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Books > History > European history > 1750 to 1900

The Crimean War and Irish society (Hardcover): Paul Huddie The Crimean War and Irish society (Hardcover)
Paul Huddie
R2,341 R1,425 Discovery Miles 14 250 Save R916 (39%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

The purpose of this book is to produce what is essentially a 'home front' study of Ireland during the Crimean War, or more specifically Irish society's responses to that conflict. This will principally complement the existing research on Irish servicemen's experiences during and after the campaign, but will also substantially develop the limited work already undertaken on Irish society and the conflict. This book primarily encompasses the years of the conflict, from its origins in the 1853 dispute between Russia and the Ottoman Empire over the Holy Places, through the French and British political and later military interventions in 1854-5, to the victory, peace and homecoming celebrations in 1856. Additionally, it will extend into the preceding and succeeding decades in order to contextualise the events and actors of the wartime years and to present and analyse the commemoration and memorialisation processes. The approach of the study is systematic, with the content being correlated under six convenient and coherent themes, which will be analysed through a chronological process. The book covers all of the major aspects of society and life in Ireland during the period, so as to give the most complete analysis of the various impacts of and people's responses to the war. This study is also conducted, within the broader contexts not only of the responses of the United Kingdom and broader British Empire but also Ireland's relationship with those political entities, and within Ireland's post-famine or mid-Victorian and even wider nineteenth-century history.

Metternich's German Policy, Volume I - The Contest with Napoleon, 1799-1814 (Paperback): Enno E. Kraehe Metternich's German Policy, Volume I - The Contest with Napoleon, 1799-1814 (Paperback)
Enno E. Kraehe
R1,143 Discovery Miles 11 430 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This volume follows Metternich's career up to the restoration of the Bourbons in France. Originally published in 1963. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Napoleon's Greatest Triumph - The Battle of Austerlitz (Paperback, 2nd edition): Gregory Fremont-Barnes Napoleon's Greatest Triumph - The Battle of Austerlitz (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Gregory Fremont-Barnes
R331 R300 Discovery Miles 3 000 Save R31 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

IN AUGUST 1805, Napoleon abandoned his plans for the invasion of Britain and diverted his army to the Danube Valley to confront Austrian and Russian forces in a bid for control of central Europe. The campaign culminated with the Battle of Austerlitz, regarded by many as Napoleon's greatest triumph, whose far-reaching effects paved the way for French hegemony on the Continent for the next decade. In this concise volume, acclaimed military historian Gregory Fremont-Barnes uses detailed profiles to explore the leaders, tactics and weaponry of the clashing French, Austrian and Russian forces. Packed with fact boxes, maps and more, Napoleon's Greatest Triumph is the perfect way to explore this important battle and the rise of Napoleon's reputation as a supreme military leader.

1809 Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon's Defeat of the Hapsburgs, Volume III (Paperback): John H. Gill 1809 Thunder on the Danube: Napoleon's Defeat of the Hapsburgs, Volume III (Paperback)
John H. Gill
R636 R568 Discovery Miles 5 680 Save R68 (11%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

With this third volume John Gill brings to a close his magisterial study of the war between Napoleonic France and Habsburg Austria. The account begins with both armies recuperating on the banks of the Danube. As they rest, important action was taking place elsewhere: Eugene won a crucial victory over Johann on the anniversary of Marengo, Prince Poniatowski's Poles outflanked another Austrian archduke along the Vistula, and Marmont drove an Austrian force out of Dalmatia to join Napoleon at Vienna. These campaigns set the stage for the titanic Battle of Wagram. Second only in scale to the slaughter at Leipzig in 1813, Wagram saw more than 320,000 men and 900 guns locked in two days of fury that ended with an Austrian retreat. The defeat, however, was not complete: Napoleon had to force another engagement before Charles would accept a ceasefire. The battle at Znaim, its true importance often not acknowledged, brought an extended armistice that ended with a peace treaty signed in Vienna. Gill uses an impressive array of sources in an engaging narrative covering both the politics of emperors and the privations and hardship common soldiers suffered in battle. Enriched with unique illustrations, forty maps, and extraordinary order-of-battle detail, this work concludes an unrivalled English-language study of Napoleon's last victory.

Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (Paperback): Mary Seacole Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands (Paperback)
Mary Seacole; Edited by Sara Salih
R304 R276 Discovery Miles 2 760 Save R28 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Written in 1857, this is the autobiography of a Jamaican woman whose fame rivalled Florence Nightingale's during the Crimean War. Seacole's offer to volunteer as a nurse in the war met with racism and refusal. Undaunted, Seacole set out independently to the Crimea where she acted as doctor and 'mother' to wounded soldiers while running her business, the 'British Hotel'. A witness to key battles, she gives vivid accounts of how she coped with disease, bombardment and other hardships at the Crimean battlefront. "In her introduction to the very welcome Penguin edition, Sara Salih expertly analyses the rhetorical complexities of Seacole's book to explore the richness of her story. Traveller, entrepreneur, healer and woman of colour, Mary Seacole is a singular and fascinating figure, overstepping all conventional boundaries." Jan Marsh, Independent "It's hard to believe that this amazing adventure story is the true-life experience of a Jamaican woman - it would make a great film." Andrea Levy, Sunday Times

Jena 1806 - Napoleon destroys Prussia (Paperback): David Chandler Jena 1806 - Napoleon destroys Prussia (Paperback)
David Chandler
R510 Discovery Miles 5 100 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Osprey's examination of the battles of Jena and Auerstadt of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Forewarned of Prussia's intention to declare war on France, Napoleon decided to strike first with a bold advance from Wurzburg into Saxony. On 14 October the double battle was fought: Napoleon with 96,000 men and 120 guns engaged and heavily defeated Prince Hohenlohe and General Ruchel. The decisive engagement was fought further north where Marshal Davout with 27,000 men and 40 guns routed the main Prussian army under Frederick William IV and the Duke of Brunswick. This title examines these two battles, Jena and Auerstadt in detail, showing clearly the swiftness with which Napoleon dealt Prussia's military machine a severe blow.

Spying for Wellington - British Military Intelligence in the Peninsular War (Paperback): Huw-J Davies Spying for Wellington - British Military Intelligence in the Peninsular War (Paperback)
Huw-J Davies
R702 R646 Discovery Miles 6 460 Save R56 (8%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Intelligence is often the critical factor in a successful military campaign. This was certainly the case for Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular War. In this book, author Huw J. Davies offers the first full account of the scope, complexity, and importance of Wellington's intelligence department, describing a highly organized, multifaceted series of networks of agents and spies throughout Spain and Portugal - an organization that was at once a microcosm of British intelligence at the time and a sophisticated forebear to intelligence developments in the twentieth century. Spying for Wellington shows us an organization that was, in effect, two parallel networks: one made up of Foreign Office agents 'run' by British ambassadors in Spain and Portugal, the other comprising military spies controlled by Wellington himself. The network of agents supplied strategic intelligence, giving the British army advance warning of the arrival, destinations, and likely intentions of French reinforcements. The military network supplied operational intelligence, which confirmed the accuracy of the strategic intelligence and provided greater detail on the strengths, arms, and morale of the French forces. Davies reveals how, by integrating these two forms of intelligence, Wellington was able to develop an extremely accurate and reliable estimate of French movements and intentions not only in his own theater of operations but also in other theaters across the Iberian Peninsula. The reliability and accuracy of this intelligence, as Davies demonstrates, was central to Wellington's decision-making and, ultimately, to his overall success against the French. Correcting past, incomplete accounts, this is the definitive book on Wellington's use of intelligence. As such, it contributes to a clearer, more comprehensive understanding of Wellington at war and of his place in the history of British military intelligence.

1806-1807 - Tsar Alexander's Second War with Napoleon - The Russian Official History (Paperback): Alexander Ivanovich... 1806-1807 - Tsar Alexander's Second War with Napoleon - The Russian Official History (Paperback)
Alexander Ivanovich Mikhailovsky-Danilevsky; Translated by Peter G a Philips
R892 R750 Discovery Miles 7 500 Save R142 (16%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days
The Danish Army of the Napoleonic Wars 1807-1814 - Volume 1: High Command, Line and Light Infantry (Paperback): David A. Wilson The Danish Army of the Napoleonic Wars 1807-1814 - Volume 1: High Command, Line and Light Infantry (Paperback)
David A. Wilson
R1,047 R867 Discovery Miles 8 670 Save R180 (17%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This book was written to provide an in-depth study of the Danish and Norwegian armies of the Napoleonic Wars. The goal was to provide a working document which is as accurate as possible, covering the uniforms of these armies, their weapons and their evolution as well as their colours and a look at their basic tactics. Although this is principally a uniform book, historical background is also provided to place the details in their context. This first volume covers the uniforms of the High Command, Guard, and Line and Light Infantry, their arms, equipment, and colours. The product of five years of research, this study grew out of the author's desire to provide a reference for friends who were painting Danish wargames figures. It soon became apparent that very little was written on the subject in English and this led to extensive research and consultation with experts including Alan Perry of Perry Miniatures and Jorgen Koefoed Larsen. Every effort has been made to reconcile conflicting sources, rather than risk perpetuating myths and errors, and the result is a comprehensive and lavishly-illustrated reference work on this significant but often-overlooked Napoleonic army.

