Napoleon in 100 Objects

Gareth Glover

• Publisher: Frontline Books
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781526731364
• eBook ISBN: 9781526731371
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military Biographies
• Index: History

"Takes a look at the life of Napoleon Bonaparte through using 100 objects . . . an entertaining method of presenting a biography." — Battles and Book Reviews
For almost two decades, Napoleon Bonaparte was the most feared, and revered, man in Europe. At the height of his power, the land under his control stretched from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, and encompassed most of Western Europe.
The story of how a young Corsican, who spoke French with a strange accent, became Emperor of the French at the age of just thirty-three is a remarkable one. The many fascinating objects brought together in this book detail not only Napoleon's meteoric rise to power, but also his art of war and that magnificent fighting force, the Imperial Guard, which grew from a small personal bodyguard to the size of a small army. Some of his great battles, such as Marengo, Austerlitz, Jena and Wagram, are also explored, as is his exile and ultimate defeat at Waterloo.
In this engaging and hugely informative book, the author takes us on a journey across Napoleonic Europe to discover the places, people and objects that tell the story of one man's life. It is a story of one of the most turbulent eras in history, one that, to this day, still bears Bonaparte's name. But his legacy lives on in the French legal and social systems and he remains as enigmatic a figure today as he did 200 years ago.
"An amazing collection of objects that aid our understanding of the man who wanted to rule the world." —Books Monthly

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• 1. Casa Buonaparte
• 2. Bust of Madame Mère
• 3. Statue of Paoli
• 4. Statue of a Young Napoleon
• 5. Mètre étalon
• 6. Snuff Box
• 7. Facial Reconstruction of Maximilien Robespierre
• 8. French Gribeauval Cannon
• 9. Photograph of Montebello
• 10. Bust of Napoleon from the Italian Campaign
• 11. The Four Bronze Horses
• 12. Plaque to Napoleon and Josephine
• 13. Mameluke Saddle and Adornments
• 14. Description de L’ Égypte by Fourier
• 15. Napoleon’s Sabre
• 16. Napoleon’s Chess Set
• 17. Proclamation Announcing the Coup of 18 Brumaire
• 18. Napoleon’s Uniform Coat
• 19. Body of Le Vizir
• 20. Josephine’s Jewellery Box
• 21. Napoleon’s Dress Coat as First Consul
• 22. Papal Tiara
• 23. French Print of the Treaty of Mortefontaine
• 24. Print of the Assassination Attempt on Napoleon
• 25. Miniature Portrait of Lucien Bonaparte
• 26. French Plan of Port Jackson in Australia, 1802
• 27. The Luxembourg Palace
• 28. Rosetta Stone
• 29. Pauline’s Diplomatic Bag
• 30. Legion of Honour
• 31. Slave Manacles
• 32. The Lycée in Autun
• 33. Bust of Toussaint Louverture
• 34. Gold ‘Napoleon’ from Year 12 (1803)
• 35. Statue of Napoleon as a Roman Emperor
• 36. Brass Commemorative Medal for the Peace of Amiens
• 37. The Preface of the Louisiana Purchase
• 38. Extract from the Records of the Détenus
• 39. Pillbox with an Image of Elisa Bonaparte
• 40. Memorial to the Duke of Enghien at Vincennes
• 41. Napoleon Portrayed as a Roman Administrator
• 42. Column at Boulogne-sur-Mer
• 43. Gold Leaf
• 44. Carpet Decorated with Napoleonic Bees
• 45. Battle-Damaged Eagle, 1804
• 46. Cover of Beethoven’s Symphony No.3
• 47. Bearskin of a Grenadier of the Imperial Guard
• 48. Napoleon’s Bath at St. Helena
• 49. Memorial to the Battle of Austerlitz
• 50. An ‘Empire Style’ Table
• 51. Model of the Column in the Place Vendôme
• 52. Westphalian 2/3 Thaler Coin
• 53. Miniature Portrait of the Duke of Brunswick
• 54. The Great Basin at Antwerp
• 55. The Treaty of the Confederation of the Rhine
• 56. Commemorative Medallion
• 57. Print of a Douanier
• 58. Large Sevre Plate
• 59. French Cuirass Showing a Bullet Strike
• 60. Caroline Bonaparte’s Necklace
• 61. Miniature of Napoleon and Alexand Embracing
• 62. Czapka Helmet of the Polish Lancei
• 63. Josephine’s Tiara
• 64. Model of His Danish Majesty’s Ship Phoenix
• 65. Photograph of Alexandre Colonna-Walewski
• 66. Tomb of Pope Pius VII
• 67. Document signed by General Delaborde, Lisbon 1808
• 68. Contemporary Image of Soldiers of the Kingdom of Holland
• 69. Napoleon’s Throne
• 70. Infantryman’s Shako from the Kingdom of Naples
• 71. Spanish Coins
• 72. Sugar Beets
• 73. Le Moniteur Newspaper dated Tuesday 10 November 1807
• 74. Austrian 7-pounder Cannon
• 75. Maria Walewska’s Dress
• 76. Napoleon’s Satchel
• 77. Statue of Andreas Hofer in Bergisel
• 78. Marie Louise’s Pocket Watch
• 79. French Prisoner of War Articles
• 80. The Cradle of the King of Rome
• 81. Russian Grenadier’s Mitre Hat with Two Bullet Holes
• 82. Napoleon’s Sledge
• 83. Napoleon’s Hat from the Russian Campaign
• 84. Arc de Triomphe
• 85. Contemporary Print of General Claude de Malet
• 86. Josephine’s Dress
• 87. Napoleon Crossing the Alps
• 88. An order from Fouché, Head of Polic 18 Brumaire Year 8
• 89. Napoleon’s Travelling Nécessaire
• 90. Monument to the Battle of the Nations
• 91. Announcement of Napoleon’s Abdication
• 92. French Infantryman’s Shako
• 93. Line Drawing of Conscripts for Napoleon’s Army
• 94. Flag of Elba
• 95. Coach from Waterloo
• 96. Robert Fulton’s ‘Nautilus’ Submarine
• 97. Napoleon’s Letter to the Prince Regent
• 98. Napoleon’s Straw Hat
• 99. Napoleon’s Death Mask
• 100. Napoleon in his Tomb