Napoleon: Emperor Descending Shadows

In 1802, Napoleon mirrors Hannibal by crossing the Alps to deliver a decisive blow against the combined Austrian and Russian forces at Marengo. This crushing victory paves the way for the Peace of Amiens, bringing a temporary close to the Revolutionary Wars. Celebrated as the harbinger of peace, Napoleon is appointed Consul for life and soon ascends to Emperor, crowned by the Pope in Rome. Yet, the Pact of Armed Neutrality with Prussia, the Baltic States, and the Low Countries stirs unrest on the high seas, nearly erupting into open conflict when Nelson demolishes the Danish fleet at Copenhagen.

England refuses to stand idle as Dutch privateers supply Napoleon with ‘military contraband’ or let foreign navies slip into his hands. This fragile peace finally shatters when British ships clash with French escorts protecting privateers near Brest. Outraged, Spain joins France, and together they challenge Britain’s naval might, culminating in the legendary Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. While Napoleon’s forces sweep across Europe, only one man stands as the symbol of defiance against the Corsican upstart: Admiral Nelson.

Benno Schlicker lives in Adelaide, South Australia. He went to Concordia College Secondary School, and then on to study History at the University of Adelaide, where he completed an honours thesis on the Dutch Revolt, particularly, on the impact of the religious iconoclasm in the towns of the Low Countries and Walloon Flanders, 1555–1566. The knowledge of which has, to some degree, shaped the cultural and economic background of this series on Napoleon, set a few centuries later.