Many books have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte, and he is a familiar yet still controversial figure when it comes to assigning his merits and failings. Roberts's account of Napoleon's life is very readable and lengthy. It is complimented with many illustrations and maps of battles, as well as portraits of the various principals of the story. Roberts did a massive amount of research on his subject. He portrays Napoleon in a positive light, particularly for his military genius and his reorganization of the French government and laws. Much of the Napoleonic Code is still in use today, including the state of Louisiana and Quebec. Roberts writes a very complete account of Napoleon's many campaigns and battles and reveals his personal life through the many letters he wrote, 33 thousand or more. Apparently Bonaparte didn't sleep much and did a lot of his planning and writing throughout the night. He was a great micro-manager. Often during a campaign, he would digress to make sure his soldiers were well equipped, fed, and cared for. Or he would dash off a letter advising his aides or wife to tend to an issue of minor importance in the light of the battle which was raging around him.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in Corsica and early on demonstrated he had a genius for military planning. He was an indefatigable worker and quickly rose through the ranks with his brilliant mind and courageous daring. He attended the exclusive Ecole Militaire in Paris, which was quite impressive given his humble background. During the time of his ascendancy France was a failing country which he eventually turned into a super power in Europe. He became Emperor in 1804 until 1814 when he was defeated by the coalition of England, Prussia, Austria and Russia and exiled to Elba. He made a daring escape from the island and again regained the imperial crown for a short time in 1815. We all know he was then sent to the remote Atlantic Island of St. Helena on which he died in 1821 of stomach cancer. He was 51 years old.
Applying today's standards, Napoleon live a short life, but his accomplishments were mighty. Roberts doesn't spend a lot of time on his personal life. It is hard to know if Napoleon was able to form strong bonds with women. His letters and relationships seem to be somewhat sophomoric. He had many mistresses and one-night stands. Josephine, famous in her own right, was the love of his life, yet he readily divorced her to marry Maria Louise of Austria when it seemed politically expedient to do so.
The alliances with and against Napoleon were constantly shifting. For all his successes, Bonaparte had some spectacular defeats--in Egypt, on the sea (he was no match for Nelson's superior knowledge of sea battles), his failed "Continental System" for blockading English goods, and his extricating his armies from Russia after his failed attempt to lay siege to Moscow. The Russians burned the city and abandoned it leaving him and his troops to freeze and starve their way through the frozen and desolate Ukraine. The wily Prince Metternich of Austria and Tsar Alexander were on and off again adversaries. His once trusted advisor Talleyrand turned on him while enriching himself. The brilliant tactician Wellington finally and for all time defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. In the end Napoleon's reach exceeded his grasp. He just could not stop "playing soldiers."
I highly recommend this biography of Napoleon to all who have an interest in him and his times, as well as to the general reader who would like to know more about the great battles for supremacy in Europe in the early 19th century.
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