Jonathan North

I'm Jonathan North (see more about me at http://www.jpnorth.co.uk). I was drawn early on to the period which followed the French Revolution and to the era of Napoleon, roughly 1789 to 1815. It was a time of tremendous upheaval in which the world seemed to advance at great speed, sometimes in a measured and rational way (the Code Napoleon), sometimes lurching and stumbling (the anarchy and the long wars). The period is also one of enormous historical significance, with the countries of Europe shaped and reshaped, political systems destroyed and refashioned, and the world, effectively, turned upside down and shaken.

Great historical figures dominated, with Napoleon, Nelson, Metternich and Beethoven, and others whose lives and actions remain significant, shaping the age. But, if I am honest, for me the lives of ordinary people was always more compelling, the way in which grand events sweep people up or simply pass them by. The accounts by soldiers and sailors, and of civilians caught up in some of the drama, are particularly revealing. My work has mainly looked at those accounts, and sought to bring them to a wider audience.

I've been a student of the Napoleonic age for many years but started publishing 15 years ago. You can see some of my books on these pages, or visit my website (http://www.jpnorth.co.uk/publications/) for more detail and for an insight into what I'm working on now. Thanks for reading.