Napoleon Volume 2

Napoleon #2

by Michael Broers

'Masterly.' Daily Mail

'Stunning.' History Today

'Magnificent.' Literary Review

Napoleon's life reached its most extraordinary stage between 1805 and 1810. At war with Britain, Russia, and Austria, he unleashed his magnificent Grande Arm�e. The first resounding victory at Austerlitz was followed by a whirlwind of campaigns, and by 1810 he had divorced Josephine in order to marry the daughter of the Austrian Emperor. The Spirit of the Age illustrates in vivid detail the five years in which Napoleon appeared to be invincible.

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, European History, France, Politics, Biography Memoir

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Michael George Broers is the Professor of Western European History at the University of Oxford. He graduated with an MA from the University of St Andrews in 1978 and a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 1982.

Reviews

[Brian Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Broers continues where he left off, in the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's coronation in 1805, on the precipice of another military expedition into central Europe. Napoleon's life does follow the arc of a tragic hero, with a swift rise to power based on pluck, ingenuity, opportunism, and a fair amount of admirable qualities set alongside a number of character flaws. Indeed, over two volumes and a forthcoming final third part, Broers's great quality is to set the record straight on Bonaparte, whose afterlife has been dominated by the bias of his biographers. Lionized often by French writers at the expense of leaving out blots on his failings and villainized by his opponents as a Hitler sized dictator with a thirst for conquest, Broers gets right to the primary documents and parses what surely is closer to the truth: Napoleon was a superb leader with military genius whose tragic failings include a titanic ego, deep loyalty to his family (but not unswerving) that ended up hurting him, and a need to settle old French scores.

This volume covers the military triumphs over Austria, Prussia, and Poland as well as a treaty of peace with Russia at Tilsit. It also covers a significant amount of domestic politics, usually conducted by Talleyrand or Fouche, to settle French economics and international relations while the Emperor was expanding the borders. The personal life is here as well, perhaps 10% of the book spread throughout, so that it doesn't overwhelm the geopolitical portion of the life. Nonetheless, we see the ending of his marriage to Josephine, as well as the revelation that Napoleon himself was more than capable of producing two male heirs, one legitimate and one not so much. Always, Napoleon's focus is on empire.

While most see Waterloo as the massive defeat of Napoleon, that defeat was embedded in the very victories he was achieving. Broers demonstrates how his great victories at Austerlitz, Eylau, Friedland and others contributed to his downfall, thinning the ranks of the Grande Armee and exposing (at least to posterity) that Napoleon was playing a game that could not last. While Napoleon did indeed want to expand his borders, Broers argues that he wasn't always drawn into wars of his own choice, and so he was not a bloodthirsty expansionist as his enemies portrayed him (to be honest, understandably according to the rules of wartime propaganda). The French economy was tottering and the army veterans were thinning out. With the Russian invasion yet to come in the third volume, it appears that the seeds of Napoleon's destruction have already been sown, and it was the indomitable will of Napoleon that kept him obsessively pursuing conquest and victory at all costs. Certainly, what did survive was the incredible bond of the common soldier and many of his generals to his leadership, that soldiers would lay down their lives with courage for this man. That is the mark of a great general and one of the primary qualities of a great leader. A fascinating read, and surely destined to be (alongside Andrew Roberts's single volume) the great biography of Napoleon when completed.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second volume of Michael Broers's projected three-volume biography of Napoleon Bonaparte covers the five years of his life between the start of his campaign against the Austrians in 1805 and his marriage to Marie Louise in 1810. This was the period which can be regarded as Napoleon at his peak. With his victories against the Austrians in 1805 and the Prussians and the Russians in 1806-7, the French emperor exercised a dominance over Europe that was unprecedented. Yet one of the themes that emerges from Broers's narrative is the fragile nature of Napoleon's control, as he details the ways in which his power began to evaporate almost as soon as he won it.

