Napoleon's Wars_ An International History, 1803-1815 - Charles Esdaile [1]
Boney and Talley, or The Corsican Carcass - Butcher’s Reckoning Day, by James Gillray, 1803, courtesy of the Warden and Scholars of New College, Oxford (photo: The Bridgeman Art Library).
The Second of May, Madrid, 1808, copy by A. Alvarez after an original by Manuel Castellano in the Municipal Museum of Madrid (photo: AISA, Barcelona).
The Rage of Napoleon, cartoon by early nineteenth century Spanish school (photo: AISA, Barcelona).
The Surrender of Bailen, 23rd July 1808 (detail) by José Casado del Alisal in the Prado, Madrid (photo: The Bridgeman Art Library).
Napoleon and Marie-Louise at the Launch of ‘The Friedland’ at Antwerp, 2nd May 1810 (detail) by Mathieu Ignace van Bree in the Musée du Château de Versailles (photo: Lauros/Giraudon/ The Bridgeman Art Library).
British Sailors Boarding a Man-of-War, Hermione, 25 October 1799 (detail) by Fry and Sutherland after John Atkinson, . © National Maritime Museum, London.
Ski-born troops at the Battle of Trangen, 1808, (detail) by Andreas Bloch, from Syv-aars-krigen for 17 Mai 1807-1814 (pub. 1914) by Henrik Angell (photo: courtesy Forsvarsmuseet, Oslo).
Portrait of Petrovic Karadjordje, 1816, by Vladimir Borovikovsky in the National Museum, Belgrade.
A Reception at the court of Selim III, in the Divan Court of the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Ottoman School, late eighteenth century (photo: The Art Archive/Topkapi Museum Istanbul / Dagli Orti).
Archduke Charles with his staff at the battle of Aspern-Essling, May 1809, , by Johann Peter Krafft in the Principality Collection, Vaduz, Liechtenstein (photo: akg-images).
Battle of Fuentes d’Oñoro on 5th May 1811, from ‘A Series of Views of the Principal Occurrences of the Campaigns in Spain and Portugal’, 1812, by C. Turner, after Thomas St Clair, courtesy of the Council, National Army Museum, London (photo: The Bridgeman Art Library).
Episode from the War in Spain of 1812: Castalla, 1837, Jean-Charles Langlois in the Musée du Château du Versailles (photo: © Photo RMN - © Gérard Blot).
The Battle for Smolensk 17 August 1812 by Albrecht Adam © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg (Inv OR-26980).
The Attack of Uvarov’s cavalry at Borodino, 1812 (detail) by August Dezarno, © The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg (Inv ERI- ).
The Crossing of the Beresina, 1812, c.1859, by January
Sucholdolski in the National Museum, Poznan (photo: akg-images).
Cossack Sports or the Platoff Hunt in Full Cry after French Game, , by William Elmes, in a private collection (photo: The
Bridgeman Art Library).
The Battle of Hanau, 1813, 1824 (detail) by Emile Jean Horace Vernet in the National Gallery, London (photo: The Bridgeman Art Library).
The Field of Waterloo as it appeared the Morning after the Memorable Battle of the 18th June 1815, 1817, engraved by M. Dubourg, after John Heaviside Clark, courtesy of the Council, National Army Museum, London (photo: The Bridgeman Art Library).
Every effort has been made to contact all copyright holders. The publishers will be glad to make good in future editions any errors or omissions brought to their attention.
Preface and Acknowledgements
Conqueror or liberator? Aggressor or victim? Sinner or saint? Man of blood or martyr? For two hundred years the argument with regard to Napoleon and his foreign policy has rumbled on unabated: it shows no sign of coming to an end, let alone being resolved. The reasons are perfectly clear. Throughout his career Napoleon had an eye on posterity, whilst his exile to the tiny island of St Helena provided him with ample opportunity literally to make history. Through his edited table-talk, through the interviews that he conceded to passing guests and travellers, and through the memoirs that he encouraged his companions to write, he reached out beyond the confines of grave and exile, and established a version of events which historians have found impossible to ignore.
More than any other