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Marengo: The Victory That Placed the Crown of France on Napoleon's Head
On 14 June 1800 Napoleon Bonaparte fought his first battle as French head of state at Marengo in northern Italy. Unexpectedly attacked, Napoleon's army fought one of the most intense battles of the French Revolutionary Wars. Forced to retreat, and threatened with encirclement, Napoleon saved his reputation with a daring counterattack, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. This battle consolidated Napoleon's political position and placed the crown of France within his reach. Meticulously researched using memoirs, reports and regimental histories from both armies, Marengo casts new light on this crucial battle and reveals why Napoleon came so close to defeat and why the Austrians ultimately threw their victory away. With the most detailed account of the battle ever written, the author focuses on the leading personalities in the French and Austrian camps, describing the key events leading up to the battle, and the complex armistice negotiations which followed. For the first time, the author exposes the full story of Carlo Gioelli, the enigmatic Italian double agent who misled both armies in the prelude to battle.
- GenresMilitary HistoryHistory
336 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2018
10 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
About the author
Terry Crowdy
31 books11 followersTerry Crowdy was born in London in 1970. Initially a re-enactor, his interest in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars led to writing for specialist magazines, and then to book authorship.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 13, 2023
Super effort with a perfect blend of the personal anecdote & the strategic analysis. Excellent maps with separate little summaries on each to avoid flitting back into the text.
January 17, 2019
A deep dive into the pivotal battle... Nirvana for Napoleonic history buffs (albeit a tough sled perhaps for those unfamiliar with the period). Recommended to all Grognards.
August 8, 2021
Marengo stands as one of the more famous battles of the Napoleonic era. In fact, one could argue that this battle, in effect, began the Napoleonic era as it secured his domination of the Consulship, and paved the road to proclaiming himself Emperor of the French.
Terry Crowdy has written one of the finest Napoleonic operational studies I have read, and I can only hope that this means that such works of similar quality are to be expected in the future.
There are plenty of Napoleonic War and era books out there, certainly, but most, in English, focus on the British side of the conflict, and anything not directly involving the boys in red, tends to get largely overlooked in the wider English speaking military history community.
Marengo, fought on the 14th of June, 1800, ranks as one of the more decisive battles in European history.
At Marengo, far more than a campaign was decided, but also the fate of a continent as it's results lead directly to a radical shift in continental politics and foreign policy when Napoleon largely used the battle's results to spring him to the Imperial throne of France.
Crowdy begins his telling of the tale with a very unconventional beginning.
He begins by detailing the story of an Italian double agent, who leads an amazing life as a spy serving both the Hapsburgs and the French. This is a fascinating look at the craft of intelligence and misinformation, and serves as a good character profile of several of the French and Austrian commanders, vis a vis their interactions, and understandings, of their dealings with this remarkable double agent.
Telescoping backwards, Crowdy then brings the reader up to speed on why this particular double agent, and his adventures, are so important.
Having gallivanted off to Egypt, on a quixotic quest both to establish an Eastern Empire ala Alexander the Great, as well as to seek clues as to the long lost human global civilization (an idea that is still very much alive, with tantalizing, if at times minor, archeological clues), Napoleon was largely responsible for the outbreak of the War of the Second Coalition.
Upsetting the balance by threatening British trade routes with India, and the possibility of turning the Ottoman's into a French ally or puppet state, Britain builds yet another coalition against France, and this time the Coalition forces are largely successful everywhere. In both Germany, in the Rhineland, and in Italy, the Coalition are in ascendancy.
All of Napoleon's hard won gains in Northern Italy are erased by two allied armies, one Austrian (which is only moderately successful), and one Russian under the brilliant and tireless Alexander Suvorov (which is wildly successful). These two armies hand defeat after defeat to the French Republican forces, drive them back to the French border, and even invade Switzerland.
However, General Masséna (he's not a Marshal yet) defeats the Russians in Switzerland, and launches a pursuit which forces them to wage an epic fighting withdrawal back to Northern Italy and Bavaria. Here, at this point, Czar Paul joins in with Suvorov in a major diplomatic row with the Austrians (and the British), and subsequently leaves the Coalition with such vehemence that he will, eventually, begin to build a new Baltic Alliance (including reaching out to Napoleon, after the events of this book, to establish a detente with France, and a possible alliance). Events which will lead to his assassination, (possibly funded and motivated by British agents), and his replacement by Czar Alexander.
