An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

383. Young Napoleon: The Shadow of the Guillotine (Part 2)

November 02, 2023

Description

Within the turmoil of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte stands out to his military superiors, first by defeating the British at Toulon, then by putting down a royalist mob in Paris when...
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Books Referenced

Napoleon: A Life

Author: Adam Zamoyski

Context:

Referenced as 'Adam Smoysky is very good on this in his book' when discussing Napoleon's Jacobin pamphlet Le Souper de Beaucaire and the political mood of revolutionary France. This refers to Zamoyski's biography of Napoleon.

Napoleon: A Life

Author: Andrew Roberts

Context:

Referenced multiple times throughout the episode. First mentioned as someone 'who love[s] Napoleon,' then cited directly regarding Josephine's possible PTSD ('Andrew Roberts says he thinks she was suffering... post-traumatic stress disorder'), and again when discussing intimate details ('Andrew Roberts discusses, says he doesn't know what it is, which is called the zigzags'). These references are to Roberts' Napoleon biography.

Rights of Man

Author: Thomas Paine

Context:

Mentioned briefly when discussing General O'Hara being imprisoned in Paris: 'he ends up in prison with Thomas Paine. You know, the rights of man by this point has been imprisoned.' The book is referenced to identify who Thomas Paine is.