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Lädt ... Napoleon: The Spirit of the Age: 1805-1810von Michael Broers
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"The second volume of Michael Broers' three volume life of Napoleon, covering the tumultuous years 1805 to 1810, a period which marks the zenith of Napoleon's power and military success. Like volume one, it is based on the new version of Napoleon's correspondence, made available by the Fondation Napoléon in Paris. It is the story of Napoleon's conquest of Europe--and that of his magnificent Grande Armée-- as they sweep through the length and breadth of Europe. Spirit of the Age opens with Napoleon's as yet untested army making its way through the Bavarian Alps in the early winter of 1805, to fall upon the unsuspecting Austrians and Russians, and crushing them at Austerlitz. This was only the beginning of series of spectacular victories: over the Prussians in 1806, and then the Russians, which brought the Tsar to defeat in 1807. It follows the army into Spain, in 1808, most ill-considered step in his career as ruler, and then through the most daunting triumph of all, the final defeat of Austria at Wagram, in 1809, the bloodiest battle in European history up to that time. These five years encompass the dramas of Napoleon's separation from Josephine amid the turmoil of ruling a pan-European empire. These years also saw Napoleon navigate plots against him, his clash with the Pope and excommunication, and his loss of trust in many of those closest to him. It closes with his marriage to Marie-Louise, the daughter of his defeated enemy, the Emperor of Austria. With the greatest "trophy bride" in history on his arm, Napoleon now turns again to face his only remaining enemy, Britain, and the challenge of ruling an empire that now spans the entirety of Europe."--Amazon.com. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)944.05092History and Geography Europe France and region France First empire 1804-1815Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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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. ( )