Napoleon's Marshals

Few military careers have rivalled the drama of the twenty-six senior officers who became the Napoleonic Marshalate. Collectively they conquered and ruled most of Europe, and the battles they fought on behalf of Napoleon have since become legendary.

And yet they were each unique men, with very different lives. Some were cultivated gentlemen from the ranks of high society; others the very reverse. Two would become kings and several received princedoms. Almost all received vast grants of land and sums of money from the Emperor. On the other hand, three would die from wounds received in action; five more would meet violent deaths, and all, without exception, suffered the strains of seemingly perpetual warfare, often involving periods of disgrace and, after Waterloo, persecution.

In this book an outstanding team of scholarly contributors, brought together by David Chandler, describes the lives of each of these key French military commanders. Every chapter is illustrated by one battle or campaign that featured significantly, for better or worse, in the career of each marshal. The end result is a unique book, providing an insight into the minds and careers of the men who won, and lost, Napoleon's empire.