Napoleon’s marshals were among the most formidable soldiers of the
Napoleonic Wars, rising from backgrounds ranging from the working classes to the old aristocracy to become the senior military figures of the French Empire. But behind the battlefield victories lay a complicated world of rivalries, ambition, wealth, infidelity and fierce competition for Napoleon’s favour.
In this episode of the Aspects of History podcast, Andrew Roberts joins Phil Craig to discuss his new book, Napoleon and his Marshals. They explore Napoleon’s relationship with his commanders, his extraordinary micromanagement, the rivalries that increasingly undermined the Grande Armée, and the ways in which his marshals’ ambitions and personal loyalties shaped the course of the wars.
Andrew also considers the marshals’ roles in the collapse of Napoleon’s
empire, from the disasters of Spain and Russia to Waterloo and the Hundred
Days. He also gives his verdict in the ultimate Napoleonic pub quiz –
identifying the bravest, maddest, cleverest, luckiest and least pleasant of
Napoleon’s commanders – and reflects on whether his own view of Napoleon has changed after a lifetime spent studying him.
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Napoleon and his Marshals: Victory, Rivalry, Betrayal
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