Napoleon: Biography

The first single-volume biography written since the publication of more than thirty thousand letters from Napoleon Bonaparte, which have forced historians to radically rethink their views of his character and aspirations. At last we see the great military leader and statesman as he really was: a versatile man, capable of solving many problems at once, a man of exceptional determination and, at the same time, an astonishing willingness to forgive his unfaithful wife Josephine, his political opponents, and even his enemies. Napoleon owed his appeal not only to his victories, but also to the fact that he brought peace to a people weary of war. Andrew Roberts, a renowned British historian and biographer who is equally well versed in political and military history, has visited 53 of Napoleon’s 60 battlefields, discovered vital new documents in the archives, and even made the long sea voyage to St. Helena. The result of all this work is a biography worthy of its hero: authoritative, insightful, and beautifully written by an outstanding specialist. In many ways, Napoleon was the last and greatest of the enlightened European despots of the 18th century, who began to apply rationalism to government and to the betterment of his subjects. Goethe said of Napoleon that "the light that shone upon him never faded for a moment... He was constantly in a state of enlightenment." Napoleon was the Enlightenment - on horseback.