\\The award-winning author, whose books have topped the New York Times bestseller list, Churchill and Napoleon, presents a vivid portrait of the team of contenders who propelled history's greatest warrior to victory.\\Napoleon appointed twenty-six men to the position of Marshal of the Empire, a position he created to honor his most important generals. He encouraged competition among them for titles and wealth, but above all, for glory. But instead of forming a team of rivals, as Lincoln famously did, he formed a den of vipers. Andrew Roberts, an accomplished biographer with a gift for portraying flawed heroes in all their verve and illusions, invites us into the lives and relationships of these elite warriors, whose rivalries shaped the fate of Europe.The marshals were the hidden swords behind Napoleon's throne. Their courage enhanced his aura of invincibility. Through their lives, we follow the rise and fall of one of history's most charismatic leaders, who built an empire greater than Caesar's from the ashes of France's first failed attempt at democracy. Napoleon rose to power amid the excitement and chaos of the French Revolution, restoring order after years of violence and unrest. He enacted new laws, supported modern technologies, and invented new methods of governance and education, but his defeat heralded the return of tyranny.Absolute. Was he a genius or a tyrant? From the perspective of his military commanders, the answer may be both. He was found
More than a quarter of its military leaders died in fierce battles. Only two of them remained with him at Waterloo. But many will remember what it was like there, fighting to build a new world. Napoleon and His Military Commanders is an in-depth study of the transformational leadership of a man uniquely gifted at rallying troops, who unfortunately did not trust those whose loyalty he needed to survive.
