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How was Sir Humphry Davy able to travel through France during the Napoleonic Wars?
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Sir Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, detail of an oil painting after Sir Thomas Lawrence; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sir Humphry Davy was able to travel through France during the Napoleonic Wars because he received explicit permission from Napoleon to do so.1
Davy embarked on a European tour between 1813 and 1815, accompanied by his laboratory assistant, the future scientist Michael Faraday. Despite the ongoing conflict between England and France, this authorization allowed him to traverse the country, where he met with prominent French scientists and was even presented to the empress Marie Louise.1