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available from Greenhill Books:
THE
DECLINE AND FALL OF NAPOLEONıS EMPIRE
How
the Emperor Self-Destructed
By
Digby Smith
The
first ever detailed study of Napoleonıs many errorsı History Today
Explores errors that Napoleon made which led to his downfall
Analyses the flaws in his character from a new perspective
Written by a soldier and leading Napoleonic scholar
There
has been a torrent of literature produced about Napoleon ever since
his
exile to Saint Helena in 1815. Everything from his battles and his tactics
to his finances and hats has been subjected to repeated microscopic probing and
analysis. Until now, however, there has been no study of the significant errors
that Napoleon made himself which, though apparently trivial at the time, proved
to be major factors in his downfall.
Digby
Smith tracks his rise to power, his stewardship of France from 180415, through
to his exile. He highlights his military mistakes, such as his unwillingness to
appoint an effective overall supremo in the Peninsular, and the invasion of
Russia while the Spanish situation was spiralling out of control. Smith also
scrutinises naval mistakes notably Napoleon's inability
to comprehend the intricacies of naval operations, his impatience with his
admirals, and his failure to invest ships and men. Smith also tracks diplomatic
and political errors, highlighting his inability to conclude lasting peaces and
to compromise.
Smith
finally addresses domestic and economic blunders, such as the establishing
and maintenance of the Continental System across Europe, the imposition of a ban
on direct trade with Russia (which led to France paying higher prices for naval
stores of Russian origin after they passed through the hands of German
middlemen), and the cost of creating various kingdoms and principalities and
deposing incumbent rulers to place his relatives on their thrones.
Digby
Smith is a respected historian of the Napoleonic Wars and the author of a number
of acclaimed books on the period. For Greenhill he has produced Napoleonıs
Regiments, 1813: Leipzig and Charge! Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic
Wars.
240
x 159mm, 256 pages, 16 pages of
plates, ISBN 1085367-609-8, £19.99,
Greenhill
Books, www.greenhillbooks.com.
Claudine
Smith,Greenhill Books, Park House, 1 Russell Gardens, London NW11 9NN
Tel:
++44 (0) 208 458 6314 Fax:
++44 (0) 208 905 5245
claudy@greenhillbooks.com
www.greenhillbooks.com
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