Viking Napoleon: A Life

A real page turner & great introduction to the life & times of Napoleon Bonaparte. Very definite account, thoroughly researched & referenced. Although Andrew Roberts may be biased towards Napoleon, controversial & unsettling events during the period are dealt with in a balanced approach. Ultimately, a fair & balanced account of a very unique period of human history. Chapters are set-pieces, almost stand alone segments, for a reader who may want to specialise in a specific area they are a great starting point.For the general reader & specialist, a masterly & epic account of Europe's greatest tactician since Julius Caesar.

A well-referenced, detailed and very thorough account of the entirety of Napoleon's life. Each chapter stands alone as it's own account, meaning this book could be read out of order if a read wants to pick and choose which bits they read.

History writing at its very best. What I loved about the book was the historical detail and the fact Mr Roberts had been to so many of the places that mattered in Napoleon's life.

Excellent

My interest in reading this book was primarily concerned with gaining an insight into Napoleon’s military campaigns and with Napoleon as a military leader. However, I soon realized that in addition to being a highly talented battlefield commander - he remained undefeated in 53 of the 60 battles he fought- he was also a capable statesman, reformer, administrator and a patron of the arts. In an age where Feudalism and Serfdom were still prevalent in many European states, Napoleon was an ‘enlightened’ absolutist - creator of the Code Napoléon - who fostered meritocracy, secularism, religious tolerance, and equality before the law.Napoleon’s ambition aptly complemented by his leadership style, ability to inspire men and brilliance on the battlefield made him master of Europe. However, he was not without his vices and could be regarded as the quintessential warmonger, responsible of bringing war and destruction upon Europe for many years. His decline began with his failed invasion of Russia. Also, his enemies learnt from him and applied his methods against him, while he himself began to ignore his own highly successful military maxims. He was finally defeated when much of Europe allied against him and brought an end to his regime in 1815.As the narrative begins with the French revolution in the backdrop, a little prior reading on the French revolution would be helpful in better understanding the initial chapters. Sizable space has been devoted to Napoleon’s campaigns – Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena, Waterloo - and these have been well described by the author at the ‘Operational level’; a level of warfare, the creation of which is credited to Napoleon. However, in the present century it is difficult to visualize how Divisions, Demi Brigades and Line regiments under Napoleon’s famous Marshals - Murat, Davout, Soult, Ney, Lannes, Masséna, Oudinot etc. - were exactly fighting at the tactical level. Thus, the possession of a companion book on Infantry & Cavalry tactics of the Napoleonic wars would greatly aid in better visualizing the various battlefields. I intend to procure such a companion and re-read this book, also as I recently realized that I was in possession of ‘Dictionary of the Napoleonic War’ by David G. Chandler – currently sitting idle in my library- a book if noticed earlier would have made the reading of this volume more enjoyable and educative.Overall, Andrew Roberts’s cradle to grave biography of Napoleon- with Napoleon’s recently published thirty three thousand surviving letters as a source material - is exhaustive in its contents and provides a good account of Napoleon’s professional and personal life, his work, his achievements and his failings. Whether he was an enlightened despot or a quintessential warmongers is to be decided by the readers. Nevertheless, the book is highly recommended for anyone interested in Napoleon.