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Andrew Roberts (1) (1963–)

Author of Napoleon: A Life

For other authors named Andrew Roberts, see the disambiguation page.

39+ Works 6,238 Members 103 Reviews 7 Favorited

About the Author

Andrew Roberts was born on January 13, 1963 in Hammersmith, England. He studied at Gonville and Caius College and earned his B.A. degree in Modern History in 1985. He began his post-graduate career in corporate finance as an investment banker and private company director with the London merchant show more bank Robert Fleming & Co. He published his first historical book in 1991. He went on to become a public commentator appearing in several periodicals such as The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. Roberts himself is best known for his 2009 non-fiction work The Storm of War A look at the Second World War covering historical factors such as Hitler's rise to power and the organisation of Nazi Germany, the book received the British Army Military Book of the Year Award for 2010. In 2018 his work, Churchill: Walking with Destiny, made the Bestseller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Series

Works by Andrew Roberts

Napoleon: A Life (2014) 1,365 copies
Salisbury: Victorian Titan (1999) 129 copies
Eminent Churchillians (1994) 106 copies
The Aachen Memorandum (1995) 55 copies
Letters to Vicky (1964) — Editor — 49 copies
The House of Windsor (2000) 42 copies
Night and Day (2004) 1 copy

Associated Works

What If? 2: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (2001) — Contributor — 1,024 copies
Story of a Secret State (1944) — Afterword, some editions — 404 copies
The Eagle's Last Triumph: Napoleon's Victory at Ligny, June 1815 (1994) — Foreword, some editions — 51 copies
Why Britain Is At War (1939) — Introduction, some editions — 37 copies
Postcards from the Russian Revolution (2008) — Introduction — 23 copies
The Secret History of PWE: The Political Warfare Executive 1939-1945 (2002) — Introduction, some editions — 21 copies
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Autumn 2005 (2005) — Author "Bravery Wasn't Enough" — 7 copies
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Winter 2010 (2009) — Author "Ask MHQ" — 6 copies

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Reviews

I came to this big book, Napoleon: a life by Andrew Roberts, with purpose, after reading Balzac’s The Black Sheep, a book which (for me) prompted the question: How and why did the French allow an Emperor to be installed so soon after a people’s Revolution? Not only did this book answer my question but it also opened doors to so much that is fascinating about power and opportunity.

A very brief answer to my question (by page 240) is: Right time and place, and good luck. Napoleon was a wide reader. His Corsican/Italian/noble heritage served to provide him with a scholarship to a French military school but at the same time distance him from the distractions of the French boys who were his fellow students. Having specialised in artillery, he soon proved himself an able strategist and a brave and meticulous commander. Although only in his 20s, he rose rapidly, not just through ability but because many of the higher ranks had either left France or been weeded out in the Revolution because they came from the ruling class. His foreign military adventures kept him from the political intrigues in Paris that characterised the post-revolutionary Governments. At the outset, he was an able propagandist. As head of the army in Italy, his artfully constructed reports ensured that his victories captured the public imagination and the massive financial ‘contributions’ and cultural treasures sent back to France not only kept the post-revolutionary economy afloat, but conferred some immunity from criticism. These spoils of victory also ensured that the lot of both the common soldier and the common citizen was vastly improved under his leadership. He took care to foster an esprit de corps that not only gained him military successes but also loyalty. After returning from Egypt (not so successful) much of the Government had descended into corrupt incompetence. He was perceived by the people as a capable hero returning to save France. He then took the opportunity to fill a leadership vacuum during a bloodless political coup, where he conducted his own coup within a coup and become First Consul supported by a new Constitution that centralised power and sanctioned absolute control. Two years into his ten-year term, a motion by the Senate to increase his term by another ten years turned into being First Consul for life. This was overwhelmingly endorsed by the people in a plebiscite as was the notion, two years later that he should be crowned Emperor.

