Napoleon and Wellington

Napoleon and Wellington

by Andrew Roberts (Author)

Synopsis

On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards historians have accused him of gross overconfidence, and massively underestimating the calibre of the British commander opposed to him. Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age. Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington - 1769 - fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsula War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere 'sepoy general'. In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques. Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, Napoleon left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate Wellington. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the Emperor's mistresses.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Edition: Paperback edition
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 06 Jun 2002

ISBN 10: 1842124803
ISBN 13: 9781842124802
Book Overview: 'Andrew Roberts, the political biographer whose life of Lord Salisbury won him the Wolfson Prize for 1999, now brings the same qualities of insight and judgement to the field of military history' Correlli Barnett, Sunday Telegraph 'It is one of Andrew Roberts's merits that, as well as being intelligent, hard-working and opinionated, he gets great fun out of his writing. His books are consequently not only genuinely important but also a pleasure to read' Philip Ziegler, Daily Telegraph 'Well written and well organised, his study of the relationship between the emperor and the Duke of Wellington is as entertaining as it is instructive, and is original and judicious both as military and personal history' Christopher Hibbert, Sunday Times

Media Reviews
Roberts has set himself a massively challenging task and emerged triumphant. Guardian genuinely revealing Sunday Times Stripping his protagonists of mythic accretions, Roberts describes their trajectories with impressive verve. Independent As well as being intelligent and opinionated, Roberts is a pleasure to read. Daily Telegraph So many books have been written about Napoleon that it takes something special to justify a new one. Andrew Roberts triumphantly fulfils that obligation... This is an enthralling narrative, full of original insights and bold historical interpretations. Mail on Sunday A remarkably readable book that serves as an excellent introduction to a key moment in European history, while still offering new insights to the specialist. The Times
Author Bio
Andrew Roberts took a first in Modern History at Cambridge. He has been a professional historian since the publication of his life of Lord Halifax, THE HOLY FOX, in 1991. He contributes regularly to THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH. Lives in Chelsea, London, and has two children.