Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803-1815

No military figure in history has been quite as polarizing as Napoleon Bonaparte. Was he a monster, driven by an endless, ruinous quest for military glory? Or a social and political visionary brought down by petty, reactionary kings of Europe? In this definitive account, historian Charles Esdaile argues that the chief motivating factor for Napoleon was his insatiable desire for fame. More than a myth-busting portrait, however, Esdaile offers a panoramic view of the armed conflicts that spread so quickly out of revolutionary France to countries as remote as Sweden and Egypt. To establish why the countries of Europe fought one another for so long and with such devastating results, Esdaile portrays the battles as the consequence of rulers who were willing to take the immense risks of either fighting or supporting Napoleon--risks that resulted in the extinction of entire countries.--From publisher description.