For most of his life Napoleon was both a skilled and extremely competent leader who surrounded himself with men of talent. He was a tireless and tenacious administrator. He was never afraid to ask questions that would reveal his ignorance and was known for his clarity, precision and ability to co-ordinate widely dispersed facts and opinions. His refrains when chairing meetings were, is this fair? and, is this useful? His civil achievements were the product of the rationalising universalism of the Enlightenment.
Essentially a compromise between Roman and common law, the Code Napoleon consisted of a reasoned and harmonious body of laws that were to be the same across all territories administered by France, for the first time since the Emperor Justinian. (p. 276)

It’s remarkable that cartoons by greats such as James Gillray, that portrayed him as short (he was of average height) have endured to shape public perceptions of him to this day. Reports from those that worked closely with him, such as valets and servants, consistently praise his calm benevolence as an employer who was considerate and forgave errors in such a way as to inspire life-long loyalty to the extent that many of them wanted to follow him into exile.

More than half the book is about major battles: Marengo, Austerlitz, Eylau, Friedland, Wagram Borodino, Dresden, Leipzig and Waterloo. Here the book falls short. He does his best but it seems beyond Andrew Roberts’ capacity to bring the battles alive. Instead, all the shifts in troops, artillery and fortunes become too hastily drawn and convoluted to properly comprehend. I really wanted to feel present at these battles and understand how they could turn on trifles.

Napoleon’s decline is heart-wrenching. It’s a tribute to Roberts that I should feel so. This is a wonderful biography of an amazing man with a grand vision. Life is always short. Napoleon enlarges what we might think is possible.
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simonpockley | 36 other reviews | Feb 25, 2024 |
Exhaustingly detailed and boring for the non-military reader!
½
 
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yukon92 | 36 other reviews | Jan 3, 2024 |
I've read almost nothing about military strategy. This book made it relevant, translating recent historical perspective into something usable for informing how we think about the current conflicts. There are also important leadership lessons applicable to other realms. Most notably, great leaders get the big ideas right and then reinforce them throughout the network. They also adapt quickly, using all available resources.
 
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jpsnow | Dec 19, 2023 |
I’ve had a passing interest in Napoleon since I was a young man, but only in the last handful of years has that interest developed into something more like an enthusiasm for learning about this charismatic leader, the French Revolution, and the various Napoleonic Wars.

Napoleon Bonaparte lived an adventure filled and full life, even having died young at age 52. He was at once a brilliant tactician (having only lost 7 out of the 60 battles he was in), a superb statesman (introducing legislation and policies that would shape France for generations to come), and occasionally a monster.

This book dives deep into his early years on Corsica, and tracks his meteoric rise through the ranks from a young Lieutenant to the Emperor of the Republic of France. It does a good job of providing a birds eye view of the major battles, and perhaps most importantly paints a vivid picture of the man - his habits, his likes and dislikes, and his demeanour. It talks about the card games he liked to play, the way he drank his coffee, his morning habits, and how long he slept. All of this helps paint a picture of the man.

I could easily read this again and probably absorb just as much as I did the first time around, and I just might. Terrific book.
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nakedspine | 36 other reviews | Nov 16, 2023 |

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Simon Heffer Contributor
Adam Zamoyski Contributor
David Frum Contributor
Anne Somerset Contributor
Amanda Foreman Contributor
Niccolò Capponi Contributor
Robert Hardy Contributor
Anne Curry Contributor
Justin Pollard Contributor
Francis Robinson Contributor
Jonathan Phillips Contributor
Justin Marozzi Contributor
John Haywood Contributor
Stephen Turnbull Contributor
Jonathan Sumption Contributor
Efraim Karsh Contributor
John Gillingham Contributor
Lucy Riall Contributor
Alan Palmer Contributor
Malcolm Deas Contributor
Richard J Sommers Contributor
Charles Spencer Contributor
Philip Dwyer Contributor
John A. Barnes Contributor
Robert Harvey Contributor
Andrew Uffindell Contributor
John Childs Contributor
Saul David Contributor
Giles MacDonogh Contributor
Stephen Brumwell Contributor
Joseph-Marie Vien Cover artist
Brianna Harden Cover designer
Antoine Capet Translator

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