Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empire: 1811-1821

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An accomplished Oxford scholar delivers a dynamic new history covering the last chapter of the emperor's lifefrom his defeat in Russia and the drama of Waterloo to his final exileas the world Napoleon has created begins to crumble around him.

In 1811, Napoleon stood at his zenith. He had defeated all his continental rivals, come to an entente withRussia, and his blockadeof Britain seemed, at long last, to be a success. The emperor had an heir on the waywith his new wife, Marie-Louise, the young daughter of the Emperor of Austria. His personal life, too, wascalm and secure for the first time in many years. It was a momentof unprecedented peace and hope, built onthe foundations of emphatic military victories.

But in less than two years, all of this was in peril. In four years, it was gone, swept away by the tides of waragainst the mostpowerful alliance in European history. The rest of his life was passed on a barren island. Thisis not a story any novelist could create; it is reality as epic.

Napoleon: The Decline and Fall of an Empiretraces this story through the dramatic narrative of the years1811-1821and explores the ever-bloodier conflicts, the disintegration and reforging of the bonds among theBonaparte family, and the serpentine diplomacy that shaped the fate of Europe. At the heart of the story isNapoleons own sense of history, the tensions in hisown character, and the shared vision of a family dynasty torule Europe.

Drawing on the remarkable resource of the new edition of Napoleons personal correspondence produced by theFondation Napoleonin Paris, Michael Broers dynamic new history follows Napoleons thoughts and feelings,his hopes and ambitions, as he fought to preserve the world he had created. Much of this turns onhisrelationship with Tsar Alexander of Russia, in so many respects hisalter ego, and eventual nemesis. Hisinability to understand this complex man, the only person with the power to destroy him, iskey to tracingthe roots of his disastrous decision to invade Russiaand his inability to face diplomatic and military realitythereafter.

Even his defeat in Russia was not the end. The last years of the Napoleonic Empire reveal its innate strength,but it now facedhopeless odds. The last phase of the Napoleonic Wars saw the convergence of the mostpowerful of forces in European history to date: Russian manpower and British money. The sheer determinationof Tsar Alexander and the British to bring Napoleon down is a storyof compromise and sacrifice. The horrorsand heroism of war are omnipresent in these years, from Lisbon to Moscow, in the life of the common solider.The core ofthis new book revealshow these men pushed Napoleon back from Moscow to St. Helena.

Among this generation, there was no more remarkable persona than Napoleon. His defeat forged his mythaswell as his living tomb on St. Helena. The audaciousenterprise of the 100 Days, reaching its crescendo at theBattle of Waterloo, marked the spectacular end of an unprecedented public life. From the ruins of a lifeandan empirecame a new continent and a legend that haunts Europe still.

Reviews

Praise forNapoleon:
"Broers is doubly gifted as a storyteller, master of the telling detail as well as of the larger currents sweeping across that part of the world that both helped and hindered Napoleon. It is in this volume, of course, that Napoleons world falls apart and sees him exiled to St. Helena. It is a measure of the authors skill that the reader feels a twinge of regret for the delusional despot and his last days on a barren rock." * Air Mail *
'Extraordinary times produced an extraordinary man,' Michael Broers writes in the third and final volume of his extraordinary biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. Mr. Broerss trilogy is well-planned and skillfully executed. Like its subjects character, the story it tells is both engrossing and appalling." -- Dominic Green * Wall Street Journal *
"A masterful and unfailingly insightful examination of Napoleons final years" * Library Journal, starred review *
"Broers continues his run of satisfying books on Napoleon...An outstanding addition to the groaning bookshelves on one of the worlds most recognizable leaders." * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *
Praise for Michael BroerssNapoleon: The Spirit of the Age:
The great strength of Broerss book arises from its detail, empathy, and even-handedness. He presents his information clearly and sometimes even lyrically. This is a serious work, the product of reflection as well as research befitting a distinguished professor of Western European History at Oxford. -- Michael Dirda * The Washington Post *
"The finest biography of Napoleon ever written. A wonderful amalgam of deep knowledge, elegant prose and compelling argument. * The Daily Telegraph *
"The scholarship is impressive, the narrative has the pace and panache appropriate to the subject, and there is much that is new, particularly when Broers probes behind the glitzy faade of Bonaparte's empire. * The Times(London) *
"What one wants of a biography on this scale is the scholarship without the show, and that is just what Broers delivers. Empathy never gets the better of his critical detachment. This is a biography to trust." * The Spectator *

Author Bio

Michael Broersis a Professor of Western European History at Oxford University. He is the author ofThe NapoleonicEmpire in Italy,winner of the Grand Prix Napoleon Prize, andNapoleon: Soldier of DestinyandNapoleon: The Spiritof the Age,both available from Pegasus Books. He lives in Oxford, England.