Napoleon's Guard

Napoleon’s Guard



This series of interactive ebooks uses hyperlinks, video, animation, and photographs to introduce the reader to the topic of Napoleonic soldiery. The first volume deals with Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, the Emperor’s most cherished troops.



In the 18th and 19th centuries, one could not be royal without one’s royal guard. The Bourbon kings of France had their Maison du Roi. As a general, Napoleon had his regiment of Guides, a must for a general’s security and prestige. When he became First Consul, then Emperor, he naturally set up his Imperial Guard (La Garde Impériale).



The Imperial Guard grew out of the Consular Guard, which grew out of the Guard of the Executive Directory, which was preceded by the Guard of the Convention.



The Guard of the Convention was created by the Committee of Public Safety in 1792 to protect the National Convention from the Paris mob, which tended to show up and make demands with clubs, pikes, and firearms. The Directory replaced the Convention in 1795; in 1796, it created the Guard of the Executive Directory: two companies of cavalry and two of infantry, a total of 224 men.



When Napoleon staged his audacious coup on the 18th of Brumaire (November 9, 1799), the Guard showed the Directory no loyalty at all; it was the Grenadiers of the Guard of the Executive Directory that forced the Directors to flee from the Orangerie. On the 19th of Brumaire, Napoleon was declared First Consul. On the 20th of Brumaire (November 11), Napoleon was hailed as a savior, and the Guard of the Directory became the Consular Guard on November 28.



In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France, and the Consular Guard became the Imperial Guard: Napoleon’s ultimate reserve force when he marched across Europe, toppling kings and emperors. The Guard served as a model for the rest of the Grand Army. At its peak, in 1814, the Guard was itself an army of over 112,000 soldiers: infantry, cavalry, infantry, artillery, engineers, gendarmes (military police), supply wagons, and medical services. Every soldier aspired (in theory, at least) to a place in La Garde Impériale.



This book is subtitled “A Scrapbook and Primer” because it employs my collection of military miniatures to introduce the student (or anyone interested in the topic) to the field of Napoleonic studies. The various regiments of Napoleon’s Guard are displayed in grande tenue (parade uniform), tenue de route (marching order), and tenue de campaigne (field uniform) with descriptions of their equipment and weaponry.



Napoleon’s Guard will introduce the reader to the history of the Guard and to the wealth of literature on the Web and in print.



Features:


Soldiers of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard charmingly (but accurately) portrayed by miniature soldiers

Viewers for relevant videos on YouTube

Capsule histories of all the regiments of the Guard

Hyperlinks to articles on the Web

Hyperlinks to relevant books in iTunes

Hyperlinks to special-interest and scholarly websites

Hyperlinks to reading lists on WorldCat (the world’s largest bibliographic database)

Hyperlinks to YouTube videos illustrating Napoleonic warfare

Animated Keynote® slideshows depicting basic principles of infantry maneuvers and artillery fire