Co-edited by Thierry Lentz and Charles-Éloi Vial, this collective work takes a nuanced look at the many images—sometimes idealized, sometimes highly critical—that still surround the figure of Napoleon today. Avoiding both anachronistic judgments and excessive admiration, the various authors address the major questions that help us better understand the man and his era: the legitimacy of his rule, the geopolitical objectives of the Empire, the heavy human toll of the wars, but also his military genius and his relations with religion and women. Considerable attention is also devoted to a particularly sensitive issue: the reestablishment of slavery in 1802, notably through the question, "Was Napoleon racist?"One of the book's main strengths lies in the solidity of its documentation and in the authors' determination to place each issue within its historical context. They thus avoid overly simplistic judgments and demonstrate how complex, and at times contradictory, Napoleon's choices could be. By bringing together the most recent contributions to Napoleonic scholarship in a work that is both rigorous and accessible, this volume offers valuable insight into a figure who continues to provoke debate and passion. It will appeal equally to researchers and students, as well as to readers seeking to develop a more nuanced view of Napoleon, beyond the judgments and representations inherited from collective memory. (Solène Sazio, PhD in Art History, web editor at the Fondation Napoléon)
Napoleon: Untangling History from Legend
Napoleon is undoubtedly one of the best-known historical figures, but also one of the most controversial. Two centuries after his death, his image continues to oscillate between the myth of the hero, the figure of the tyrant, and a multitude of widely held misconceptions. This book revisits the major questions that still surround the man and his rule, confronting representations inherited from the nineteenth century with the findings of contemporary historical scholarship. From his European ambitions and his conception of power to the place of women and religion, and from the questions of slavery and racism to the broader legacy of his rule, it examines the key debates that continue to shape the "Napoleonic legend" today.
What did we really know about the legitimacy of his rule? What vision did Napoleon pursue for Europe? What impact did he have on French society? How many deaths can truly be attributed to him? And what do we actually know about the circumstances of his death on Saint Helena? Edited by specialists in the Consulate and the Empire, this book brings together the most recent sources and scholarship in order to distinguish historical facts from later constructions of memory. It invites readers to rediscover Napoleon in all his complexity, beyond the glorious or infamous image that was gradually attributed to him. A historical investigation at the heart of the major controversies surrounding Napoleon, offering a clearer understanding of what we really know about the man, his power, and his era.
17 chapters I have only copied the subchapters for two of them
1- Was Napoleon afraid of death?
2- 18 Brumaire: A Military Coup d'État?
3- Was Napoleon a dictator?
4- Did Napoleon hate women?
5- Was Napoleon a music lover?
6- Was Napoleonic Europe "Occupied"?
Military occupations: a corollary of a new Napoleonic art of war
Diverse and contrasting realities
Did Europeans live under occupation?
7- Did Napoleon Cut Short the Youth of Europe?
A Very Heavy Human Cost…
Excess mortality linked to the Napoleonic Wars?
Excessive violence reassessed by recent estimates
8- Was Napoleon a Legitimate Sovereign?
9- Did Napoleon Seek to Build Europe?
10- Did Napoleon Believe in the Franco-Russian Alliance?
11- Was Napoleon a Military Genius?
12- Did Napoleon Believe in God?
13- Was Napoleon Poisoned?
14- Was Napoleon Obnoxious?
15- Was Napoleon Racist?
16- Was Napoleon a Diplomat?
17- Was Napoleon the Enemy of Bonaparte?
shares his techniques for painting, rigging and basing Age of Sail warships.
