  In Northern Italy, between 1796 and 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte formed a
Republic, and then a Kingdom, controlled by France. Milan was the capital of
the State, and the Brera Palace was the main cultural centre, as regards both
the arts and the sciences. Bonaparte probably intended to strengthen this
characteristic of Brera, aiming at increasing its Italian and European
relevance. We will discuss in detail in which way he interacted with the
astronomers of Brera Observatory, and in particular with Barnaba Oriani, that
was considered the local main representative of the 'republique des lettres',
that is, the world of literature, arts and sciences. We propose a possible
reconstruction of the effects of those complicated historical events on the
Italian astronomy and on its relations with the European one.
