Napoleon Bonaparte: a man of intense emotion, iron self-discipline, acute intelligence and immeasurable energy. Michael Broers brings this remarkable man to life, from his dangerous Corsican roots to the epic battles of Austerlitz, Jena and Friedland. Here is the incredible story of how one man's sheer determination, ruthlessness and careful calculation drove France to conquer Europe.

This is the first volume of a revelatory new biography of the great ruler told with energy, style and brand new research. Here is the first life in which Napoleon speaks in his own uncensored voice - but not always as he wanted the world to hear him.

Michael Broers is Professor of Western European History at Oxford University. He is the author of, among other books about revolutionary and Napoleonic Europe, The Napoleonic Empire in Italy, 1796-1814, winner of the Grand Prix Napoléon prize, 2006, and of Napoleon's Other War: Bandits, Rebels and their Pursuers in the Age of Revolutions