The Regency Years - During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern (Paperback):... The Regency Years - During Which Jane Austen Writes, Napoleon Fights, Byron Makes Love, and Britain Becomes Modern (Paperback)
Robert Morrison
R452 R421 Discovery Miles 4 210 Save R31 (7%) Ships in 18 - 22 working days

The Victorians are often credited with ushering in our current era, yet the seeds of change were planted during the earlier Regency period (1811-1820) when the profligate Prince of Wales-the future king George IV-succeeded his father. Around the Prince Regent surged a society of contrasts: evangelicalism and hedonism, elegance and brutality, exuberance and despair. Capturing the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of artists-the Shelleys, Austen, Keats, Byron, Turner-scientists and inventors-Stevenson, Davy, Faraday-and a cast of dissident journalists, military leaders, and fashionistas, Robert Morrison captivatingly illuminates the ways this period shaped the modern world.

Wellington at Bay - The Battle of Villamuriel, 25 October 1812 (Paperback): Garry David Wills Wellington at Bay - The Battle of Villamuriel, 25 October 1812 (Paperback)
Garry David Wills
R757 R652 Discovery Miles 6 520 Save R105 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The Battle of Villamuriel was the largest engagement of Wellington's retreat from Burgos in 1812. Twice as many men were involved as in the better-known actions at Villadrigo/Venta del Pozo two days earlier. This is the first full length account of the action and improves significantly on previous accounts in the campaign histories by Napier, Fortescue, Oman, and Divall. Archival sources from Great Britain, France, Spain, and Portugal have been used to build a coherent and balanced account. The orders of battle are detailed and the military experience of both the commanders and their units is provided. Detailed maps of the deployment of both forces throughout the action are provided. A detailed breakdown of the casualties on both sides is also given. Also highlighted are the previously unreported role of 9th Foot as an aspiring light infantry regiment, and the 1835 controversy around Napier's account using the archives of the Sir John Oswald and a potential source for Napier's account is identified. This has resulted in a detailed study of one day's action in the 1812 campaign, with a view to extracting improved understanding of how the armies fought. The wargamer is provided with detailed scenarios to enable them to recreate the action on the table top. The action is effectively a re-match between the Anglo-Portuguese 5th Division and the 5e Division of the Armee de Portugal, only a few months after the former successfully dispersed the latter at Salamanca in July. Wellington at Bay includes a Foreword by Carole Divall.

Print, Publicity, and Popular Radicalism in the 1790s - The Laurel of Liberty (Hardcover): Jon Mee Print, Publicity, and Popular Radicalism in the 1790s - The Laurel of Liberty (Hardcover)
Jon Mee
R2,711 Discovery Miles 27 110 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Jon Mee explores the popular democratic movement that emerged in the London of the 1790s in response to the French Revolution. Central to the movement's achievement was the creation of an idea of 'the people' brought into being through print and publicity. Radical clubs rose and fell in the face of the hostile attentions of government. They were sustained by a faith in the press as a form of 'print magic', but confidence in the liberating potential of the printing press was interwoven with hard-headed deliberations over how best to animate and represent the people. Ideas of disinterested rational debate were thrown into the mix with coruscating satire, rousing songs, and republican toasts. Print personality became a vital interface between readers and print exploited by the cast of radicals returned to history in vivid detail by Print, Publicity, and Popular Radicalism in the 1790s. This title is also available as Open Access.

