Modern history

Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815

Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815

No other soldier has provoked as much anger or as much fervour as Napoleon Bonaparte. Was he a monster, driven on by an endless, ruinous quest for military adventure – or was he a social and political visionary, brought down by petty reactionaries clinging to their privileges?

Charles Esdaile’s major new work reframes our understanding of Napoleon. Napoleon’s Wars looks beyond the insatiable greed for glory to create a new, genuinely international context for Napoleon’s career. The battles themselves Esdaile sees as almost side-effects, the consequences of rulers being willing to take the immense risks of fighting or supporting Napoleon – risks that could result in the extinction of entire countries and regimes.

Preface and Acknowledgements

MAPS

Introduction The Napoleonic Wars in Historical Perspective

Chapter 1: The Origins of the Napoleonic Wars

Chapter 2: From Brumaire to Amiens

Chapter 3: The Peace of Amiens

Chapter 4: Towards the Third Coalition

Chapter 5: Austerlitz

Chapter 6: Zenith of Empire

Chapter 7: Across the Pyrenees

Chapter 8: From Madrid to Vienna

Chapter 9: The Alliance that Failed

Chapter 10: Downfall

Chapter 11: The Congress of Vienna

Notes

Glossary of Place Names

Bibliography

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