The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte by Robert Asprey

Depending on your train of thought history is either predetermined or shaped by great figures…or a mixture of the two. In the annals of human endeavor, great figures make regular appearances in every historical era. From these powerful personalities, there is an elite group that towers above the rest in every way. Their energy, intelligence, drive and ambition are just worlds away from the rest of us. At The Wargamer, it’s no doubt that many of us are drawn to study personalities like this, obviously in military history but also in cultural and social history. It is a very, very rare personality who makes his mark in all three of these areas. But Napoleon Bonaparte certainly did so, and Robert Asprey’s The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte grabs the reader immediately, giving insight as to how Napoleon became the gigantic, almost mythical figure we have all grown to know.

Asprey himself was a decorated U.S. Marine Corps Captain and a veteran of both World War II and the Korean War. Passing away in 2009, his own personal military career was impressive. A little more on it can be found here. That being said, it is easy to connect the dots and surmise that The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte is a look at Napoleon through a military lens. In additional there are several chapters devoted to Bonaparte’s personality, his early childhood, the effect of the French Revolution on him and vice versa, Josephine, and his cultural influences and contributions to French law and society up to 1805.

The most enjoyable parts of the book, and there are many, are the chapters on Napoleon’s military campaigns. The balance is perfect, and I enjoyed every chapter, even ones that I didn’t expect to. The chapter on the Battle of Toulon is the first in-depth look at Napoleon’s development as an officer out of school. The Italian Campaign takes up multiple chapters, covering the Battles of Rivoli (first and second) and Arcola, as well as chapters on the diplomacy that wrapped up Napoleon’s defeat of the Austrians in Italy with the Treaty of Campo Formio as well as Napoleon’s first flirtation with establishing his own dynasty while resting at the palace of Montebello.

From Italy the reader is taken to Egypt over the course of four excellently written chapters which sped by like an adventure novel…Asprey’s writing in these chapters was light and fluid and draws the reader into the hot desert sands of the Middle East like few other books I have read. These are truly excellent chapters, simultaneously showing the reader Napoleon’s evolution from military officer to First Consul of France to the early trappings of imperial desire beginning to show. These were easily my favorite chapters as they clearly showed Napoleon’s transformation as well as the world’s. All of these changes are expertly described by Asprey and the book really ignited my imagination.

Once Egypt is subdued the book is concerned with Napoleon’s obsession with uniting Europe against the British and his dream of invading Great Britain, which is also in-depth and quite fascinating, replete with behind the scenes diplomacy, skullduggery and an assassination attempt (or two) thrown in. Historical works just don’t get much better than this and Asprey does an excellent job of keeping all of the moving parts clear to the reader.

The last three chapters are devoted to the Battles of Ulm, Trafalgar and Austerlitz respectively and while The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte may end a bit abruptly, it is an exciting and fast paced title the entire way through. Asprey’s writing is clear and no-nonsense and he clearly admires his subject while not being shy with criticisms either. My only real criticism of this title is that there is a smattering of grammatical and spelling mistakes throughout. Not enough to truly ruin it at all, but they are noticeable.

I haven’t done much reading on Napoleon since I read The Age of Napoleon by J. Christopher Herold, part of the American Heritage Library, 25 years ago. I loved that book back then but Asprey’s The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte does an exemplary job. It is a fantastic introduction for readers who do not have a lot of Napoleonic experience under their belts and deep enough for grognards to sink their teeth into. Asprey’s depiction of Napoleon as a one man dynamo out to change Europe forever is a story that is just too good to resist. I am slightly ashamed it’s taken me this long to get to reading it (it was released 11 years ago) and I am saddened that I am finished, but there is always Asprey’s The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte (1805-1815) to look forward too!

Book review by: Lloyd Sabin, Staff Writer