It's about at this point of the tale, with the Russians going home in a huff, despite performing splendidly, that Napoleon manages to escape the British blockade and returns from Egypt. Napoleon subsequently joins in a coup attempt against the Directory (contrary to popular opinion, the Coup of Brumaire had been planned well before Napoleon's return, and even Victor Moreau was cast as the possible military puppet for the Coup...except Napoleon, as events would prove, was no puppet, and quickly affected a coup of his own amongst the plotters of the original coup).
After dissolving the Directory and establishing a Triumvirate of Consuls (which rapidly becomes simply Napoleon as First Consul), Napoleon hurries in his preparations to restore France's fortunes in Northern Italy. With Moreau, a political rival in the Republican Army to Napoleon, in charge of the French forces in Germany, Napoleon concentrates his own Army of the Reserve in southern France, and then leads them in an epic crossing of the Alps, emerging well behind the Austrian concentrations.
Here, however, Napoleon's plan begins to unravel somewhat. Crowdy does a good job of detailing the fog of war that both sides were operating under, and the aforementioned Italian double agent makes his return to the narrative as he interacts with both the Austrian senior leadership, as well as the First Consul himself, Napoleon.
Both sides play the game of misdirection and misinformation, and Crowdy analyzes correctly that Napoleon was very likely keen to the agent's true nature, and so took his information with a grain of salt, but still managed to see to the truth contained therein.
Despite the swiftness of Napoleon's strategic movement, it wasn't enough to rescue the French garrison of Genoa which had been forced to surrender or face absolute starvation. And with Napoleon being in the dark as to the precise whereabouts of the main Austrian concentrations, this allows the Austrians to steal a march on Napoleon and catch his army while it is divided.
At Marengo, on the morning of the 14th, the Austrians launch an offensive which takes the French entirely by surprise, and mauls them badly. Napoleon, who is several miles distant, hurries to the field with his Consular Guard (the precursor to the infamous Imperial Guard) and throws them into battle.
The Consular Guard wage a determined defensive stand, and lose a quarter of their strength in less than an hour of fierce fighting, but they manage to sap much of the energy from the Austrians' very successful offensive.
With his main force in disarray, attempting to rally now that Napoleon is on the field (Crowdy makes a point to showcase the contrasting leadership style of the two armies, the French, with more of a leading by example style of leadership is clearly the superior of the two systems as opposed to the more technocratic Austrian style), and his Guard bloodied but still full of fight, Napoleon hopes to hold long enough to allow the Division of Nicolas Desaix to arrive and, possibly, turn the tables.
In all of this, Crowdy's writing is top notch. His narration of the battle itself is superb, and his utilization of both French and Austrian first person accounts, as well as some Italians caught in the middle of it all, really puts one into the high drama of the battle itself. Despite being failed by their top Leadership, the Austrian Army was a good one, which fought very hard, and one almost felt their own sense of bitter disappointment once Desaix's Division arrived and turned the tide of battle.
With Desaix up to the front, leading his men in a grand counterattack, the French rally and begin to retake the ground that they had lost during the morning and afternoon's fighting. Desaix himself, however, is killed fairly early on in the counterattack, much to Napoleon's own agony (the two were genuinely close friends), and although the Austrians are driven from the field, Crowdy's narrative shows that it wasn't the all out rout that the Napoleon legend had made it out to be.
Regardless, however, the French victory was a stunning one, and it settled the fighting in Northern Italy.
It will take another decisive French victory, this time under Moreau in Bavaria at Hohenlinden, in December, before the War of the Second Coalition ends in favor of France. However, it is Marengo that is decisive for Napoleon, as it solidifies his political power, and allows him to purge the military of his dissenters and enemies, such as Moreau, in the following year.
Crowdy's book is extremely well written, the analysis is sound, and the narration of the battle itself is one of the best of a Napoleonic battle I have read yet.
An excellent book on one of the most important battles in history. Pen and Sword should be proud of this one.
Highly recommended.
Terry Crowdy has written one of the finest Napoleonic operational studies I have read, and I can only hope that this means that such works of similar quality are to be expected in the future.
There are plenty of Napoleonic War and era books out there, certainly, but most, in English, focus on the British side of the conflict, and anything not directly involving the boys in red, tends to get largely overlooked in the wider English speaking military history community.
Marengo, fought on the 14th of June, 1800, ranks as one of the more decisive battles in European history.
