This second volume chronicles the latter part of Bonaparte's life, from his military triumph at Austerlitz in 1805 to his death on Saint Helena sixteen years later. It describes the aftermath of Napoleon's most famous victory, and his attempts to enforce a trade blockade with England that laid the foundation for his demise. The embargo brought him difficulties with Spain, Portugal and the Papacy, but most crucially with Alexander I. In 1812, Napoleon assembled his "grand armee" of 450,000 strong and invaded Russia.
The concluding volume of Robert Asprey's Napoleon biography continues the high standards established by the first, offering a rich, reasoned and accessible portrait of one of the truly great leaders of modern times.