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Books > Humanities > History > European history > 1750 to 1900
Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) is best known for his masterpiece
of military theory On War, yet that work formed only the first
three of his ten-volume published writings. The others, historical
analyses of the wars that roiled Europe from 1789 through 1815,
informed and shaped Clausewitz's military thought, so they offer
invaluable insight into his dialectical, often difficult
theoretical masterwork. Among these historical works, one of the
most important is Der Feldzug von 1799 in Italien und der Schweiz,
which covers an important phase of the French Revolutionary Wars.
The Coalition Crumbles, Napoleon Returns focuses mainly on the
campaigns in Switzerland, where the cracks that finally fractured
the alliance between Russia and Austria and led to the defeat of
the Second Coalition first opened. Moving from strategy to battle
scene to analysis, this first English translation of volume 6 of
Clausewitz's collected works nimbly conveys the character of
Clausewitz's writing in all its registers: the brisk, often
powerful description of events as they unfolded and the critical
reflections on strategic theory and its implications. The Coalition
Crumbles, Napoleon Returns features Suvorov's astonishing march
through the St. Gotthard Pass and major actions such as the Second
Battle of Zurich and the Battle of Mannheim. The nature of the
campaign highlighted the contrast between the opposing armies'
different strengths and weaknesses and the problems of fighting as
part of a coalition. This book will expand readers' experience and
understanding of not only this critical moment in European history
but also the thought and writings of the modern master of military
philosophy.
One of the most decisive battles in military history, Waterloo saw
the culmination of a generation of war to bring a definitive end to
French hegemony and imperial ambitions in Europe. Both sides fought
bitterly and Wellington later remarked that 'it was the nearest-run
thing you ever saw in your life'. In this bloody engagement, more
than 20,000 men were lost on the battlefield that day by each side,
but it was the Anglo-Allies who emerged victorious. Their forces
entered France and restored Louis XVIII to the throne, while
Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where he later
died. Waterloo was a resounding victory for the British Army and
Allied forces, and it changed the course of European history. In
this concise yet detailed account, historian Gregory Fremont-Barnes
tells you everything you need to know about this critical battle.
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these
are the places most closely associated with the Napoleonic Wars.
But how did this period of nearly continuous warfare affect the
world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France
against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate
consequences of the tremors that spread from France as a result,
overshadow the profound repercussions that the Napoleonic Wars had
throughout the world. In this far-ranging work, Alexander
Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully
understood with an international context in mind. France struggled
for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the
Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India,
Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and
Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze
discusses major political-military events around the world and
situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and
short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and
South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman
Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars
would shape international affairs well into the next century. In
Egypt, the Wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of
a powerful Egyptian state; in North America, the period transformed
and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South
America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of
national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial
control. Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is
the complete global story of the period, one that expands our
contemporary view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying
the foundations of the modern world.
Writing to his mother the day after the fighting, Captain Thomas
Wildman of the 7th Hussars described 'a victory so splendid &
important that you may search the annals of history in vain for its
parallel'. Little wonder, for Waterloo was widely recognised - even
in its immediate wake - as one of the most decisive battles in
history: after more than twenty years of uninterrupted conflict,
this single day's encounter finally put paid to French aspirations
for European hegemony. The culminating point of the French
Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Waterloo also witnessed levels
of determination and bravery by both sides which far exceeded
anything experienced by the veterans of Wellington's recent
campaigns in Spain and Portugal. Indeed, it was that unconquerable
spirit which left over 50,000 men dead on the field of battle and
tens of thousands of others wounded. This thoroughly researched and
highly detailed account of one of history's greatest human dramas
looks first at the wider strategic picture before focusing on the
tactical roles played by individual British units - all
meticulously examined with the benefit of an extensive array of
hitherto unexploited primary sources which reveal the battlefield
experience of officers and soldiers as never before. Refusing
simply to repeat the same unchallenged accounts and to commit the
same errors of previous historians, this work relies exclusively on
hundreds of first-hand accounts, by men of all ranks and from
practically every British regiment and corps present on that
fateful day, to provide a fresh and revised perspective on one of
the most pivotal events of modern times.
In the interwar years, emigre scholars in Czechoslovakia provided
continuity and a bridge for Ukrainian scholarship from its
inception at the end of the nineteenth century to the development
of Ukrainian studies in the twenty-first century. These scholars
forged a legacy that spread beyond Czechoslovakia. Without their
work in the postwar era, the development of Ukrainian emigre
scholarship would not have flourished. Narrated from a Ukrainian
perspective, Scholars in Exile concentrates on the astounding
efforts by Ukrainians to establish institutions of higher learning
in the unique democratic spirit of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk. The book
also explores Ukrainian scholarly and professional societies,
museum and archival collections, scholarly publishing, and
little-known intellectual connections between Ukrainian emigre
scholars and their colleagues in Czechoslovakia and various other
European countries. Scholars in Exile brings to light an
interesting facet of modern Ukrainian history, allowing for a
better understanding of the general intellectual and institutional
history of Ukraine.
