1. French Revolution
The French Revolution traces the collapse of Bourbon monarchy and the rapid transformation of French politics after 1789. It explains the fiscal crisis, social inequality and political expectations that produced the Estates-General, the fall of the Bastille and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and…
2. Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette follows the Austrian archduchess who married the future Louis XVI and became queen of France. It traces her arrival at Versailles, the pressures surrounding the royal marriage, court faction and the hostile public image created by accusations of extravagance and foreign influence. The biography…
3. Napoleon
Napoleon traces the Corsican artillery officer whose military and political career transformed revolutionary France into a European empire. It follows his rise through the Italian and Egyptian campaigns, seizure of power in 1799 and consolidation of authority as first consul and emperor. The biography examines the…
4. Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars surveys the conflict between France and successive European coalitions from the revolutionary aftermath to Waterloo. It follows campaigns in central Europe, Italy, Iberia and Russia, together with the naval struggle that culminated at Trafalgar. The book explains Napoleon’s operational successes, the mobilisation of…