Emperor of the French Napoleon I - Napoleon the Great

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First published by Allen Lane 2014
Published in Penguin Books 2015

Copyright Andrew Roberts, 2014

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Cover design by Leo Nickolls
Cover photograph Chesnot/Getty Images

ISBN: 978-0-241-01919-1

PENGUIN BOOKS

An epic joy Never before have the scope and sweep of Napoleons life been encapsulated so cogently Roger Lewis, Daily Mail

Magisterial and beautifully written Napoleon could have few biographers more dedicated to their subject. Not only has Roberts worked his way through Napoleons 33,000 extant letters but he has also walked the ground of 53 of Napoleons 60 battlefields What is more, he made the long and still arduous journey to St Helena The result of these labours is a richly detailed and sure-footed reappraisal of the man, his achievements and failures and the extraordinary times in which he lived Jeremy Jennings, Standpoint

Roberts is an uncommonly gifted writer, capable of synthesizing vast amounts of material and rendering it in clear, elegant prose. The result is a thrilling tale of military and political genius, and easily the finest one-volume biography of Napoleon in English Michael F. Bishop, Washington Post

Masterly beautifully written and a pleasure to read Economist

There have been more books written about Napoleon than there have been days since he died. Do we really need another? The answer to that question, at least if the book is by the distinguished historian Andrew Roberts, is an emphatic yes. Napoleon is the most well-rounded and nuanced biography of this astonishing man to be had. In the masterly hands of Andrew Roberts, one of the most extraordinary and consequential human beings who has ever lived has been brought to vivid and exemplary life John Steele Gordon, Commentary

An enthralling account of his rise and fall Whether or not he was great will continue to be debated I was convinced, just but there is no doubt that this is a great biography Miriam Gross, Evening Standard, Books of the Year

Andrew Robertss impressive Napoleon the Great stands as a laudatory obelisk to the unknown moody soldier with a craving for suicide who ended the French Revolution, gave France a new constitution and was crowned Emperor. His Napoleon is a protean, sympathetic figure, considerate of his men and obsessively well read. Preparing to invade England, Napoleon instructed books to be published about Julius Caesars successful invasion, referred to Britain as Carthage, and had a medal designed that featured him in naked combat with a merman. On the reverse: Struck in London 1804 Nicholas Shakespeare, Daily Telegraph, Best Biographies of 2014

This book is simply spectacular. Roberts writes beautifully and, aided by meticulous historical research, brings Napoleon alive before the reader, with grapeshot and cannon fire splattering across the page Kevin J. Hamilton, Seattle Times

The great man has found in Roberts a worthy biographer. He has written a superbly nuanced portrait of a complex, likeable and never less than fascinating character that will stand as the benchmark for a generation Saul David, Evening Standard

Entertaining, even addictive Roberts writes with great vigour, style and fluency whisks the reader along so briskly that you barely question Napoleons destiny Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

An epically scaled new biography Roberts brilliantly conveys the sheer energy and presence of Napoleon the organizational and military whirlwind who, through crisp and incessant questioning, sized up people and problems and got things done. His dynamism shines in Robertss set-piece chapters on major battles like Austerlitz, Jena, and Marengo, turning visionary military maneuvers into politically potent moments Duncan Kelly, The New York Times Book Review

My non-fiction book of the year is Andrew Robertss Napoleon the Great: superb narrative history grounded in new research Michael Gove, New Statesman, Books of the Year

I like Roberts and as for Napoleon, I cannot get enough of him Julian Fellowes, Observer, Books of the Year

Andrew Roberts is a biographer and historian of international renown whose books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (winner of the Wolfson Prize for History); Masters and Commanders: The Military Geniuses Who Led the West to Victory in World War II; The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War; Napoleon and Wellington and Waterloo: Napoleons Last Gamble. In researching Napoleon the Great, he visited Napoleonic battlefields in Russia, Belarus, Israel, Belgium, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and France, and also visited St Helena. Napoleon the Great won the Prix du Jury des Grands Prix de la Fondation Napolon. Roberts is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His three-part BBC2 television series about Napoleon is broadcast to coincide with publication of this book.

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To my siblings, Ashley Gurdon and Matthew and Eliot Roberts

Having now spent longer researching and writing this book than Napoleon himself spent on St Helena and Elba put together, Ive collected a disconcertingly large array of people whom I would like to thank for their unfailing generosity, good nature, time and help. They include President Nicolas Sarkozy for his insights into the state of thinking about Napoleon in France today; David Cameron and Rodney Melville for allowing me to research the Napoleon correspondence at Chequers; Xavier Darcos of the Academie Franaise and Institut de France for introductions in Paris; Mervyn King for his thoughts on French and British debt-financing of the Napoleonic Wars; Carole Aupoix for showing me a louse such as the ones that spread the typhus that devastated Napoleons armies in Russia; the late Archduke Otto von Hapsburg for his views on Marie Louises dclass marriage to Napoleon; Lady Mary Berry for showing me the chairs used at the Congress of Vienna; Jayne Wrightsman for showing me her collection of Napoleonic book bindings; Robert Pirie for his encouragement; the late Lady Alexandra Dacre for her memories of the Empress Eugnie; Duan Frbort at Austerlitz, for letting me fire his Napoleonic musket; Ms Evan Lattimer for allowing me to see what is purported to be Napoleons tendon; Charles-Henry and Jean-Pascal Trani; Jerry and Jane Del Missier for their wonderful hospitality on Lake Geneva; Nicholas Steed for his reports on Napoleon in Malta; the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon for showing me Napoleons chair from Fontainebleau and desk from the Tuileries; Robin Birley for his great generosity; the Countess of Rosebery for showing me the Emperors travelling library; Dr Henry Kissinger for his thoughts on the Congress of Vienna; Prof. Charles Esdaile for inviting me to his excellent