The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars have been described as the first 'total war', which affected millions of people's lives and brought a whole continent into contact with armies and bloodshed. But the extent to which the constant state of war that existed between 1792 and 1815 shaped everyday experience has been much less studied, even although these wars, conducted by mass armies and often mobilized by patriotism, led to the circulation of millions of people throughout Europe and beyond. The changing nature of warfare had far-reaching consequences for civil society as well as for those directly engaged in fighting. This volume of essays by international scholars examines the formative experiences of men and women - soldiers, citizens and civilians - in the years 1792-1815, drawing particularly on their personal documents and social and cultural practices, to offer a perspective on the wars which is at some distance from broader and more familiar historical narratives.

In the period between 1775 and 1830 the transatlantic world experienced more or less constant war, touching not only every European country but also North and South America and the Caribbean Islands. The Wars of Revolution and Liberation, inspired by revolutionary or national ideologies, were increasingly fought by conscripted troops and militias alongside professional armies. The conduct of warfare was transformed, as mass armies were deployed by both revolutionary and conservative regimes, deeply affecting the political, social and gender order of the societies involved. Not only soldiers but also civilians--men and women alike--had to be mobilized on an unprecedented scale. This volume addresses the relationship between these wars, developing political and national identities and the changing gender regimes of Europe and the Americas. Looking at both free and slave societies, it explores military and civilian experiences of war and revolution, which shaped as well as reflected gender concepts and practices, in relation to class, ethnicity, race and religion.

This volume addresses war, developing political and national identities and the changing gender regimes of Europe and the Americas between 1775 and 1830. Military and civilian experiences of war and revolution, in free and slave societies, both reflected and shaped gender concepts and practices, in relation to class, ethnicity, race and religion.

This volume addresses war, developing political and national identities and the changing gender regimes of Europe and the Americas between 1775 and 1830. Military and civilian experiences of war and revolution, in free and slave societies, both reflected and shaped gender concepts and practices, in relation to class, ethnicity, race and religion.

The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars affected millions of people's lives across Europe and beyond. Yet the extent to which the constant warfare of the period 1792-1815 shaped everyday experience has been little studied. This volume of essays discusses the formative experience of these wars for men and women, as soldiers, citizens and civilians.