Michael Broers
Auteur van Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny
Over de Auteur
Michael Broers is a professor of Western European history at Oxford University. He is the author of The Napoleonic Empire in Italy, winner of the Grand Prix Napoleon Prize, and Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny (Pegasus). He lives in Oxford, England.
Fotografie: Lady Margaret Hall Oxford
Werken van Michael Broers
Napoleon's Other War: Bandits, Rebels and Their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions (Peter Lang Ltd.) (French Edition) (2010) 5 exemplaren
Napoleonic imperialism and the Savoyard monarchy, 1773-1821 : state building in Piedmont (1990) 4 exemplaren
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- 1954-07-15
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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. Here 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, Yet his brothers ultimately did not live up to the (often impossible) demands Napoleon placed upon them, and suffered the fore 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 [b:Correspondance générale|40167373|Correspondance générale, Tome 5 1805 – Boulogne, Trafalgar, Austerlitz|Napoléon Bonaparte|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526659858s/40167373.jpg|62309542] 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, [b:Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny|25622039|Napoleon Soldier of Destiny|Michael Broers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435085918s/25622039.jpg|45434201], and a book which further establishes his biography as the best one yet written about Napoleon Bonaparte.… (meer)
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. Here 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, Yet his brothers ultimately did not live up to the (often impossible) demands Napoleon placed upon them, and suffered the fore 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 [b:Correspondance générale|40167373|Correspondance générale, Tome 5 1805 – Boulogne, Trafalgar, Austerlitz|Napoléon Bonaparte|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1526659858s/40167373.jpg|62309542] 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, [b:Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny|25622039|Napoleon Soldier of Destiny|Michael Broers|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1435085918s/25622039.jpg|45434201], and a book which further establishes his biography as the best one yet written about Napoleon Bonaparte.… (meer)
This is the first part of a new two volume biography of Napoleon. Broers draws extensively from both primary and secondary sources.
He starts this biography in Corsica with his family history and the material circumstances surrounding his childhood in Corsica. This is a necessary and important component. Gives a better perspective on the man and his role in the broad Socio-historical processes.
He goes on to chronicle his move to France and the circumstances surrounding it. His role in Robespierre’s reign of terror, where he first got the chance to showcase his military talents at the siege of Toulon. Later he managed to survive the end of Terror and got an important position in the Directory. His first Italian campaign which propelled him to fame (with the help of a lot of shameless self-propaganda, most of which were lies) has also given him a lot of experience in administration and diplomacy. The Egyptian campaign and the coup at the 18th Brumaire which took him to power in the Consulate and eventually to his coronation. This part stops with the events leading to the battle of Austerlitz.
Napoleon was a child of the revolution. Growing up in a Petite bourgeoisie family with little prospects, only the revolution has paved the way for his meteoric rise to power. But he never trusted either the masses or the reactionary royalists. He was obsessed with order, and it was the wealthy middle-class who formed the bedrock of his regime. In his own words there are three major factions in the French society,
“1. there are the friends of the former government; 2. The supporters of an independent if rather aristocratic constitution; 3. The supporters of a French constitution, or of pure democracy. I repress the first, support the second and restrain the third, because the party of the second is that of the rich landowners and priests who, in the final analysis, will win over the mass of the population, and it is essential to rally it around the French cause.”
Napoleon is frequently compared to Hitler and Stalin and understandably so. He was authoritarian and ruthless. He was self-serving and ambitious and never hesitated perpetrating acts of violence whenever necessary. His method of dealing with revolutionary and reactionary uprisings was by destroying whole villages. He gave his army free reign to rape and pillage at their will after a battle. He abandoned his army at Egypt and later sent 50,000 men to a disastrous campaign in Saint-Domingue. His handling of the naval war in 1804-1805 was a disaster and Broers calls it one of his most incompetent and disgraceful acts.