As Broers details, the main reason for this was the circumstances in which it was won. When Napoleon led the Grande Armée our of its camps around Boulogne and into central Europe, he commanded one of the finest military forces in existence, one that was well trained and consisted of veterans of the many wars that France had fought since 1792. Yet it was an unsustainable force, one that Napoleon's regime scrambled to finance even as it won its great victories against the Austrians. The end of the Austrian campaign led to the discharge of many of those veterans, who were replaced by younger, less experienced conscripts in subsequent campaigns.

Though Napoleon still won many victories with his new recruits, this was just one of the many challenges he faced. Another was with his efforts to control the lands his forces occupied, as he proved far more successful in defeating the armies of the old order than he was in controlling their territories. Here Broers's expertise as an historian of the era is employed to his greatest effect, as he demonstrates how the French occupation of southern Italy in 1806 foreshadowed the problems the regime would face in Spain just two years later. Napoleon's efforts to establish his brother Joseph as king of Naples proved less than successful, as French reforms such as the end of feudalism quickly turned the Neapolitan aristocracy against the regime, forcing the French to maintain a military presence the region could not afford, and confronting Napoleon with a low-level uprising he did not know how to win.

Further hampering Napoleon's efforts to cement his dominance of Europe was his reliance upon his family as puppet monarchs. Broers astutely dismisses traditional criticisms of his use of them as rulers of the regions he conquered, pointing out that the practice was commonplace for ruling families throughout European history. His brothers ultimately did not live up to the (often impossible) demands Napoleon placed upon them, however, and suffered the force of his ire as a result. His frustration with them also informed his growing concern over the issue of succession, as his difficult marriage of Josephine had not produced the heir he so desperately desired. Though his efforts to wed a Russian princess ultimately proved fruitless, his negotiations with the Austrians proved more successful, and in 1810 he became the son-in-law of his twice-defeated opponent Francis II. Yet as Broers ends the volume he makes clear that the seeming solidity gained by the Napoleonic regime still rested on a foundation of sand, with Napoleon facing rebellions in occupied territories, resentful monarchs in the rest of the continent, and an ongoing war against Britain that showed no sign of resolution.

Broers describes all of this is a clear narrative that moves briskly through the many of events of the emperor's busy life. Drawing upon the bounty of the ongoing Correspondance générale series as well as recent scholarship on various aspects of his reign by the leading scholars of the era, he provides a fuller picture of Napoleon's rule than was possible for previous biographers. The result is a worthy successor to Broers's previous volume, Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny, and a book which further establishes his biography as the best one yet written about Napoleon Bonaparte.

[Steve Donoghue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The latest book to sing the praises of the pestiferous little Corsican! Here's my review:

https://openlettersreview.com/open-le...

[Windsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a politically updated David Chandler Bio. Gives you all the good military history that Chandler does (obviously not as much) and adds the political and family side of it. Gives a bleaker picture in the 1805-1807 campaigns, which helps describe how hard logistics and organization of large armies actually can be. Actually gives quite a few hypothesis about where Napoleon went wrong and how his ego and fame got the best of him. The "mathematics vs fantasy" argument was probably my favorite out of any Napoleon bios I've read. With how well this book covers key topics, it really makes me look forward to the third volume, when Napoleon attempts to reason with and overcome his greatest difficulties

[Jw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography of Napoleon focusing on the years when his career was at its height. The book naturally focuses on Napoleon's campaigns (Broers' account of the Battle of Austerlitz is the best I've read), but also gives a fair amount of time to other topics as well. Napoleon's poisoned relationship with Madame de Stael and his brother Joseph's attempts to rule in Naples were particularly interesting tidbits that stuck with me, as was an extended character study of Napoleon's ally/arch-enemy Tsar Alexander I of Russia. Broers thankfully doesn't fall into hero-worship like some historians, and his portrait of Napoleon covers both his glory and his flaws.

[Joshua Provan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a marked correlation between the clothes that Bonaparte the general wore & those worn by Napoleon the emperor. Even when he was first consul he wore the laurel edged uniform of a general in the republic, much like the one he wore when he stormed the bridge at Arcole. The distinctive olive grey coat & cocked hat over the undress uniform of the chasseurs a cheval de la Garde Imperiale came about around the time of Austerlitz.
That is to say before 1805 there was no Napoleon. Without Ulm & Austerlitz there could not have been a Napoleon. Without these events, Europe would have remembered a heroic revolutionary general who quietened the bloodlust of the revolution. A young soldier on a bridge with a flag, not an emperor on a horse with a hat.

