The Grey Cardinal of Napoleon. Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès

The personality of Napoleon Bonaparte is widely recognized, while the name of Cambacérès - the man who dwelled in the shadow of the emperor but actually governed the country - is probably familiar only to historians. Meanwhile, this statesman was... the closest advisor to Napoleon and had a significant influence on him. Cambacérès was nicknamed the grey cardinal of the emperor, which corresponded perfectly to his manner of operation. It was thanks to Cambacérès that Napoleon was able to climb to the highest echelons of power, receiving the title of Emperor of the French with the right of lifelong inheritance.
Having progressed from a lawyer in provincial Montpellier to the Archchancellor of the Empire, Cambacérès becomes one of the most influential people in France. Moreover, he is a grandmaster in many Masonic lodges, which he subsequently united into a single system under the emperor’s control.
The prudence and foresight of Cambacérès saved the emperor from fateful mistakes more than once, but he was unable to prevent the execution of Louis XVI, the murder of the Duke of Enghien, wars in Europe and in Russia, which ultimately led to France's defeat and Napoleon's abdication.
Contemporary and historians' attitudes towards Cambacérès are rather contradictory. However, despite various assertions, his personality remains a mystery to us. Referring to the accounts of contemporaries that recount the "quirks" of the archchancellor, for example, his passion for dinners, honors, and luxury, one inevitably wonders: was Cambacérès really the way he appeared to the emperor and society?
To be fair, it must be acknowledged that Cambacérès was indeed the main creator of Napoleonic power, a brilliant lawyer who was able, in the post-revolutionary period, to prepare and prolong a number of legislative acts, such as the Civil Code and the Constitution, which helped restore the normal functioning of legislative, executive, and judicial bodies. Surprisingly, some articles of the laws adopted back then remain in force even to this day.