Researched from genuine primary sources, this is the first book to
explain and illustrate the organization, activities and personal
stories of the female 'support staff' who played a major role in
the day-to-day life of Napoleon's armies. The cantinieres who
accompanied Napoleon's armies to war have an iconic status in the
history of the Grande Armee. Sutler-women and laundresses were
officially sanctioned members of the regiment performing a vital
support role. In a period when the supply and pay services were
haphazard, their canteen wagons and tents were a vital source of
sustenance and served as the social hubs of the regiment. Although
officially non-combatants, many of these women followed their
regiments into battle, serving brandy to soldiers in the firing
line, braving enemy fire. This book is a timely piece of social
history, as well as a colourful new guide for modellers and
re-enactors. Through meticulous research of unprecedented depth and
accuracy, Terry Crowdy dispels the inaccurate portrayals that
Napoleon's Women Camp Followers have suffered over the years to
offer a fascinating look at these forgotten heroines.
No army of the German Confederation of the Rhine underwent such
fundamental changes in organization and uniforms as did the Saxon
forces of the Napoleonic era. Based on the experiences from the
1806-07 campaigns on Prussia's side and 1809 allied with the
French, the Saxon Army undertook extensive reforms. This book
presents this "new" Saxon Army with numerous contemporary
illustrations, with plates by Patrice Courcelle and Edmund Wagner
as well as graphic tables of uniforms of all the regiments by Peter
Bunde. A description of the war experiences rounds out the
presentation and thus the volume gives the reader a good, thorough
introduction to the organization, uniforms and history of the Saxon
Army of 1810-1813.
The Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars profoundly affected
German Central Europe. Thousands of German and Austrian soldiers
fought as enemies and allies of France in military campaigns that
stretched from the sierras of Spain to the snowfields of Russia.
Meanwhile, German and Austrian civilians found their lives touched
by warfare in a way not seen for decades. The political geography
of area was transformed as the thousand-year Holy Roman Empire
collapsed and Napoleon redrew state borders. Millions found
themselves forced to adapt to the political and military reality of
French domination. This book traces the individual and collective
experience of these momentous events in the letters, diaries and
memoirs of contemporaries. It explores how soldiers and civilians
wrote about both the horrors and pleasures of warfare and how these
experiences were mediated by social status, sex, religion and
geography. It suggests that despite the trauma of a generation of
warfare, older, pre-Revolutionary interpretations of armed conflict
remained important as eyewitnesses sought to explain and understand
the turmoil around them.
This volume explores how the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars
(1793-1815) were experienced, perceived and narrated by
contemporaries in Britain and Ireland. These conflicts have been
described as the first modern or 'total' war with far-reaching
consequences for military and civilian society and the development
of modern identities. Yet in contrast to the innovative body of
scholarship on the First and Second World Wars there has been
little sustained analysis of the personal experiences of men and
women involved directly or indirectly in these conflicts.
Narratives of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars addresses this
historiographical gap using letters, diaries and personal
testimonies by soldiers, sailors and civilians to shed new light on
the social and cultural history of the period and the history of
warfare more broadly.
This new study of Napoleon emphasizes his ties to the French
Revolution, his embodiment of its militancy, and his rescue of its
legacies. Jordan's work illuminates all aspects of his fabulous
career, his views of the Revolution and history, the artists who
created and embellished his image, and much of his talk about
himself and his achievements.
The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had an enduring influence on
the collective memory of all European nations and regions, and have
given them an international dimension. These essays look at how the
French Wars were remembered in personal diaries, paintings and
literature, allowing a comparative analysis with atransnational
perspective.
Napoleon's conquests were spectacular, but behind his wars, is an
enduring legacy. A new generation of historians have re-evaluated
the Napoleonic era and found that his real achievement was the
creation of modern Europe as we know it.
As the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the
darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened.
Supernatural creatures - vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse
take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms,
villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some
master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is
unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the
rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know
better... The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror
set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of
monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers.
Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics,
occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be
controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game
can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players
progressing through a series of interlinked adventures with their
soldiers gaining experience and suffering grievous wounds, and
their units triumphing... or falling in the face of the shadows. It
is a game of action and adventure, where musket and sabre meet
tooth and claw.
The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars had an enduring influence on
the collective memory of all European nations and regions, and have
given them an international dimension. These essays look at how the
French Wars were remembered in personal diaries, paintings and
literature, allowing a comparative analysis with atransnational
perspective.