The title for Broer's second volume comes from the pen of the German philosopher Hegel. Who saw the emperor pass by on his horse in 1806, the day before the battles of Jena & Auerschdat, and despite himself he found himself mesmerised by the sight of this tempest in human form. In his words Napoleon was not the underlying impetuous of the century, but the bestriding colossus, THE paramount spirit, which is from the Latin Genius, or creation of the age. And so we have our theme.

The book itself is as well produced as the first with a decent selection of images, some maps of campaign theatres and an attractive and eye-catching  cover. It's heavy to hold, but no faux gilt so you can read it without fear of doing too much damage. In terms of style it is certainly readable, perhaps more so than his first volume. There is a grandeur to his retelling of Austerlitz, which is filled with immortal and superhuman references commensurate with a 19th century spectators view of war that gloried in the carnage.
Napoleon is shown as confident and cautious, especially in politics, inexperienced in wider affairs but instinctive, and already showing himself faulty in terms of protecting himself in terms of foreign policy.

The book begins confidently. Establishing napoleon's brilliance and defending his policy making. Yet it doesn't take long to crash into the issues which made Napoleon the emperor unsupportable to the rest of Europe.
Broers shows that even if he won under trying circumstances the euphoria of a successful conquest bred in Napoleon a sapping hubris and whenever he felt secure he tended to lash out at the Bourbons. Such as in Savoy, in Naples and in Spain.

Austerlitz allowed Napoleon to create around himself a cult of imperial and military excellence. Drawing upon the atheism of the revolution he replaced the church with himself in the eyes of the army. Public imagination was militarised. In addition to this, there was the issue of Italy. In the first page of Tolstoy's War & Peace, Anna Pavlovna declares the infamy of Bonaparte making large chunks of Bourbon Italy mere parcels of the family estate. Tolstoy was not an objective critic of Napoleon but this sums up a great deal of why the emperor could no sooner vanquish an enemy only to end up facing it anew. Broers essentially agrees that Napoleon's foolhardly reduction of the Neapolitan Bourbons and the foisting of his brother onto the throne highlights how he was too prone to use the power of France for his personal vendettas. Napoleon to the rest of Europe, which was both predominantly sovereign and religious, found practically everything about Napoleon the emperor worrying. Broers aptly calls Naples, 'Spain on a smaller scale'.

It is usually best that a biographer be pro the subject at hand. In the first volume, Broers trod a fairly even path. This is sustained in Spirit of the Age. He has neither an axe to grind nor does he appear to pay homage were it is not due. This book, even more than the first, is greatly concerned with military glory. Never quite spilling into hagiography, he does however find himself bowing the knee to the legend now and then. A fairly easy way to tell if someone would die for Napoleon is to ask them wether or not they would have had Marshal Bernadotte shot for his inaction at Jena-Aurschdat. Broers makes a good case for Bernadotte richly deserving a bullet, though he seems to wish the marshal's blood as recompense for the dead of III Corps. In fairness Broers does seem to find his mild treatment of Bernadotte at odds with his usual attitude towards rivals.

Earlier I alluded to Tolstoy and I think it is apt because the Tsar, who featured so prominently in the novel, is perhaps the next biggest player in the drama. Jean Paul Kauffman wrote that the empire received its first mortal blow at Eylau in 1807. This means of course that Russia was responsible for two of the death wounds that sent the Napoleonic legend to the grave. Napoleon, already on shaky ground after fighting the Prussians, is vividly shown as losing his grip against the Russians. Unsurprisingly, Broers comes to the conclusion that Napoleon's most able opponent as a General was Archduke Charles of Austria. Interestingly, though he identifies the toughest army to fight Napoleon as that of the Russians. After praising the Russian soldier, Broers observes an interesting facet. If Napoleon's invincibility was dented first by the Russians and from here his grip on power slipped it was re-solidified by exterior forces after Friedland. The emperor was an emperor in France and to those he defeated but he was kept afloat because of his success in battle. Yet after Tilsit Napoleon was able to master Europe without the aid of bayonets because of the Tsar's auspices in supporting his power brokering. With a Russian alliance and recognition Napoleon was indeed master of Europe. The Tsar indeed being the only monarch to willingly and actively support him.

