Napoleon was the colossus of his age. He rose to become one of Revolutionary France's most successful generals, before being crowned Emperor in December 1804. Over the next eight years he fought a series of campaigns, defeating all his continental rivals, though his inability to take command of the sea prevented him from beating Britain. This authoritative book tells the story of the Napoleonic Wars, beautifully illustrated throughout with paintings and documents which have been specially researched from museum collections around the world.

Author Biography

Professor Richard Holmes was the author of a string of bestsellers, most recently Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front . He is author of the international bestseller The D-Day Experience (over 200,000 copies sold) and wrote the top 10 bestsellers Wellington: The Iron Duke and Red Coat. Richard was General Editor of the Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented seven documentary series for the BBC, beginning with "War Walks" and including the recent "In the Footsteps of Churchill".