Andrew Roberts (1) (1963–)
Author of Napoleon: A Life
For other authors named Andrew Roberts, see the disambiguation page.
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
Image credit: By Slowking4 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/73455099@N07/48656260713/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83848296
Series
Works by Andrew Roberts
Masters and Commanders : The Military Geniuses Who Led the West to Victory in World War II (2008) 440 copies
Napoleon and Wellington: The Battle of Waterloo and the Great Commanders Who Fought It (2001) 358 copies
What Might Have Been : Leading Historians on Twelve 'What Ifs' of History (2004) — Editor — 184 copies
The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Ancient and Medieval World, 1500 BC–AD 1600 (2008) 80 copies
Letters from the Front: From the First World War to the Present Day (General Military) (2014) 19 copies
The Art of War: Modern Warfare 4 copies
Legendarische veldheren I 1 copy
ZeitungsZeugen 26 1 copy
Associated Works
What Ifs? of American History : Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been (2003) — Contributor — 501 copies
The Eagle's Last Triumph: Napoleon's Victory at Ligny, June 1815 (1994) — Foreword, some editions — 51 copies
The Secret History of PWE: The Political Warfare Executive 1939-1945 (2002) — Introduction, some editions — 21 copies
Postcards from Utopia: The Art of Political Propaganda (Bodleian Library - Postcards From) (2009) — Introduction — 12 copies
MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History — Autumn 2005 (2005) — Author "Bravery Wasn't Enough" — 7 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Roberts, Andrew
- Birthdate
- 1963-01-13
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
- Education
- Cambridge University (Gonville & Caius)
Cranleigh School - Occupations
- historian
journalist
investment banker - Relationships
- Gilchrist, Susan (second wife)
Roberts, Simon (father)
Roberts, Katie (mother)
Roberts, Henry (son)
Roberts, Cassia (daughter) - Organizations
- Church of England
Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Literature - Awards and honors
- Fellow, Royal Society of Literature
Fellow, Royal Society of Arts - Short biography
- Andrew Roberts, F.R.S.A., F.R.S.L. (born 13 January 1963), is a British historian and journalist.
Members
Reviews
Lists
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 39
- Also by
- 10
- Members
- 6,238
- Popularity
- #3,931
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 103
- ISBNs
- 235
- Languages
- 18
- Favorited
- 7
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.
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.… (more)