Napoleon III: A Life - Hardcover

Bresler, Fenton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786706600 ISBN 13: 9780786706600

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub, 1999

Synopsis

A biography of the French president turned emperor discusses his empire-building, his role in creating the Italian nation, his many public works projects, and his eventual defeat by the Prussians

About this title

About the Author:

Fenton Bresler (previously published by Heinemann and Sinclair-Stevenson) has written biographies of Georges Simenon and Lord Goddard. He is a trained lawyer and former crime correspondent, best known for his general books on legal topics (a history of Interpol and LAW WITHOUT A LAWYER). He is fluent in French and has, since childhood, nursed a passion for the subject.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A fresh and lively look at the other Napoleon, by London journalist Bresler (Who Killed John Lennon?, 1989, etc.) For all those who know nothing of the Second Empire beyond furniture, Bresler offers a thoroughly enjoyable look at Napoleon's nephew, Louis Napoleon, who became first President and then Emperor of France from 1848 to 1870. Bresler begins by elucidating the facts of Napoleon's birth and pre-birth (Napoleon III's spawning was orchestrated by his Emperor-uncle, who needed a male heir to the throne, but was unable to conceive one at the time, through an arranged marriage between his stepdaughter and his brother), then covers his childhood and exile in England. The account picks up steam upon Napoleon's return to France during the tumultuous 1848 revolutions, when he was championed by the monarchists. He was first elected to the Assembly, then to the Presidency, and crowned Emperor when the Constitution was invalidated. Under his reign, France's economy expanded, Paris was modernizedalthough he also managed to embroil France in a variety of conflicts including the Crimean War, the annexation of Savoy and Nice, and the thoroughly ill-conceived expedition to Mexico. The perverse masterstroke for which he will forever be remembered was his declaration of war on Prussia, which caused his swift downfall when he showed little of his uncle's military prowess. Bresler, through his use of both published and unpublished sources, shows Napoleon III to be a brave and compelling leader, a canny politician, and an unselfish sovereignas one modern critic described him, ``a nineteenth-century De Gaulle, dedicated only to fulfilling his country's greatness.'' A fascinating look at Second Empire France and the little-studied ``petit-Napoleon.'' -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0786706600
• ISBN 13: 9780786706600
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 488