So we find the emperor at the height of his powers but already showing the weaknesses that led to his downfall. The spirit of the age was a fragile & volatile one. In Poland the cracks in the painting started to shown, in Spain the very seams of the canvass frayed.
This is a biography, nevertheless six of the largest and most important battles fought by the Grande Armee is covered and as Napoleon was firstly a soldier, the coverage of the campaigns must be observed. They are excitingly drawn and talk in gilded tones of glorious battle and grim sacrifice. They tell us what happened, though not not always why, thus bringing to mind what John Keegan wrote about writers who need to prioritise narrative.

Broers text is also replete with notes, though again not everything is explained. He argues for instance that Moore chose to retreat to Corunna in order to keep Napoleon out of Portugal. Yet this cannot be the whole story as Moore's army combined with Wellesley's; concentrated behind Portugal's mountains & fortresses would have made any further move against the country ill advised. Most importantly it is to be remembered that Napoleon always strove to separate his opponents. Broers claim that Moore made the most unselfish decision of the Napoleonic wars does not quite ring true with me. Nor that Napoleon physically saw the best and the worst of the British army. Indeed he saw very little of it. Indeed as, Broers himself observes Napoleon was dumbfounded by what he heard. Though the author states this was the first direct contact Napoleon had with the British he had come much closer to them at Toulon. Truly the emperor had little reason to worry about British soldiers or so he thought.

The book ends a few years before 1812. I'd envisage at least two more volumes, which will probably keep the author occupied for another decade. Without an axe to grind nor a trumpet to play, Broers has written a truly even-handed and nuanced second volume. Perhaps it is still a little merciless to a newcomer but it is as gripping and thoughtful as it is interesting.
The emperor, condemned by Beethoven and Bolivar as just another mortal, just another king has nonetheless reached the pinnacle of his greatness, and become the spirit of the age.

[Alexei]

My apologies, I was wrong in reviewing the first volume - there was no bias in it, just a different approach to the protagonist in his relatively green youth. Here the author is much more jaundiced, at least sometimes. All in all, this is an excellent biography of Napoleon, and I do not expect to ever need a better one. One may call it All That You Ever Wanted to Know about N. and Much, Much More. The detailed analysis of military operations sometimes strained my attention, but even that I consider useful.

[William Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broer's second Napeolon biography volume covers the events from the legendary 1805 French victory at Austerlitz to the Austrian marriage with Marie-Louise in 1810 resulting in the 'black cardinals', securing a tender period of peace in Europe. In some parts quick-fire, in others detailed, Broer's second volume can readily be read independently of his other works and undoubtedly beneficial for those novices in Napoleonic history.

The detail of The Spirit of the Age can be subdivided into battles and empire-wide political intrigue. Often, Broer inscribes the beleaguered Napoleonic battles fixed by referencing to Napeolons key lieutenants: Davout, Soult, Lannes, Murat. A significant amount of detail regarding each climactic battle's tactics and nuances between 1805-10 is readily condensed, which initially required considerable focus. The first few chapters of the work produce a literary structure that Broer copy-and-pastes throughout the book to much informative success. For instance, glances at Napoleon's victories at Ulm and Austerlitz despite substantially fewer men are snappily followed by delving into the 1805-6 banking crisis. Whilst I would have desired these rest moments of political intrigue to be more expansive and nuanced - Broer assertively almost lists the causes of the crisis to corruption, vanity, and bimetallism - it nonetheless suitable acts as a springboard to other works or more detailed Wiki pages.

