Focusing on the city of Rouen between the years 1800 and 1815, this book studies the relationship between the representatives of central government and the regional elites. Taking Rouen as a case study it raises wider questions regarding the nature of the Napoleonic state and its short and longer-term impact upon local society.

Contents: Introduction; City on the Seine: Rouen in 1800; The Prefectoral administration; Law and order: the war on brigandage; The Concordat; The Rouen notables; The plight of maritime commerce; The statistical culture of the empire; The Rouen cotton industry; The problem of subsistence; Conscription; Public opinion from Brumaire to the Hundred Days; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.