At Marengo, far more than a campaign was decided, but also the fate of a continent as it's results lead directly to a radical shift in continental politics and foreign policy when Napoleon largely used the battle's results to spring him to the Imperial throne of France.
Crowdy begins his telling of the tale with a very unconventional beginning.
He begins by detailing the story of an Italian double agent, who leads an amazing life as a spy serving both the Hapsburgs and the French. This is a fascinating look at the craft of intelligence and misinformation, and serves as a good character profile of several of the French and Austrian commanders, vis a vis their interactions, and understandings, of their dealings with this remarkable double agent.
Telescoping backwards, Crowdy then brings the reader up to speed on why this particular double agent, and his adventures, are so important.
Having gallivanted off to Egypt, on a quixotic quest both to establish an Eastern Empire ala Alexander the Great, as well as to seek clues as to the long lost human global civilization (an idea that is still very much alive, with tantalizing, if at times minor, archeological clues), Napoleon was largely responsible for the outbreak of the War of the Second Coalition.
Upsetting the balance by threatening British trade routes with India, and the possibility of turning the Ottoman's into a French ally or puppet state, Britain builds yet another coalition against France, and this time the Coalition forces are largely successful everywhere. In both Germany, in the Rhineland, and in Italy, the Coalition are in ascendancy.
All of Napoleon's hard won gains in Northern Italy are erased by two allied armies, one Austrian (which is only moderately successful), and one Russian under the brilliant and tireless Alexander Suvorov (which is wildly successful). These two armies hand defeat after defeat to the French Republican forces, drive them back to the French border, and even invade Switzerland.
However, General Masséna (he's not a Marshal yet) defeats the Russians in Switzerland, and launches a pursuit which forces them to wage an epic fighting withdrawal back to Northern Italy and Bavaria. Here, at this point, Czar Paul joins in with Suvorov in a major diplomatic row with the Austrians (and the British), and subsequently leaves the Coalition with such vehemence that he will, eventually, begin to build a new Baltic Alliance (including reaching out to Napoleon, after the events of this book, to establish a detente with France, and a possible alliance). Events which will lead to his assassination, (possibly funded and motivated by British agents), and his replacement by Czar Alexander.
It's about at this point of the tale, with the Russians going home in a huff, despite performing splendidly, that Napoleon manages to escape the British blockade and returns from Egypt. Napoleon subsequently joins in a coup attempt against the Directory (contrary to popular opinion, the Coup of Brumaire had been planned well before Napoleon's return, and even Victor Moreau was cast as the possible military puppet for the Coup...except Napoleon, as events would prove, was no puppet, and quickly affected a coup of his own amongst the plotters of the original coup).
After dissolving the Directory and establishing a Triumvirate of Consuls (which rapidly becomes simply Napoleon as First Consul), Napoleon hurries in his preparations to restore France's fortunes in Northern Italy. With Moreau, a political rival in the Republican Army to Napoleon, in charge of the French forces in Germany, Napoleon concentrates his own Army of the Reserve in southern France, and then leads them in an epic crossing of the Alps, emerging well behind the Austrian concentrations.
Here, however, Napoleon's plan begins to unravel somewhat. Crowdy does a good job of detailing the fog of war that both sides were operating under, and the aforementioned Italian double agent makes his return to the narrative as he interacts with both the Austrian senior leadership, as well as the First Consul himself, Napoleon.
Both sides play the game of misdirection and misinformation, and Crowdy analyzes correctly that Napoleon was very likely keen to the agent's true nature, and so took his information with a grain of salt, but still managed to see to the truth contained therein.
Despite the swiftness of Napoleon's strategic movement, it wasn't enough to rescue the French garrison of Genoa which had been forced to surrender or face absolute starvation. And with Napoleon being in the dark as to the precise whereabouts of the main Austrian concentrations, this allows the Austrians to steal a march on Napoleon and catch his army while it is divided.
At Marengo, on the morning of the 14th, the Austrians launch an offensive which takes the French entirely by surprise, and mauls them badly. Napoleon, who is several miles distant, hurries to the field with his Consular Guard (the precursor to the infamous Imperial Guard) and throws them into battle.
The Consular Guard wage a determined defensive stand, and lose a quarter of their strength in less than an hour of fierce fighting, but they manage to sap much of the energy from the Austrians' very successful offensive.