A significant portion of the work discusses the unwanted Prussian war of 1806, the Polish campaign of 1807, and the much-wanted Spanish conquest of 1807-8. Despite the significant Prussian buildup, time advantage, and Napeolon's reticence led to a French victory at the battles of Sena and Auerstadt predominately due to Devout's tactical prowess and grit despite Bernadotte's cowardice. Ending with Napeolon's fanatical embracement of Fredrick the Great's ashes and sword, producing an illegitimate child with Marie, and concentrating the suicidal trade blockade against Britain. From this success, Napoleon desire to capitalise on Russian obfustication resulted in one of the bloodiest stalemates of the Napoleonic wars - the battle of Eylau; a combination of cold weather, impaired communication, and disrupted supply lines. Bouncing from this to the Friedland campaign - the clash between the French and Russian Empire led by Bennigsen - provided Napoleon with a decisive and necessary tactical victory in his aims to secure long-term peace against Russia and restrain the intervention of the militarily powerful Austria despite initial ill-sighted night attacks.

A few pages of this exposition are dedicated to Napeolon's domestic anti-religious efforts namely with the notorious March 1808 'infamous decrees'. While vitriolic anti-semites surrounded Napoleon, his efforts to curb Jewish commercialism in the Rhine were likely a product of blanket anti-religious sentiments; Napeolon emphasised his belief that religious groups should 'assimilate and interbreed' for reasons unexplored in Broer's work. From domestic to international views, Napoleon orchestrated clandestine peace-talks with Alexander at Tilsit in July 1080. Despite Napeolon's agreeable sentiments to secure a long-lasting peace, Alexander portent off-handed comment regarding Napeolon that "He'll break his own neck" clearly demonstrated Alexanders clear perspective.

Napoleon's maniacal ambition to enforce the British trade embargo saw him traipsing through Spain to invade British Portugal in 1807-8. Such indiscretion provoked the Tumult of Aranjuez leading to the fall of the Bourbon Charles IV and Bonaparte dynasty's ascension. Fitting for Napeolon's golden age, the panoply of movie-like moments would be inadequate without a chase to which Napeolon's pursuit of the retreating Moore certainly satisfies. As time progressed, Broer does a fine job of lightly demonstrating Napeolon's change of temperament and elevating hubris through contrasting different historical battles; Napeolon's rocked temperamental sacrifice of the elite Polish light guard to a suicidal frontal assault, remarking '...my guard will not be stopped by mere peasants [...]'.

Talleyrand's mistaken entrustment to persuade Alexander for lasting alliances, peace, and dynastic-linking marriages only accelerated the advent of the 1809 Austrian War; encouraging Alexander to support efforts to overthrow rather than placate Napoleon. These events, combined with Charles overlooking the rapid escalation of Austrian forces and his underestimation of Napeolon's 'German Army' produced a more Napeolon-favoured outcome. From squandering his time advantage as Napoleon rode from Spain to Austria in 70 days with the Ratilson operation to Napeolon's heavy defeat and loss of Lannes at the battle of Aspern-Esling set the stage for Wagram - a costly, but decisive victory for Napoleon leading to the breakup of the 5th coalition (Britain-Austria).

The closing of the book examines the dissolution of Josphine's marriage to Napoleon in favour of the 'Austrian Marriage' to Marie-Louis for the sake of ancien-regime notions of 'dynasty'. Rome's sacking, excommunication of Napoleon by the arrested Pius VII, and fracturing of the Bonapart brothers - Joseph ruling Naples then Spain, and Louis of Holland. All in all, Boer's may not be essential reading for the Napoleonic Wars but is certainly highly sought-after for novices like myself that desire an efficient inauguration to many years of future learning.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit as good as the first volume - especially strong on Napoleon’s relationships with his siblings who are a mixed bag of talents to say the least. Looking forward to the appearance of the next volume.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

It may not seem like the life of Napoleon Bonaparte is fertile ground for new biographies, but Broers uses the new edition of correspondence released by the Fondation Napoleon to provide the reader with new perspectives into his personal and family life. Although many pages are spent on the political and military events of the time (which is to be expected), I was particularly impressed by the sections devoted to Napoleon's relationships with his siblings. This book never loses sight of the fact that at its heart, it is about a human being rather than simply a military or political leader. Some of the letters from Napoleon to his brother Louis truly made my jaw drop as I read them, and I'm surprised to have not come across them in other biographies that I read.