Victory Over Disease - Resolving the Medical Crisis in the Crimean War, 1854-1856 (Paperback): Michael Hinton Victory Over Disease - Resolving the Medical Crisis in the Crimean War, 1854-1856 (Paperback)
Michael Hinton
R902 R760 Discovery Miles 7 600 Save R142 (16%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This book presents fresh analyses of unpublished, published and significant primary source material relevant to the medical aspects on the Eastern campaign of 1854-1856 - commonly called the Crimean War. The aim has been to produce an account based on robust evidence. The project began with no preconceptions but came to seriously question the contributions made by the talented and well-connected Florence Nightingale and the suitably-qualified Sanitary Commissioners. The latter had been sent by the government to investigate matters on the spot. This may prove an unexpected and possibly unsympathetic conclusion for some of Nightingale's many admirers. Rigorously weighing the evidence, it is unmistakeably clear that there is very little proof that Nightingale and the Sanitary Commissioners significantly influenced the improvement in the health of the main Army in the Crimea. The principal problems were at the front, not in Turkey, and it was there that matters were gradually rectified, with the health of the troops beginning to improve during the early weeks of 1855. The historiography of the campaign has tended to concentrate on the catastrophic deterioration in the health of the Army during the first winter and the perceived incompetence of the heads of department. The contributions made by Nightingale and the Sanitary Commissioners have been greatly over-emphasised. As a consequence, the medical aspects of the war have been inaccurately portrayed in both academic works and popular culture. The author's analyses should alter existing preconceptions or prejudices about what happened in Crimea and Turkey during those fateful war years. The 'Victory over Disease' took place in the Crimea, and not at Scutari - and this was not due to the contributions of any one person, or even a group of individuals. Rather it represented the involvement of many people in many walks of life who worked, possibly unwittingly, for a common purpose, and with such a gratifying result.

Home and Nation in British Literature from the English to the French Revolutions (Hardcover): A.D. Cousins, Geoffrey Payne Home and Nation in British Literature from the English to the French Revolutions (Hardcover)
A.D. Cousins, Geoffrey Payne
R2,711 Discovery Miles 27 110 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

In a world of conflicting nationalist claims, mass displacements and asylum-seeking, a great many people are looking for 'home' or struggling to establish the 'nation'. These were also important preoccupations between the English and the French revolutions: a period when Britain was first at war within itself, then achieved a confident if precarious equilibrium, and finally seemed to have come once more to the edge of overthrow. In the century and a half between revolution experienced and revolution observed, the impulse to identify or implicitly appropriate home and nation was elemental to British literature. This wide-ranging study by international scholars provides an innovative and thorough account of writings that vigorously contested notions and images of the nation and of private domestic space within it, tracing the larger patterns of debate, while at the same time exploring how particular writers situated themselves within it and gave it shape.

Educating Middle Class Daughters - Private Girls' Schools in Copenhagen 1790-1820 (Hardcover): Carol Gold Educating Middle Class Daughters - Private Girls' Schools in Copenhagen 1790-1820 (Hardcover)
Carol Gold
R1,086 R981 Discovery Miles 9 810 Save R105 (10%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

When Denmark introduced compulsory education in 1814, the city of Copenhagen responsed by regulating the already existing private school system. Roughly half of the school age population went to some kind of school and of those the overwelming majority attended private schools, most of which were run by women. The book tells the story of these women, their schools and pupils on the 150 private schools from 1790-1820. Carol Gold's contention is that these private schools and their teachers were much better than is presently assumed in Danish historiography. The teachers were all literate; they could read and most of them could write. The education provided for girls ranged from the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic plus needlework in the beginner schools, to the "scientific" subjects of history, geography, natural sciences and foreign languages in the more advanced academies. Furthermore, the schools formed the basis of the Copenhagen school system which was established at the b

The Secret Expedition - The Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland 1799 (Paperback): Geert Van Uythoven The Secret Expedition - The Anglo-Russian Invasion of Holland 1799 (Paperback)
Geert Van Uythoven
R930 R788 Discovery Miles 7 880 Save R142 (15%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days
Napoleon - A Life in Gardens and Shadows (Paperback): Ruth Scurr Napoleon - A Life in Gardens and Shadows (Paperback)
Ruth Scurr
R346 R317 Discovery Miles 3 170 Save R29 (8%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

