This rich profile supplies an overall picture of Napoleon and offers an exhaustive sketch of his life, his character, his political and military accomplishments and his legacy. Napoleon was a son of the French Revolution: the extraordinary parable of his life can be understood only by relating it to the one he both continued and liquidated. After reviewing the revolutionary events which favoured Napoleon's rise, Criscuolo describes the public and private episodes of his life - especially his idea of the family and his attitude towards women - as well as his personality. Particular emphasis is placed on Napoleon as a strategist and as a statesman and on the authoritarian plebeian regime he established. The final section of the volume is dedicated to the effects of the Napoleonic era on contemporary Italy and on the fortune enjoyed by Napoleon in historical, political and literary culture in the two following centuries.

Contents: I. The Legacy of the Revolution - II. The Life. - III. The Man. - IV. The Strategist. - V. The Statesman. - VI. Bonapartism. - VII. Napoleon and Italy. - VIII: The Fortune. - Suggested Readings. - Index of Names.

Vittorio Criscuolo teaches Modern History at the State University of Milan.