With his main force in disarray, attempting to rally now that Napoleon is on the field (Crowdy makes a point to showcase the contrasting leadership style of the two armies, the French, with more of a leading by example style of leadership is clearly the superior of the two systems as opposed to the more technocratic Austrian style), and his Guard bloodied but still full of fight, Napoleon hopes to hold long enough to allow the Division of Nicolas Desaix to arrive and, possibly, turn the tables.
In all of this, Crowdy's writing is top notch. His narration of the battle itself is superb, and his utilization of both French and Austrian first person accounts, as well as some Italians caught in the middle of it all, really puts one into the high drama of the battle itself. Despite being failed by their top Leadership, the Austrian Army was a good one, which fought very hard, and one almost felt their own sense of bitter disappointment once Desaix's Division arrived and turned the tide of battle.
With Desaix up to the front, leading his men in a grand counterattack, the French rally and begin to retake the ground that they had lost during the morning and afternoon's fighting. Desaix himself, however, is killed fairly early on in the counterattack, much to Napoleon's own agony (the two were genuinely close friends), and although the Austrians are driven from the field, Crowdy's narrative shows that it wasn't the all out rout that the Napoleon legend had made it out to be.
Regardless, however, the French victory was a stunning one, and it settled the fighting in Northern Italy.
It will take another decisive French victory, this time under Moreau in Bavaria at Hohenlinden, in December, before the War of the Second Coalition ends in favor of France. However, it is Marengo that is decisive for Napoleon, as it solidifies his political power, and allows him to purge the military of his dissenters and enemies, such as Moreau, in the following year.
Crowdy's book is extremely well written, the analysis is sound, and the narration of the battle itself is one of the best of a Napoleonic battle I have read yet.
An excellent book on one of the most important battles in history. Pen and Sword should be proud of this one.
Highly recommended.
December 18, 2018
What can you say about this book? I think this time I can keep it short because it is a fantastic book around one of Napoleon’s most famous victories of his career. The French and Austrian espionage is also covered, which is overlooked in many other books. Clear maps with all the stages of the battle, general overview maps and beautiful images, register and index complete the book. I highly recommended this book!
March 31, 2019
A great account of the actions and intrigue leading up to the battle, though the description of the fighting gets a little murky in the author’s excessive use of block quotes and poor maps. A good study overall, though.
August 13, 2025
Rounded up from 3.5. The Battle of Marengo (June 14, 1800) really began Napoleon's great military career which only ended fifteen years later (June 18, 1815) at Waterloo. He had earlier battles in Egypt, but politically he was still jockeying for power. In 1800 he was the First Counsul and powerful, but he knew a major loss in Italy could mean the end of his career before his legacy could be cemented. War with Austria gave him his chance, but to do so he had to perform the feat of crossing the Alps, descending on the Austrian army, and significantly defeating it.
While his crossing of the Alps was successful, he arrived in Italy to find that Genoa, held by one of his lieutenants, Andre Massena, had surrendered to the Austrians. His army was also strung out over northern Italy, leaving him to face the possibility of fighting a much larger force. Not that the Austrians were gung-ho about a fight because of their commander's (Melas) reticence, but his chief of staff, Zach, had a plan which would (or might) give them victory. Another aspect was a double agent, Gioelli, who worked for both the French and the Austrians. He must have been good at his job because sides seemed satisfied with his information.
In the end though it came down to a real slugfest with the French seemingly defeated until the arrival of Desaix's division which became the turning point. This battle cost many lives on both sides, including that of Desaix who was one of Napoleon's friends, but as the subtitle on the book reads, it was, "The Victory That Placed the Crown of France on Napoleon's Head."
While his crossing of the Alps was successful, he arrived in Italy to find that Genoa, held by one of his lieutenants, Andre Massena, had surrendered to the Austrians. His army was also strung out over northern Italy, leaving him to face the possibility of fighting a much larger force. Not that the Austrians were gung-ho about a fight because of their commander's (Melas) reticence, but his chief of staff, Zach, had a plan which would (or might) give them victory. Another aspect was a double agent, Gioelli, who worked for both the French and the Austrians. He must have been good at his job because sides seemed satisfied with his information.
In the end though it came down to a real slugfest with the French seemingly defeated until the arrival of Desaix's division which became the turning point. This battle cost many lives on both sides, including that of Desaix who was one of Napoleon's friends, but as the subtitle on the book reads, it was, "The Victory That Placed the Crown of France on Napoleon's Head."
June 13, 2023
Great book, shitty maps. I found especially interesting the parts about the double agent Gioelli.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews