Reviews

In this extraordinary revisionist history, a sequel to Waterloo, British historian Hamilton-Williams offers a startling new perspective on Napoleon Bonaparte's rise and fall. Drawing on untapped archival material, he presents evidence that the British government, determined to eliminate Napoleon, established a secret organization, Chevaliers de la Foi (Knights of the Faith), headed by pliable Charles-Philippe, Count of Artois, heir to the Bourbon throne (and later Charles X of France). Aided by his network of fanatical royalists, Charles orchestrated armed insurrection and several abortive attempts to assassinate Napoleon, all with British approval and financing. Hamilton-Williams also unearths details of how Austrian Prince Metternich and British Foreign Secretary Robert Castlereagh, in concert with French Arch-Chancellor Talleyrand, in 1814 clandestinely plotted Napoleon's downfall, using subversion, paid agitators and financial panic to promote the reactionary Bourbon cause in Paris. The aim was to make France a dependent ally. Among those who betrayed Napoleon was his long-time comrade and friend General Charles Tristan, Count of Montholon, who was Charles X's agent and who, by this account, murdered Napoleon by arsenic poisoning on St. Helena in 1821. Illustrated. (Mar.)

This second volume in a trilogy following Waterloo: New Perspectives (LJ 10/1/94) explores the political and diplomatic intrigues carried out by France's enemies-Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia-while at the same time describing the military campaigns of 1813, 1814, and 1815 and the deceit and treachery of those surrounding Napoleon himself. A dedicated Bonapartist, British historian Hamilton-Williams spares no one in exposing the double and triple crosses perpetrated by such leading figures as Castlereagh, Talleyrand, Davout, and Fouché to bring about the restoration of the Bourbon Louis XVIII and the murder of Napoleon. An in-depth account is given of the "White Terror" that swept France in the aftermath of Waterloo, resulting in the execution of many of the emperor's ex-marshals and generals. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L.