Napoleon

Napoleon: The Man Behind the Myth is Adam Zamoyski’s full biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, following him from Corsican youth and the French Revolution through military success, political power, empire and final defeat. The book places Napoleon’s rise within the instability of revolutionary Europe and examines how circumstance, ambition and the institutions around him expanded the scale of his authority.

Zamoyski deliberately challenges both heroic and demonising legends, returning to contemporary evidence to examine Napoleon’s personality, decision-making and relationships with allies and enemies. Alexander I and Wellington are among the major historical figures in the wider story. The work is nonfiction biography and political-military history.