This is a biography that sympathises with Napoleon and casts him in a different light, but is still even-handed. Broers here tries hard to show that Napoleon was not just a blood thirsty dictator and a cynical manipulator. He tries to show how his policies and action are based on his idea of Ralliement and amalgame. He tries to show Napoleon as progressive in both military organisation and civil administration.
This is a wonderful biography that is extensively reasearched and provides a lot of insights and detail regarding the life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
… (meer)
He starts this biography in Corsica with his family history and the material circumstances surrounding his childhood in Corsica. This is a necessary and important component. Gives a better perspective on the man and his role in the broad Socio-historical processes.
He goes on to chronicle his move to France and the circumstances surrounding it. His role in Robespierre’s reign of terror, where he first got the chance to showcase his military talents at the siege of Toulon. Later he managed to survive the end of Terror and got an important position in the Directory. His first Italian campaign which propelled him to fame (with the help of a lot of shameless self-propaganda, most of which were lies) has also given him a lot of experience in administration and diplomacy. The Egyptian campaign and the coup at the 18th Brumaire which took him to power in the Consulate and eventually to his coronation. This part stops with the events leading to the battle of Austerlitz.
Napoleon was a child of the revolution. Growing up in a Petite bourgeoisie family with little prospects, only the revolution has paved the way for his meteoric rise to power. But he never trusted either the masses or the reactionary royalists. He was obsessed with order, and it was the wealthy middle-class who formed the bedrock of his regime. In his own words there are three major factions in the French society,
“1. there are the friends of the former government; 2. The supporters of an independent if rather aristocratic constitution; 3. The supporters of a French constitution, or of pure democracy. I repress the first, support the second and restrain the third, because the party of the second is that of the rich landowners and priests who, in the final analysis, will win over the mass of the population, and it is essential to rally it around the French cause.”
Napoleon is frequently compared to Hitler and Stalin and understandably so. He was authoritarian and ruthless. He was self-serving and ambitious and never hesitated perpetrating acts of violence whenever necessary. His method of dealing with revolutionary and reactionary uprisings was by destroying whole villages. He gave his army free reign to rape and pillage at their will after a battle. He abandoned his army at Egypt and later sent 50,000 men to a disastrous campaign in Saint-Domingue. His handling of the naval war in 1804-1805 was a disaster and Broers calls it one of his most incompetent and disgraceful acts.
This is a biography that sympathises with Napoleon and casts him in a different light, but is still even-handed. Broers here tries hard to show that Napoleon was not just a blood thirsty dictator and a cynical manipulator. He tries to show how his policies and action are based on his idea of Ralliement and amalgame. He tries to show Napoleon as progressive in both military organisation and civil administration.
This is a wonderful biography that is extensively reasearched and provides a lot of insights and detail regarding the life of Napoleon Bonaparte.
… (meer)
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The final category are those which pivot on the political aspects of Napoleon's career. These are perhaps the least common of the three, yet they focus on what is the most important aspect of his life and legacy. This becomes clear in Michael Broers's book, the first of a projected three-volume biography of the emperor. In it he traces Napoleon's life from his early years in Corsica, through his time as an officer in the royalist and revolutionary French army, to his successes as a general and as an political leader. Broers sees Napoleon's time as conqueror and ruler of Italy as key both to his emergence as a prospective leader and to the development of his ideas of government. Though applied bluntly in Egypt, their legacy in Bomaparte's development of the French government during his years as First Consul and as emperor are made clear by the author, who details the manifold achievements which did so much to make modern France.
Not the least of Broers' achievements in this lucid and insightful work is his success in demonstrating how Napoleon's political skills and ability in managing people were at least as important as his military gifts. He succeeds in making the case for appreciating Napoleon as more than a successful general but as a ruler whose accomplishments were due to a multitude of factors. He leaves his readers eager for the continuation of the tale of Napoleon's life, particularly as the limits of his abilities emerged and why ultimately they proved inadequate to the perpetuation of his reign.… (meer)