As an American with poor grasp of European geography, a common wish of mine is for books like this to contain more maps of the geopolitical situation and military campaigns. This book does have some good maps, but I would have been helped by a few more.

Overall Broers' style made this book a lot of fun to read. It's very thorough, as you would expect from a book that devotes 460 pages to a 5-year period. The reader will gain better understandings of both Napoleon's relationship to his family as well as the complex politics surrounding the time. And obviously it leaves off on a very ominous note, with the French Empire at its most fragile state in almost 10 years in 1810. Even as a standalone book, I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in Napoleon. The insight into the Bonapartes' familial struggles combined with the author's writing style makes this one of my favorite books on the era.

[Jim Bogue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is in most ways a very impressive book. Prof. Broers covers the years from 1805-1810 in depth, touching on all facets of Napoleon’s rule: war, administration, family and romance. He gives quick precis of what was happening in the many countries bound to or touched by the ever-growing French empire. In all of this he demonstrates deep research, appreciation of sources and of other historians, and a clear writing style. In particular, his ability to quickly introduce and cover the major battles make the reader’s life easier in an epoch consumed with war.
Broer has obviously spent a great deal of time on this book. His word portraits of Napoleon’s allies and antagonists are very enlightening just because they are so provocative. He has his favorites and argues for them.
I finished this book feeling I had learned a huge amount about a fascinating subject. But, in the end, his portrayal of his main character is unconvincing. Broer illustrates, with analysis and conviction, Napoleon’s many strengths. He also conscientiously exposes his flaws and missteps. But the latter are always excused. Napoleon was always trying to do the right thing. So his opponents were always flawed, if not malicious. And this I, at least, do not believe.
As long as the author’s Napoleon bias is taken with a grain of salt this is a fine book!

[Bipin Inamdar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is so well written that I am feeling bad giving it a star less than the maximum. But there are some flaws in both, form and content.
Form: incorrectly used words, malformed sentences, abrupt changes of topics or attitudes in consecutive sentences.
Content: the book mentions Napoleon's negatives almost in passing, and doesn't analyze them nearly to the same depth as the positives. For example, there is almost no explanation of why he was seen as the "ogre", and why post 2009 it started to be seen as best to depose him. Tilsit is not explained enough. There is not much about the internal conditions of France during these years. There is some ink given to the opposition to conscription, but none to the economy or society.

[Mervyn Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was better than volume one - when it comes to trilogies, second instalments are usually the best - but I still had problems with the writing. Some of the sentences I found a bit too convoluted and had to reread two, sometimes three, times to understand the full meaning. The problem was probably mine. I read this while I was suffering with a kidney infection. Which can affect your concentration. I was surprised by how quickly the Grande Armee started to deteriorate. And by how many mistakes Napoleon made both on the battlefield and the home front. Invading Spain and Portugal, and trusting Talleyrand and Fouche for so long, seems crazy. But I think by then the megalomania had already started to set in. The third volume is available for pre-order. And I'll definitely get it.

[William Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nouveaux

This is a great bio of a person who is often thought of as a caricature or a "great man". It's a breath of fresh air, written with logical, objective analysis.
The only thing that could improve the book is better editing, as the chronology, by necessity, jumps around, and the dates don't coordinate. The author is perceptive and economical when writing about the people Napoleon dealt with as he tried to figure out a way to destroy Great Britain. By far the best book on the subject.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Winning an Empire is one thing. Keeping it is another. It's a slog.

Fortunately, this book wasn't a slog, although it's not quite as good as the first volume. Probably because it's the least dramatic part of Napoleon's career (divorce aside). The rise is behind him, the misadventure in Russia and the final fall is ahead, and all around him are victories that don't quite do enough.

A solid biography, although the author seems keener on the military history than the political or personal. And with Bonaparte, the personal is often the political.

[Ben Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

WWW: So in-depth - like 5 facts every sentence so felt you knew every intricacy of his life. Battles were explained in a narrative style that made it feel like an action book at times.
EBI: I’m quite a slow reader so the density of the book meant it took me a while to get through. He assumes you know all the commanders names from the get-go in addition to the geographies for the time which took a bit of getting used to.

