Having already written 'personal histories' of Nelson and
Wellington, Christopher Hibbert now focuses his critical attention
on the private life of their mutual enemy. Napoleon was, according
to Hibbert, not just an empire-builder, but a misogynist, who
treated the women of his court like chattel, pinching their cheeks
and noses, complaining to their faces how ugly or ill-dressed they
were, remarking to one that he had heard she was 'quick and good in
bed'. From his wives he would brook no complaint about his
extra-marital activities. 'I am not like other men,' he said. 'The
commonly accepted rules of morality and propriety do not apply to
me.' Boney may at last take centre stage in a Hibbert biography,
but he has to share it with many strong-willed women: his mother
Letizia, whom he described as 'both strict and tender'; his three
sisters - decisive, determined Caroline, beautiful, sensual
Pauline, plain but bossy Elisa - and the two very different women
he married - the charming and wildly extravagant Josephine, who
came from Martinique, and had suffered imprisonment during the
revolutionary Terror, and Marie-Louise, the Austrian Emperor's
daughter, who gave birth to his hapless heir, Napoleon II. There
were, in addition, many mistresses, four of whom bore him children.
To Napoleon, women were 'mere machines for making children'. And
for making love. 'A plain mistress', he said, 'is a monstrosity.
She would fail in her principal, indeed in her only duty.' Few
women dared to fail Napoleon. Nor has Hibbert, for this is an
immensely absorbing and readable work, one that illuminates a
neglected side of Napoleon's character. Not without reason does A N
Wilson call Hibbert 'our outstanding popular historian'. (Kirkus
UK)
''I am not like other men. The commonly accepted rules of morality and propriety do not apply to me.''
NAPOLEON
For the first time, the intimate private life of one of history's greatest figures (and the world's greatest conquerors) is laid bare for all to see. This absorbing book by 'our outstanding popular historian (in A.N. Wilson's words) strips away the veneer of history to reveal the living, breathing man who once said, during his exile on the remote island of St Helena: 'Bah! Women! When you don't think of them you don't need them.'
Christopher Hibbert throws fresh light on Napoleon's relationships with the women in his family – his strong-willed mother and three sisters – as well as the two women he married and successively crowned Empress (Josephine and Marie-Louise). His many mistresses also played a significant part in his life; their portraits are as illuminating as they are compelling.
'Christopher Hibbert is one of the world's best-loved historians for a very good reason: everything he writes is a joy to read. This latest book is no exception: scholarly, moving, even funny – 'Napoleon: His Wives and Women'pulls back the curtain to reveal the hidden side of France's greatest leader'
AMANDA FOREMAN
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