'Glorious... Scurr is one of the most gifted non-fiction writers alive' Simon Schama, Financial Times A revelatory portrait of Napoleon written for our own time, exploring his love of nature and the gardens that gave his revolutionary life its light and shade. Napoleon's gardens range from his childhood olive groves in Corsica, to Josephine's menageries in Paris, to the walled garden of Hougoumont at the battle of Waterloo, and ultimately to St Helena, where he could sit and scan the sea in his final months. In this innovative biography, Ruth Scurr follows the dramatic trajectory of Napoleon's life through the land he cultivated and that offered him retreat from the manifold frustrations of war and politics. Seen through the eyes of those who knew him in the shade of his gardens, Napoleon emerges a giant figure made human - both as the Emperor hunting for glory and the man in an old straw hat, leaning on his spade. 'Immensely satisfying and captivating... Charming and intelligent' Andrew Roberts, TLS 'Grippingly original' The Times 'A delight to read' Daily Telegraph * A Book of the Year in The Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Sunday Telegraph and History Today * Winner of a Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award 2022

Austrian Cavalry of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792-1815 (Paperback): Enrico Acerbi, Andras K. Molnar, Bruno Mugnai Austrian Cavalry of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792-1815 (Paperback)
Enrico Acerbi, Andras K. Molnar, Bruno Mugnai
R1,059 R879 Discovery Miles 8 790 Save R180 (17%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Austria was one of the five major players of the Napoleonic Wars. In early 19th century, the Austrian army (Kaiserliche-KoeniglicheHeer) was the third largest and one of the best-trained armies in the world.The individual regimentsperformed well and were considered solid. However, hampered by the inherent conservatism of the hierarchy, the Austrians had to face the most modern army in Europe. Despite the many defeats suffered, the Austrian soldiers performed with discipline and played a central role in the coalitions against France, from the campaigns in 1790s, to the Austerlitz campaign of 1805, the closely-balanced battles of 1809, and the final victorious campaigns of 1813-1814. Austrian cavalry, in particular, was considered one of the best in Europe by allies as well as enemies. For the first time, this topic is introduced starting from the first campaign against France. The book includesthe regimental histories of each unit after the original sources, unpublished iconography, and is completed by detailed illustrations depicting uniforms and equipment of the mounted 'kaiserlich' white coats.

British Light Infantry & Rifle Tactics of the Napoleonic Wars (Paperback): Philip Haythornthwaite British Light Infantry & Rifle Tactics of the Napoleonic Wars (Paperback)
Philip Haythornthwaite; Illustrated by Adam Hook
R451 Discovery Miles 4 510 Ships in 9 - 17 working days

In an age when infantry units manoeuvred and fought in rigid blocks, the idea of encouraging initiative and allowing a unit to 'skirmish' was regarded as revolutionary and fell out of favour in the years following the French-Indian and American Revolutionary wars. It was revived by far-sighted British and foreign-mercenary officers, who observed the way in which French Revolutionary armies deployed skirmishers to prepare the way for their assault columns. Offering a detailed analysis of the tactics, this book is studded with period 'battle descriptions' quoted from eye-witness accounts, creating a comprehensive guide to the Light and Rifles units of Wellington's Light Division. As the result of the first tentative experiments in skirmishing the units achieved an unsurpassed peak of efficiency - they marched faster, were versatile in any sort of tactical situation and could shoot more accurately than either friend or foe. No other national army, either allied or enemy, achieved these standards.

Metternich's German Policy, Volume I - The Contest with Napoleon, 1799-1814 (Hardcover): Enno E. Kraehe Metternich's German Policy, Volume I - The Contest with Napoleon, 1799-1814 (Hardcover)
Enno E. Kraehe
R4,417 Discovery Miles 44 170 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

This volume follows Metternich's career up to the restoration of the Bourbons in France. Originally published in 1963. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Waterloo: Rout and Retreat (Hardcover): Andrew W. Field Waterloo: Rout and Retreat (Hardcover)
Andrew W. Field
R774 R668 Discovery Miles 6 680 Save R106 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This, the fourth volume in Andrew Field's highly praised study of the Waterloo campaign from the French perspective, depicts in vivid detail the often neglected final phase the rout and retreat of Napoleon's army. The text is based exclusively on French eyewitness accounts which give an inside view of the immediate aftermath of the battle and carry the story through to the army's disbandment in late 1815\. Many French officers and soldiers wrote more about the retreat than they did about the catastrophe of Waterloo itself. Their recollections give a fascinating insight to the psyche of the French soldier. They also provide a first-hand record of their experiences and the range of their reactions, from those who deserted the colours and made their way home, to those who continued to serve faithfully when all was lost. Napoleon s own flight from Waterloo is an essential part of the narrative, but the main emphasis is on the fate of the beaten French army as it was experienced by eyewitnesses who lived through the last days of the campaign.

