Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
Napoleonic Wars: A Global History
Description
Description
Winner of the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, the first global history of the world's first world war.
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of the tremors that spread throughout the world. In this ambitious and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective. France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses major political-military events around the world and situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control. Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying the foundations of the modern world.
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of the tremors that spread throughout the world. In this ambitious and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective. France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses major political-military events around the world and situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control. Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying the foundations of the modern world.
About the Author
About the Author
Alexander Mikaberidze is Professor of European History at Louisiana State University Shreveport, where he is also Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair for the Curatorship of the James Smith Noel Collection. He is the author of several books, including Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace and The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon's Trial by Fire 1812.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Through his mastery of international bibliography (facilitated by his knowledge of several languages), his expertise in political, diplomatic and military affairs (though we did not expect anything else from the apprentice of Professor Donald D. Horward), the extent of the issues dealt with and problems revisited that go far beyond the simple narration of military conflicts and lead us, without Manichaeism, to the very heart of the issues, through his accessible writing style (clear enough even for a mediocre Anglophone to easily follow his story and reasoning) and, dare I to say it, his profound knowledge of historical events, Professor Mikaberidze confirms that he is one of the great Napoleonic scholars of today. No one will be able to study the Napoleonic episode without having at hand this global history which fills a gap in the English-language historiography." -- Thierry Lentz, Director of the Fondation Napoléon
"Already distinctive thanks to his insights from the Russian perspective, Alexander Mikaberidze in this very important new book provides a valuable global perspective on Napoleon's war-making. This approach provides both an instructive narrative and a perspective from which the impact and legacy of the period can be understood." --Jeremy Black, University of Exeter
"At long last we have the truly global history of the wars of 1789-1815 that we have long needed. This book gives us new perspectives to understand this critical turning point in world history. A must have for all students of the period." --Michael S. Neiberg, U.S. Army War College "Alexander Mikaberidze believes that the twenty-three years of war from 1792 to 1815 - which the British were content to describe as the 'French wars' - cannot be fully understood unless we extend our gaze beyond Europe, to consider colonial ambitions, revolutions and power struggles across the globe. The result is a hugely impressive work of scholarship that slips seamlessly across continents, taking the reader not just to the steppes of Russia but to the Balkans and Iran, Japan and China, the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, the United States, South America and the Caribbean. This is global history at its most exhilarating, a history of the Napoleonic Wars for the twenty-first century." --Alan Forrest, University of York
"Already distinctive thanks to his insights from the Russian perspective, Alexander Mikaberidze in this very important new book provides a valuable global perspective on Napoleon's war-making. This approach provides both an instructive narrative and a perspective from which the impact and legacy of the period can be understood." --Jeremy Black, University of Exeter
"At long last we have the truly global history of the wars of 1789-1815 that we have long needed. This book gives us new perspectives to understand this critical turning point in world history. A must have for all students of the period." --Michael S. Neiberg, U.S. Army War College "Alexander Mikaberidze believes that the twenty-three years of war from 1792 to 1815 - which the British were content to describe as the 'French wars' - cannot be fully understood unless we extend our gaze beyond Europe, to consider colonial ambitions, revolutions and power struggles across the globe. The result is a hugely impressive work of scholarship that slips seamlessly across continents, taking the reader not just to the steppes of Russia but to the Balkans and Iran, Japan and China, the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, the United States, South America and the Caribbean. This is global history at its most exhilarating, a history of the Napoleonic Wars for the twenty-first century." --Alan Forrest, University of York
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Pub date:
2025-10-17
Length:
960 pages
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