As with so much of what represented Napoleonic France, the Imperial Guard could trace its existence and spirit back to the Roman Empire of old. Where the Grand Army could look back to affiliate itself with the Legions, the Imperial Guard was nothing less than the Emperor's Praetorians-the elite-the best of the best. Its men coveted their position to the degree that they would often refuse promotion if it meant a transfer to a line regiment. Never squandered, when the Guard advanced it meant the battle was near to its end and victory once more a step away. Their steady presence would put...

An Emperor and the men who made his empire
Headley's monumental work on the men who fought for, won, held and lost Napoleon's Empire originally appeared in two substantial volumes. Both are included in this one volume Leonaur edition in their entirety. Twenty two marshals of the First Empire are vividly described with biographies of their lives and careers together with more detailed vignettes of their outstanding campaigns, battles or particular engagements. Within the pages of this book the reader will discover the actions of the great men of Revolutionary France including Berthier,...

An Emperor and the men who made his empire
Headley's monumental work on the men who fought for, won, held and lost Napoleon's Empire originally appeared in two substantial volumes. Both are included in this one volume Leonaur edition in their entirety. Twenty two marshals of the First Empire are vividly described with biographies of their lives and careers together with more detailed vignettes of their outstanding campaigns, battles or particular engagements. Within the pages of this book the reader will discover the actions of the great men of Revolutionary France including Berthier,...