There’s an irony in Russian aristocrats’ attitude—though the French are their enemy, only French language is respectable in cultured circles, with Russian being somewhat derided. Regarding the battle, Bilibin’s reaction suggests, again, that officials who are at a distance from the action have a very different perception of the war than those who actually fought it. Schönbrunn was the beloved Hapsburg palace in Vienna, so it would be especially galling for Austrians and their allies to see Napoleon setting up his residence there.