They Fought with Extraordinary Bravery! - The III German (Saxon) Army Corps in the Southern Netherlands, 1814 (Paperback):... They Fought with Extraordinary Bravery! - The III German (Saxon) Army Corps in the Southern Netherlands, 1814 (Paperback)
Geert Van Uythoven
R751 R646 Discovery Miles 6 460 Save R105 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

In October 1813, the soldiers of one of Napoleon's staunchest Allies, Saxony, defected en masse in the midst of battle at Leipzig. Almost immediately III German Army Corps was formed with these same soldiers as its nucleus and augmented with returning former prisoners of war, volunteers and militia. Commanded by the Duke of Saxe-Weimar the Corps was sent to the Southern Netherlands to take part in the final defeat of Napoleon amidst of a constant changing command of control structure, in which the Swedish Crown Prince Bernadotte played a major and dubious role. Although for the greater part inexperienced and badly armed, fighting against the much superior French I Corps which even contained Imperial Guard units, III Corps struggled to prove that it could be trusted, paying a major role to protect the Netherlands against the French as these regions tried to regain their own identity after decades of French rule.

The Scum of the Earth - What Happened to the Real British Heroes of Waterloo? (Paperback, 2nd edition): Colin Brown The Scum of the Earth - What Happened to the Real British Heroes of Waterloo? (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Colin Brown
R338 R307 Discovery Miles 3 070 Save R31 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The Scum of the Earth follows the men Wellington called just that from victory at Waterloo to a Regency Britain at war with itself, and explodes some of the myths on the way; such as that the defeat of Napoleon ended the threat of revolution spreading from France. Did the victorious soldiers return to a land fit for heroes? They did not. There was the first of the Corn Laws in the same year as the battle, there was famine and chronic unemployment. In 1819, the Peterloo massacre saw 15 killed and at least 500 injured when cavalry sabred a crowd demanding parliamentary reform. Peace in Europe perhaps for 50 years - but at home, repression and revolution in the air. And at the same time, the sheer exuberance of the Regency period, with new buildings, new art, even 17 new colonies more or less accidentally acquired. By 1848 the whole of Europe was once more set for complete upheaval. There is no one better to take a cold, hard look at the battle itself and its aftermath, in order to save us from an anniversary of misty-eyed backslapping, than political editor Colin Brown.

Beating Napoleon - How Britain Faced Down Her Greatest Challenge (Paperback): David Andress Beating Napoleon - How Britain Faced Down Her Greatest Challenge (Paperback)
David Andress 1
R551 R389 Discovery Miles 3 890 Save R162 (29%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

'If it had not been for you English, I should have been Emperor of the East; but wherever there is water to float a ship, we are sure to find you in our way.' Emperor Napoleon But just thirty-five years earlier, Britain lacked any major continental allies, and was wracked by crises and corruption. Many thought that she would follow France into revolution. The British elite had no such troubling illusions: defeat was not a possibility. Since not all shared that certainty, the resumption of the conflict and its pursuit through years of Napoleonic dominance is a remarkable story of aristocratic confidence and assertion of national superiority. Winning these wars meant ruthless imperialist expansion, spiteful political combat, working under a mad king and forging the most united national effort since the days of the Armada. And it meant setting the foundations for the greatest empire the world has ever known.

The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback, New): Mike Rapport The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction (Paperback, New)
Mike Rapport
R298 R269 Discovery Miles 2 690 Save R29 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The Napoleonic Wars have an important place in the history of Europe, leaving their mark on European and world societies in a variety of ways. In many European countries they provided the stimulus for radical social and political change - particularly in Spain, Germany, and Italy - and are frequently viewed in these places as the starting point of their modern histories. In this Very Short Introduction, Mike Rapport provides a brief outline of the wars, introducing the tactics, strategies, and weaponry of the time. Presented in three parts, he considers the origins and course of the wars, the ways and means in which it was fought, and the social and political legacy it has left to the world today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

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