Britain was France's most implacable enemy during the Napoleonic
Wars yet was able to resist the need for conscription to fill the
ranks of its army and sustain Wellington's campaigns in Portugal
and Spain. This new study explains how the men were found to
replenish Wellington's army, and the consequences on Britain's
government, army and society.
An exploration of the little-known yet historically important
emigration of British army officers to the Australian colonies in
the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars. The book looks at the
significant impact they made at a time of great colonial expansion,
particularly in new south Wales with its transition from a convict
colony to a free society.
Admiral Lord Nelson's diamond Chelengk is one of the most famous
and iconic jewels in British history. Presented to Nelson by the
Sultan Selim III of Turkey after the Battle of the Nile in 1798,
the jewel had thirteen diamond rays to represent the French ships
captured or destroyed at the action. A central diamond star on the
jewel was powered by clockwork to rotate in wear. Nelson wore the
Chelengk on his hat like a turban jewel, sparking a fashion craze
for similar jewels in England. The jewel became his trademark to be
endlessly copied in portraits and busts to this day. After
Trafalgar, the Chelengk was inherited by Nelson's family and worn
at the Court of Queen Victoria. Sold at auction in 1895 it
eventually found its way to the newly opened National Maritime
Museum in Greenwich where it was a star exhibit. In 1951 the jewel
was stolen in a daring raid by an infamous cat-burglar and lost
forever. For the first time, Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary
true story of the Chelengk: from its gift to Nelson by the Sultan
of Turkey to its tragic post-war theft, charting the jewel's
journey through history and forging sparkling new and intimate
portraits of Nelson, of his friends and rivals, and of the woman he
loved.
Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book investigates
the everyday human experience of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic
wars by French military and civilians, the impact of these wars on
the French nation and society, and the rise of a new kind of war in
the West at the turn of the nineteenth century.
THE GREATEST OF BATTLESThe defining military engagement of the
nineteenth century. The epic battle that forever ended one man's
dreams of a European empire unified under his rule. THE GREATEST OF
RIVALSThis epoch-defining conflict would ultimately be remembered
for the showdown between two of history's most legendary
commanders: the Duke of Wellington, and Napoleon Bonaparte. THE
DEFINITIVE ACCOUNTDivided into three parts, Christopher Hibbert
masterfully depicts first Napoleon and his rise to power, then a
portrait of Wellington and the allied armies, and lastly the steps
leading up to and the battle itself, the final clash on the fields
of Waterloo. A gripping, succinct and panoramic survey of this
legendary battle, the history surrounding the conflict, and the
personalities that defined both the battle itself, and a
generation.
The Sunday Times bestselling account of Napoleon's invasion of
Russia and eventual retreat from Moscow, events that had a profound
effect on the subsequent course of Russian and European history.
Moscow has both fascinated military historians and captured the
imagination of millions on an emotional and human level. 1812 tells
the story of how the most powerful man on earth met his doom, and
how the greatest fighting force ever assembled was wiped out. Over
400,000 French and Allied troops died on the disastrous Russian
campaign, with the vast majority of the casualties occuring during
the frigid winter retreat. Adam Zamoyski tells their story with
incredible detail and sympathy, drawing on a wealth of first-hand
accounts of the tragedy to create a vivid portrait of an
unimaginable catastrophe. power. His intention was to destroy
Britain through a total blockade, the Continental System. But Tsar
Alexander of Russia refused to apply the blockade, and Napoleon
decided to bring him to heel. ramifications on Russian, French,
German and, indeed, European history and culture cannot be
understated. Adam Zamoyski's epic, enthralling narrative is the
definitive account of the events of that dramatic year.
One army lost in the Russian winter, Napoleon raised another to
keep his grip on Europe. A tired Russian Army and a raw Prussian
force marched to meet him. Lutzen and Bautzen is a detailed and
masterful study of a misunderstood and little covered campaign. Yet
it was a war between titans as Napoleon led his conscripts to crush
a foe worthy to face him. From the great battles of Lutzen and
Bautzen to the skirmishes with marauding Cossacks, George Nafziger
follows the complete campaign in Germany from top to bottom, with a
wealth of detail. A great researcher, George Nafziger uncovers the
secrets of one of the greatest of Napoleonic campaigns. This new
edition incorporates a new set of images, and newly commissioned
maps.
Following the events and activity surrounding the bicentenary of
Trafalgar and the death of Nelson, this volume acts both as a
summary of what we have learned and a collection of some of the
best scholarship on the battle itself and its context and legacy.
It moves away from the figure of Nelson and brings new research
from a range of disciplinary perspectives to bear on one of the
most significant naval actions in the age of sail.
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