Army of the Kingdom of Italy 1805-1814: Uniforms, Organization, Campaigns (Revised Edition)

As well as being Emperor of the French it is often forgotten, or simply overlooked, that Napoleon was also King of Italy - a state that essentially comprised all Italy North of the Kingdom of Naples. The Army of the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside that of France in all of the major campaigns of the Grande Armée as well as contributing troops to the French Army in Spain. This is the first full-length English language study of the uniforms, organization, personnel and campaigns of that army. The army of the Kingdom was, perhaps not surprisingly, amongst France's most reliable allies but it is usually simply confused with what the French termed the Armée d'Italie - a different, if related, army. The author explains why these two are not synonymous and should not be confused. The book covers not just the regulation uniforms, although unusually the regulations were somewhat sparse, but also the numerous variations recorded in contemporary documents and plates. The uniforms of the Tête de Colonne were never regulated properly and could change from issue to issue and year to year and the author has tried to cover all of these known changes. This revised and expanded edition is in color throughout and includes an additional 35 previously unpublished artworks. AUTHOR: The Author was introduced to the glory of Napoleonic uniforms when he was given the first Funcken First Empire volume for Christmas in 1968. That initial introduction was amplified when he discovered the Willie Figures of Ted Suren. This early interest has never faded, and he has been particularly fascinated by the French, Italian, and Austrian armies of the era ever since. Over the years he has written numerous articles on the subject in Empires, Eagles and Lions, Napoleon, and First Empire magazines as well as various wargame magazines. He continues to collect items of Napoleonic ephemera to clutter the house in London where he lives with his partner Mary as guests of the cats who allow them to share it. This is his third book for Helion and his second Napoleonic title after the companion Swiss in the Service of France 1798-1815: Uniforms, Organization, Campaigns. 2 b/w illustrations, 102 colour illustrations, 6 colour photos, 1 map, 4 tables