Ever since 1821, when he died at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a two-volume cradle-to-grave biography, Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human being. Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.

lgli/The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte (9780786725397).pdf

lgrsnf/The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte (9780786725397).pdf

Asprey, Robert

Avalon Publishing Group

United States, United States of America

Hachette Book Group, New York, 2008

New York, c2000

Reprint, 2001

US, 2001

1, 2008

Fulcrum

{"isbns":["046504879X","0465048811","0786725397","9780465048793","9780465048816","9780786725397"],"publisher":"Basic Books"}

Includes bibliographical references and index.

BIN

Includes bibliographical references (p. [546]-564) and index.
Previously published as v. 1 of The rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Frontmatter
List of Illustrations (page xvii)
Maps (page xix)
Permissions (page xx)
A Note to the Reader (page xxi)
Acknowledgments (page xxv)
In the Beginning (page 1)
CHAPTER ONE The Boy 1769-1778 (page 7)
CHAPTER TWO Autun, Brienne and the École Militaire 1779-1785 (page 13)
CHAPTER THREE The Student: Valence and Auxonne 1785-1789 (page 22)
CHAPTER FOUR The Revolution and the Rebel: Auxonne and Corsica 1789-1791 (page 34)
CHAPTER FIVE Auxonne, Valence, Corsica, Paris 1791-1792 (page 44)
CHAPTER SIX The Paris Cauldron May-October 1792 (page 53)
CHAPTER SEVEN End of a Dream Corsica 1792-1793 (page 63)
CHAPTER EIGHT Napoleon Goes to War July- September 1793 (page 69)
CHAPTER NINE The Battle of Toulon November-December 1793 (page 79)
CHAPTER TEN The Riviera and Désirée Clary December 1793-June 1794 (page 90)
CHAPTER ELEVEN Fall and Redemption June 1794-May 1795 (page 98)
CHAPTER TWELEVE Joséphine Beauharnais May 1795-March 1796 (page 107)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN The Army Marches - I: The Invasion of Piedmont March-April 1796 (page 120)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN The General April 1796 (page 134)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN The Army Marches - II: The Invasion of Lombardy May-June 1796 (page 142)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Army Marches - III: Consolidation June-July 1796 (page 154)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN The General and His Lady May-July 1796 (page 165)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The Austrians Attack: The Battle of Rivoli July-September 1796 (page 172)
CHAPTER NINETEEN The Battle of Arcola November 1796 (page 184)
CHAPTER TWENTY The Second Battle of Rivoli January 1797 (page 198)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Victory January-April 1797 (page 207)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Montebello - The King Without a Crown (page 218)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE The Treaty of Campo Formio August-November 1797 (page 231)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Paris Interlude December 1797-May 1798 (page 245)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE The Conquest of Egypt - I: The Battle of the Pyramids April-July 1798 (page 256)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX The Conquest of Egypt - II: The Great Sultan July-August 1798 (page 271)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN The Conquest of Egypt - III: Colonization and Conflict August 1798-February 1799 (page 283)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT The Conquest of Egypt - IV: The Siege of St. Jean d'Acre February-May 1799 (page 299)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE The Conquest of Egypt - V: Hail and Farewell June-October 1799 (page 314)
CHAPTER THIRTY The Coup d'État of 18-19 Brumaire 9-10 November 1799 (page 327)
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE The Consulate Rules November 1799-February 1800 (page 340)
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Prelude to Marengo December 1799-May 1800 (page 351)
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE The Crossing of the Alps May-June 1800 (page 364)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR The Battle of Marengo 14 June 1800 (page 378)
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE The First Consul Rules July-October 1800 (page 393)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX The Treaty of Lunéville July 1800-February 1801 (page 400)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN The Peace of Amiens February-June 1801 (page 410)
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT The Conquering Hero July 1801-August 1802 (page 423)
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE Napoleon the Man 1801-1802 (page 431)
CHAPTER FORTY The Road to War March 1802-May 1803 (page 443)
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE The Invasion of England - I: June 1803-February 1804 (page 454)
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO The Late Duc d'Enghien January-April 1804 (page 469)
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE The Invasion of England - II: March-October 1804 (page 481)
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR The Emperor Takes a Crown March-December 1804 (page 489)
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE The Invasion of England - III: The End of a Dream January-August 1805 (page 500)
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX The Battle of Ulm September-October 1805 (page 513)
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN Victory in Austria, Defeat in Trafalgar October-November 1805 (page 525)
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT Austerlitz: The Day of the Three Emperors November-December 1805 (page 535)
Selective Bibliography (page 546)
Index (page 565)

<p>Ever since his untimely death at age fifty-one on the forlorn and windswept island of St. Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been depicted as either demi-god or devil incarnate. Now, in The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first volume of a magisterial two-volume biography, we at last get Napoleon the man. Robert Asprey tells this fascinating, tragic tale in lush narrative detail. He invites the reader to look over Napoleon's shoulder as he dictates decrees and orders; deals with his ungrateful, greedy, unprincipled family; comes into conflict with the royalty of Europe; mingles with the intellectuals, writers, musicians, and actors of the day; leads and inspires his officers and men; and falls in love and fathers children with Josephine, Marie Louise, and various mistresses. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte becomes an exciting, reckless thrill ride as Asprey charts Napoleon's vertiginous ascent to fame and the height of power. Here is Napoleon as he was-not saint, not sinner, but a man dedicated to and ultimately devoured by his vision of himself, his empire, and his world.</p>

This is a fascinating history. We witness the early years and rise of Napoleon (to the year 1805) while having a front-row seat for the Reign of Terror and its implosion and not-so-slow return to a (forever changed) monarchy. One wonders how in the world Napoleon learned to be the great general he was. Was it really just his voracious reading of history? A great irony is Napoleon's mastery of land war coupled with his ineffectiveness in coaxing his admirals to do anything on water. Imagine the outcome if Fate had given France both Napoleon for land and Nelson for the sea.

Ever since 1821, when he died at age 51 on the forlorn and windswept island of St Helena, Napoleon Bonaparte has been remembered as either demi-god or devil incarnate. In "The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte", Robert Asprey instead treats him as a human.

"Chronicles the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, providing information on his childhood, his involvement in the French Revolution, his political aspirations, his personal relationships, and other related topics."

Robert Asprey charts Napoleon's thrilling, reckless rise to power in this fast-paced first volume of the definitive biography of the fascinating, enigmatic, and still mysterious tragic conqueror

2023-10-28