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Napoleon

Facts and Fictions

Napoleon cover

Napoleon

Facts and Fictions

Quantity
Pre-order. Available 10 Dec 2026
£39.60 RRP £49.50 Website price saving £9.90 (20%)

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Description

Discover the man behind the myths of Napoleon Bonaparte as this book debunks popular fictions, such as Napoleon being very short or shooting the nose off the sphinx, and gives readers the true history behind the French emperor.

Along with fame and renown throughout history, Napoleon's conquests also earned him plenty of rumors and legends-his being poisoned by his British guards, various fictions about why he lost the battle at Waterloo, a faultless devotion to his wife Josephine. This book unveils the truth behind these stories, providing readers with an accurate history of not only Napoleon as an individual, but also his reign over an empire at a watershed period in the transition from the early-modern to the modern world.

An addition to the Historical Facts and Fictions series, the book is divided into ten chapters, each chapter offering a popular fiction about Napoleon, explaining how the story was popularized and what really happened, all supported through primary documentation. The volume boasts quick and easy-to-find information, which allows readers an overview of Napoleon and his context, then gives sources for further reading and understanding.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Illustrations
Introduction

Myth 1. Napoleon Was Very Short
Myth 2. Napoleon Shot Cannons at the Pyramids and Blew the Nose Off the Sphinx
Myth 3. Napoleon Was a Warmonger Driven by Personal Ambition to Conquer All of Europe
Myth 4. Napoleon Defended the Liberal Aims of the Revolution: Liberty and Freedom of the
Press
Myth 5. Napoleon Destroyed the Liberal Aims of the Revolution: Restoration of Catholicism
Myth 6. Napoleon Was A Devoted Husband to Josephine Despite Her Infidelities
Myth 7. Pillage Is Incompatible with French Manners
Myth 8. Napoleon's 1812 Russian Campaign Failed Because of the Burning of Moscow and the
Freezing Temperatures
Myth 9. The British Defeated Napoleon at Waterloo
Myth 10. Napoleon Was Murdered! He Is Not in the Invalides Tomb! …Or at Least Not All of Him!”

Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 10 Dec 2026
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Pages 288
ISBN 9798765129968
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 12 bw illus
Series Historical Facts and Fictions
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

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