[Tom H · Rating 4 out of 5]

QUOTES:

Acknowledgements: “The very last time I saw him [Bill Speck, a late friend of the author], I asked his advice on where this volume should end - with the invasion of Russia in 1812, or with the trauma of divorce and remarriage in 1810. Bill replied, ‘It’s about a life, isn’t it?’ He imparted a wisdom and humanity that reaches far beyond books and papers. Such as it may be, ‘The Spirit of the Age’ is for them, for they remain so much the spirit of my own.”

[Pedro Degiovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume covers the many campaigns Napoleon embarked on since war broke out after Amiens unraveled. Broers, who proved in the first volume to be an insightful biographer and political analyst, has to become a military historian, much to the detriment of the book.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hegel quote sums it up -

I saw the Emperor – this world-soul – riding out of the city on reconnaissance. It is indeed a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrated here at a single point, astride a horse, reaches out over the world and masters it.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most informative book on Napolean that I have read, without being too wordy. Very entertaining. Thank you Goodreads for the early copy.

[Doris Raines · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LIKE THIS BOOK.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent dive into the apex of Napoleonic France, and the man who built it from the fires of the French Revolution

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

👌👌👌

[Milton Soong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed look into Napoleon using many of the recently revealed archival material. Covers the military, Political, and personal aspects.

[Logan Zwerneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Goethe saw in Napoleon a force of nature, a being by turns creative and destructive. For Hegel, he was not just the spirit of the age, but “the spirit who commands history.” How he would command it was yet to be seen.”

I like how Broers emphasizes that the empire was more or less on a house of cards.. but also how that, while clear in hindsight, was very much not the obvious observation at the time (select figures— Talleyrand, Metternich, Alexander come to mind— notwithstanding). Most historians don’t focus on this so much. I continue to appreciate Broers’ emphasis on the politics of the era, since most historians focus on Napoleon’s battlefield dominance (especially during the period in which this book takes place). I wish he gave more insight into who Napoleon was, with personal quotes or things like that, which was a strength of Andrew Roberts’ biography of him. Anyways, great bridge between Napoleon’s rise and fall! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[JM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The notes on this on Goodreads needs to change it's well over 400 pages.
It's also a great follow up to Broers first Volume: Soldier of Destiny.
There are more works written about Napoleon than any person who has lived except Jesus Christ (who you know might not have existed) and this is a fine addition and possibly the best work written on the man.
Broers bibliography on Napoleon is a thing of beauty his works usually focusing on one aspect of Napoleon be it the nature of Italy under Napoleon or examining the Mediterranean in he Napoleonic era.
Spirit of the Age focuses on the five years of 1805-1810 covering the major events of Napoleon's reign including the disastrous implementation of his brothers in Spain and Holland along with his othr family members, the plots employed by Talleyrand and Fouche, his dicorce from Josephine, the battles of Austerlitz, Wagram, Jena, Auerstadt, Eylau, Frieldand and the campaigns and logistical prolems of each battle. It looks into his reforms, his failures, his never ending battle with the Catholic Church and the British continuing to be threatened by the ideals of the revolution and the influence Napoleon had that lead to the forming of seven coalitions funneling billions to save the tradition of the crown particularly the Habsburgs against the threat of Napoleon.
A very important aspect of the book is it focusing on Napoleon's failures, he could never match the political power of Alexander in Russia, refused to learn guerilla tactics to defeat the belligerent in Spain, was difficult as a negotiator and was guilty of bullying those that did not match his expectations. The book includes gorgeous and easy to understand mas of regions along with detailed battle maps and copious notes and the index expands on troop movements and further information to fill in gaps that may be misunderstood. Of particular note is the letters written to and from Napoleon revealing a very emotional man that was eager to share affection and also a familial tyrant.

Broers has written another fantastic book on the most accomplished person in history without lionizing him to the point of deifying him, instead offering a more fair and objective look at the man's success and failures, I hope with the newfound success of Napoleonic works that the longstanding British propaganda against him begins to lessen and he is examined for more than his military prowess.