Napoleons Wars, Charles Esdaile
Napoleons Wars, Charles Esdaile
2 Rating(s)
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Napoleon's Wars
An International History, 1803-1815

Author: Charles Esdaile

Narrator: Simon Prebble

Unabridged: 24 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/01/2008


Synopsis

No military figure in history has been quite as polarizing as Napoleon Bonaparte. Was he a monster, driven by an endless, ruinous quest for military glory? Or a social and political visionary brought down by petty, reactionary kings of Europe?

In the most definitive account to date, respected historian Charles Esdaile argues that the chief motivating factor for Napoleon was his insatiable desire for fame. More than a myth-busting portrait of Napoleon, however, this volume offers a panoramic view of the armed conflicts that spread so quickly out of revolutionary France to countries as remote as Sweden and Egypt. Napoleon's Wars seeks to answer the question, What was it that made the countries of Europe fight one another for so long and with such devastating results? Esdaile portrays the European battles as the consequence of rulers who were willing to take the immense risks of either fighting or supporting Napoleon—risks that resulted in the extinction of entire countries. This is history writing equal to its subject—grand and ambitious.

About Charles Esdaile

Charles Esdaile is a senior lecturer in history at the University of Liverpool. He is also the author of several books on history, including The Peninsular War, The Wars of Napoleon, The French Wars 1792–1815, and Spain in the Liberal Age. He lives near Formby, England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Anthony on September 26, 2024

Hey Megalomaniac, You’re No Angel. Charles J. Esdaile is a historian that I respect. He is unwavering in his opinions on Napoleon Bonaparte. The premise of this book is that the history of Napoleon between 1803 and 1815 is neither the history of Europe or the world. What he means by that is there wer......more

Goodreads review by A.J. on January 02, 2016

Napoleon's Wars prevents a interestingly contrasting viewpoint to the last book I read that involved the Napoleonic Wars, War and Peace. For Tolstoy, history is a impersonal and indifferent force that selfishly dominates the determination of fate, leaving little room for the individual, even where t......more

Goodreads review by Filip on January 16, 2019

Solid account of... Napoleon's Wars. Only three stars because the Anglocentric perspective started to grate on me. If only the title had been "Napoleon's Wars and How They Affected the U.K. and Its Overseas Territories", that would have been more accurate. The author's inability to see other perspec......more

Goodreads review by Olethros on May 23, 2015

-¿Refutación o crítica? Decidan ustedes.- Género. Ensayo. Lo que nos cuenta. Análisis de los orígenes y devenires políticos (y casi ideológicos por momentos) de las Guerras Napoleónicas, usando las fuentes históricas disponibles con el objeto de desmontar una supuesta teoría (sigan leyendo para más ac......more

Goodreads review by Martin on November 25, 2012

The title of this book is misleading. It should be called Napoleon's Diplomacy. I bought it thinking it was a discussion of Napoleon's battles, his tactics, strategy, etc. Instead, it is a discourse on Napoleon's political machinations with allies and enemies, domestic and foreign. Battles are barel......more