Napoleon

The Decline and Fall of an Empire: 1811-1821

Michael Broers

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781639361786
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: French History
• Index: History

An accomplished Oxford scholar delivers a dynamic new history covering the last chapter of the emperor's life—from his defeat in Russia and the drama of Waterloo to his final exile—as the world Napoleon has created begins to crumble around him. In 1811, Napoleon stood at his zenith. He had defeated all his continental rivals, come to an entente withRussia, and his blockadeof Britain seemed, at long last, to be a success. The emperor had an heir on the waywith his new wife, Marie-Louise, the young daughter of the Emperor of Austria. His personal life, too, wascalm and secure for the first time in many years. It was a momentof unprecedented peace and hope, built onthe foundations of emphatic military victories. But in less than two years, all of this was in peril. In four years, it was gone, swept away by the tides of waragainst the mostpowerful alliance in European history. The rest of his life was passed on a barren island. Thisis not a story any novelist could create; it is reality as epic. Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empire traces this story through the dramatic narrative of the years1811-1821and explores the ever-bloodier conflicts, the disintegration and reforging of the bonds among theBonaparte family, and the serpentine diplomacy that shaped the fate of Europe. At the heart of the story isNapoleon's own sense of history, the tensions in hisown character, and the shared vision of a family dynasty torule Europe. Drawing on the remarkable resource of the new edition of Napoleon's personal correspondence produced by theFondation Napoleonin Paris, Michael Broers dynamic new history follows Napoleon's thoughts and feelings, his hopes and ambitions, as he fought to preserve the world he had created. Much of this turns on hisrelationship with Tsar Alexander of Russia, in so many respects hisalter ego, and eventual nemesis. Hisinability to understand this complex man, the only person with the power to destroy him, iskey to tracingthe roots of his disastrous decision to invade Russia—and his inability to face diplomatic and military realitythereafter. Even his defeat in Russia was not the end. The last years of the Napoleonic Empire reveal its innate strength, but it now facedhopeless odds. The last phase of the Napoleonic Wars saw the convergence of the mostpowerful of forces in European history to date: Russian manpower and British money. The sheer determinationof Tsar Alexander and the British to bring Napoleon down is a storyof compromise and sacrifice. The horrorsand heroism of war are omnipresent in these years, from Lisbon to Moscow, in the life of the common solider.The core ofthis new book revealshow these men pushed Napoleon back from Moscow to St Helena. Among this generation, there was no more remarkable persona than Napoleon. His defeat forged his myth—aswell as his living tomb on St Helena. The audaciousenterprise of the 100 Days, reaching its crescendo at theBattle of Waterloo, marked the spectacular end of an unprecedented public life. From the ruins of a life—andan empire—came a new continent and a legend that haunts Europe still.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Maps
• Dedication
• Prelude: Into the Flames
• Chapter 1: A New Order of Things
• Chapter 2: The Great Empire, 1810–1812
• Chapter 3: Lurching to War: Napoleon and Alexander: Posturing and Poise, 1810–1812
• Chapter 4: The Order of Battle: Autumn 1811–June 1812
• Chapter 5: Into the Abyss: The March on Moscow
• Chapter 6: Hell Is a Very Cold Place: Moscow
• Chapter 7: The Gauntlet: The Retreat from Moscow, October–December 1812
• Chapter 8: From Delusion to Determination, December 1812–April 1813
• Chapter 9: The Struggle for Germany, April 1813–August 1813
• Chapter 10: The Last Summer: Dresden, the Final Victory, June–September 1813
• Chapter 11: Leipzig: The Battle Lost, September–October 1813
• Chapter 12: The Frontiers Crumble: The End of Empire, October 1813–January 1814
• Chapter 13: The Fall of France: The End of Everything, January–May 1814
• Chapter 14: Elba: A Nervous Exile, April 1814–February 1815
• Chapter 15: The Flight of the Eagle
• Chapter 16: The Politics of Desperation: March–June 1815
• Chapter 17: The War of the Seventh Coalition: March–June 1815
• Chapter 18: A Life Unravels
• Epilogue: Beyond the Pale
• Photographs
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Endnotes
• Index
• Copyright