Although the customs of 19thcentury warfare meant that the Napoleonic Wars were a predominantly male affair, women were present both on the battlefields and in the corridors of power. Napoleon's government itself represented a compromise between the traditions of France's and the republic. He ushered in (salon host) Madame de Staël, who was forced into exile after her writings criticised Napoleon's policies. The regime's rapprochement with the Catholic Church also effectively reversed the progressive gains of the French Revolution in matters such as divorce.
