Napoleon

Corsica's struggle against French rule opens Emil Ludwig's account of Napoleon. His mother, Letizia, follows her husband through a mountain campaign before the birth of their second son. From these family beginnings, the biography follows Napoleon through military advancement and political power. A chronological table supplies dates for the campaigns, marriages and changes of government that frame his life, while the narrative gives individual scenes and exchanges room to unfold.

Family relationships become inseparable from the demands of empire. Louis abandons the Dutch throne after finding his brother's orders impossible to reconcile with his obligations to the Dutch people. Napoleon's response combines anger with concern, revealing a personal strain within the exercise of authority. Letters, arguments and judgments bring these tensions into view. Readers interested in the connection between character and political ambition will find a biography that moves between public affairs and the household of an emperor.