for carbon paper.
8 October 1806 Napoléon answers Prussia’s ultimatum by invading Prussian territory through the Thuringerwald (Franconian Forest). Bayreuth passes to French administration.
Congreve rockets are used in anger for the first time, as the Royal Navy destroys a good part of the city of Boulogne, France.
9 October 1806 Prussia declares war on France as the first skirmishes occur at Schleiz with the French army marching towards Berlin.
At the home of the Prince of Rudolstadt, Jan Ladislav Dussek (46) performs his Concerto for two pianos and orchestra op.63 C.206 for the first time, possibly with string quartet.
10 October 1806 French forces defeat the Prussians at Saalfeld, 40 km southeast of Erfurt. Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Prussia is killed in action. He was accompanied into battle by his friend and employee, Jan Ladislav Dussek (46). After the death of Prince Ludwig, Prussian and Saxon troops flee before the French. Dussek will later pen the Elégie harmonique sur la mort du Prince Louis Ferdinand de Prusse, honoring the memory of his good friend.
Friedrich Wilhelm replaces Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand as Duke of Brunswick.
13 October 1806 Hilmi Ibrahim Pasha replaces Hafiz Isamil Pasha as Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
14 October 1806 Invading French forces meet the Prussians and Saxons at Jena and Auerstädt, near Weimar, with calamitous consequences for the Germans. 32,000 people are killed. As the battles rage nearby, a professor at the University of Jena, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, is finishing his book Phenomenology of Spirit.
16 October 1806 The Prussian command organizes its forces and retreats towards Magdeburg while the pursuing French capture Erfurt.
In response to the Turkish action of 18 August, Russian forces invade Ottoman territory across the River Dniester.
17 October 1806 Napoléon’s troops catch up with the retreating Prussians at Halle and engage them. The Prussians flee the field. 5,800 people are killed.
“Emperor Jacques I” of Haiti, the former General Jean-Jacques Dessalines, is murdered by his own troops at Pont Rouge.
24 October 1806 French troops reach the suburbs of Berlin.
25 October 1806 French forces enter Berlin. The Prussian court flees to Königsberg.
26 October 1806 French forces occupy Osnabrück.
27 October 1806 Emperor Napoléon enters Berlin. He immediately visits the tomb of Frederick the Great to pay him homage.
A French administration takes over in Fulda.
28 October 1806 A Prussian army, believing itself to be surrounded by a French force ten times its size (it is not), surrenders at Prenzlau, 95 km northeast of Berlin.
29 October 1806 Publication of the Rondo for piano op.19 and the Hungarian Dance for piano op.23 by Johann Nepomuk Hummel (27) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.
Prussian cavalry surrenders to a French force less than one-fifth its size, at Pasewalk, 24 km northeast of Prenzlau. Meanwhile, 38 km to the east, the French capture Stettin (Szczecin) without firing a shot.
British troops capture the Spanish garrison of Maldonado (Uruguay) and go on to take Punta del Este.
3 November 1806 With Napoléon’s blessing, Polish leaders in Berlin issue a call for a national Polish uprising.
Essen is transferred from Prussia to Berg.
4 November 1806 The County of Hanau is placed under French administration.
7 November 1806 The last Prussian force of consequence surrenders to the French at Lübeck. Napoléon has completed his conquest of Prussia in seven weeks. He dispatches large forces to the east into Poland.
10 November 1806 Magdeburg surrenders to the French.
12 November 1806 Muzio Clementi (54) arrives in Vienna from St. Petersburg where he will meet Beethoven (35) and buy the rights to some of his works.
French troops occupy Hildesheim.
15 November 1806 Zebulon Pike first views the mountain that bears his name.
18 November 1806 Mo’in ad-Din Abu’n Nasr Mohammad Akbar Padshah Saheb Quiran-e Sani replaces Jalal ad-Din Abu’l Mozaffar Mohammad Shah Alam II Padshah as Emperor of India.
19 November 1806 French forces occupy Hamburg.
21 November 1806 Napoléon issues the Berlin Decrees. All continental ports are closed to British ships and all British ports are to be blockaded.
28 November 1806 Invading French forces capture Warsaw, which was abandoned by the Russians.
Russia declares war on France.
2 December 1806 The US Congress votes to end the importation of slaves after 1807.
3 December 1806 Publication of the Variations for piano op.21 of Johann Nepomuk Hummel (28) is announced in the Wiener Zeitung.
9 December 1806 Ernst I replaces Franz Friedrich Anton as Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
Ohio militiamen seize boats and supplies stockpiled by Aaron Burr and his accomplice Harman Blennerhassett, at Marietta on the Ohio River. Burr intended to use these for his plan to separate the southwest from the United States.
11 December 1806 A treaty of peace is signed between France and Saxony at Posen (Poznan). Saxony is made a kingdom and joins the Rhenish Confederation. Elector Friedrich August III becomes King Friedrich August I.
Militiamen raid the island owned by Harman Blennerhassett, in the Ohio River near Marietta where Aaron Burr’s “army” has been congregating. Most of them have already run away.
17 December 1806 Seven weeks of voting in the British general elections concludes with the supporters of Prime Minister Lord Grenville somewhat strengthened in the new Parliament.
18 December 1806 Emperor Napoléon reaches Warsaw, in French hands since 28 November.
22 December 1806 The French force their way across the River Narew against Russian defenders at Tscharnovo (Debe), 30 km north of Warsaw, causing 2,800 total casualties.
23 December 1806 Ludwig van Beethoven’s (36) Concerto for violin and orchestra op.61 is performed for the first time, in the Theater-an-der-Wien, Vienna. Since the music is not ready until the last minute, the soloist, Franz Clement, reads the solo part with only minimal preparation.
24 December 1806 Russian troops enter Bucharest.
Duke Ferdinando of Modena, Reggio and Ferrara dies, succeeded by his son, Francesco IV.
26 December 1806 Two engagements between French and Russian troops take place near Warsaw. At Pultusk, 52 km north of the city, there is no strategic result. At Golymin, 23 km northwest of Pultusk, the French gain slight advantage.
27 December 1806 The Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia.
Samuel Wesley’s (40) third setting of Dixit Dominus, for three voices, is performed for the first time, at a meeting of the Concentores Society, London.
28 December 1806 Adrien Boieldieu’s (31) opéra comique Télémaque, to words of Dercy, is performed for the first time, in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
29 December 1806 A continued Russian retreat, refusing to stand and fight, and bad weather force Napoléon to make winter quarters in Poland.
©2004-2012 Paul Scharfenberger
6 July 2012
Last Updated (Friday, 06 July 2012 05:43)