Napoleon the Great

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From Andrew Roberts, author of the Sunday Times bestseller The Storm of War, comes the definitive modern biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, who lived an extraordinary life. In just twenty years, from October 1795, when he quelled insurrectionists in Paris, to his defeat at the poorly managed battle of Waterloo in June 1815, he transformed France and Europe. After seizing power in a coup d'état, he ended the corruption of the Revolution. Through a series of dazzling battles, he reinvented warfare, and in peace, he modernized France's laws, education, and administration while fostering the beautiful 'Empire style' in the arts. His relentless pursuit of defeating Great Britain led to disastrous campaigns in Spain and Russia, resulting in the loss of half a million French lives and the unraveling of his Empire. Roberts captures Napoleon's tremendous energy and the allure of his personality, even to his enemies. Having walked 53 of Napoleon's 60 battlefields and studied a new edition of his letters, Roberts re-evaluates many myths, including the nature of his romance with Josephine. A French sergeant-major at the Battle of Leipzig noted the electric enthusiasm Napoleon inspired in his soldiers. This biography reveals why his presence could galvanize troops even in dire circumstances.