Napoleon and wellington biography of donald

Description

A dual biography of the greatest opposing generals of their age who ultimately became fixated on one another, by a bestselling historian. 'Thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and meticulously researched' Observer On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards historians have accused him of gross overconfidence, and massively underestimating the calibre of the British commander opposed to him. Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age. Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington - - fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsula War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere 'sepoy general'. In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques. Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, Napoleon left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate Wellington. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the Emperor's mistresses.

A dual biography of the greatest opposing generals of their age who ultimately became fixated on one another, by a bestselling historian.
'Thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written and meticulously researched' Observer

On the morning of the battle of Waterloo, the Emperor Napoleon declared that the Duke of Wellington was a bad general, the British were bad soldiers and that France could not fail to win an easy victory. Forever afterwards historians have accused him of gross overconfidence, and massively underestimating the calibre of the British commander opposed to him.

Andrew Roberts presents an original, highly revisionist view of the relationship between the two greatest captains of their age. Napoleon, who was born in the same year as Wellington - - fought Wellington by proxy years earlier in the Peninsula War, praising his ruthlessness in private while publicly deriding him as a mere 'sepoy general'.

In contrast, Wellington publicly lauded Napoleon, saying that his presence on a battlefield was worth forty thousand men, but privately wrote long memoranda lambasting Napoleon's campaigning techniques. Although Wellington saved Napoleon from execution after Waterloo, Napoleon left money in his will to the man who had tried to assassinate Wellington. Wellington in turn amassed a series of Napoleonic trophies of his great victory, even sleeping with two of the Emperor's mistresses.

The Peninsula

In , Wellesley was made lieutenant-general and sent to Portugal, where he defeated the French at Roliça and Vimeiro. During the latter engagement, he checked the French columns with the reverse slope defence, a tactic that became his trademark.

Following the controversial Convention of Cintra (), he was recalled to Britain to face a court of enquiry. He was cleared of any wrongdoing and returned to the Peninsula, where he secured Oporto and drove the French from Portugal.

He pursued the enemy into Spain, winning a narrow victory at Talavera (), for which he was raised to the peerage. But, following the arrival of French reinforcements, he fell back into Portugal.

In , the newly styled Viscount Wellington slowed the French advance at Buçaco, before halting them at the Lines of Torres Vedras. The French withdrew to Spain in March

Wellington then moved on Almeida. He defeated the French at Fuentes de Onoro in May. In January , he took Ciudad Rodrigo - for which he received an earldom - and assaulted Badajoz in April.

On 22 July , he won a great victory at Salamanca​​​​. This battle proved Wellington had the ability to manoeuvre and attack in the open field, and established his reputation as an offensive general. However, his subsequent failure to take Burgos (September-October ) forced the British to retreat once more to Portugal.