Award winning historian, Leverhulme/Portsmouth Uni Fellow, host of 'The Napoleonic Wars Podcast', occasional battlefield guide. Rep by @Pastpreservers
United Kingdom
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I’m honoured to have been awarded a @LeverhulmeTrust Early Career Fellowship at @portsmouthuni looking at crime and punishment in the EIC army/navy.
To everyone (friends, colleagues, patrons and followers) who has helped get me through a challenging time - a huge thank you
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The concept of a flanking movement, preferably with cavalry, is going to blow their mind.
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Between this, his insidious BS that only the 1st two books on Napoleon are relevant & historians’ views don’t matter because they weren’t there, Ridley Scott is showing a breathtakingly arrogant disdain for the efforts experts make searching for the ‘truth’ about the past. 1/
Ridley Scott reacts to those criticizing the historical inaccuracies in ‘NAPOLEON’.
“Get a life.”
(Source: newyorker.com/magazine/2023/…)
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Once more unto the breach, dear friends.
I don’t think I’ve ever visited a cinema with lower expectations…
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Those moments when you’re literally holding history in your hands 😍
This is the last page of the Treaty on the Independence of Belgium (aka Treaty of London), signed on 15th November 1831, by the likes of Palmerston, Talleyrand, Bülow and Von Lieven.
Sometimes this job is ace!
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‘his wife slept with other men’
Please.
As if Napoleon didn’t have a string of mistresses.
Sure, he was faithful for longer, but this double standard judging of Josephine increasingly irritates me.
It also ignores the fact that J was pushed into an unwanted marriage by Barras
Alexander the Great won 9 battles
Julius Caesar won 16
Napoleon? THIRTY EIGHT
17 of them with impossible odds
Half a dozen EMPIRES had to join hands to stand a chance against him
Yet his wife slept with other men
The tragic love story of one of the greatest men of all time:
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What was the most SIGNIFICANT battle of the Napoleonic Wars?
(NOT your favourite). A tricky question in terms of how to measure impact:
Austerlitz
Maloyaroslavets
Leipzig
Waterloo
Fair warning, I think Waterloo is the weakest of the contenders. Happy to hear alternatives
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I’m getting bored of these outbursts from a director who is showing an over-emotional 13 year old’s attitude to what history is.
Imagine having had a love of history inspired by watching his films, only to witness this.
Ridley Scott on historians having criticisms about ‘NAPOLEON’.
“When I have issues with historians, I ask: ‘Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Well, shut the fuck up then.’”
(Source: thetimes.co.uk/article/ridle…)
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I passed my PhD viva, with very minor corrections!!!
As you can imagine, I’m overwhelmed & trying to digest the news.
A massive thank you to so many people who have made this happen.
Firstly my ace supervisors @jgammon2 , David Brown & Chris Woolgar, & everyone @HistoryAtSoton
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‘The British were scared of him. They called him the God of War’.
This is a memo that the British rank & file never got. They’d have howled with laughter at it
Arrogance & national pride meant they were supremely confident they’d beat the French, regardless of the circumstances
A legacy that still carries on.
#Napoleon is in Premium Large Formats, Screen X, 70mm and IMAX November 22.
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A 1794(?) seven barrelled volley gun, appearing on Antiques Roadshow in 1991.
Designed by Henry Nock, it fired seven pistol bullets from one charge.
The weapon was made famous by Bernard Cornwell who wrote it into Sharpe as Sergeant Harper’s second weapon.
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And no, before anyone asks, Napoleon did NOT shoot the nose off the Sphinx.
Don’t miss acclaimed director Ridley Scott's #Napoleon – see it in Premium Large Formats, Screen X, 70mm and IMAX November 22.
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Early reactions from me are positive - Its not the hagiography I was expecting
Sure, it overplays his whiff of grapeshot involvement & I have issues with the Austerlitz bit.
But its epic, visually stunning, and seems quite warts & all - the arrogance is 100% there.
Can't wait
He came from nothing. He conquered everything. From acclaimed director Ridley Scott, @NapoleonMovie is exclusively in movie theaters this Thanksgiving. Watch the official trailer now.
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This cretin is clueless that British armed forces have been respecting the religious choices of its soldiers for over 200 years.
Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs served in the East India Company (later Indian) Army, since its creation.
Religious tolerance was at its heart 🧵
This is the British Army that thinks it can take on Russia. They turn off their radios, stop movement and waste clean water so that a Muslim can pray towards Mecca five times a day.
What impact do you suppose this has on White recruitment?
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Nervous smiles this morning ahead of recording for BBC Radio 4’s ‘In Our Time’ with Melvyn Bragg.
Kate Astbury, Mike Rowe and I will be talking about Napoleon’s ‘Hundred Days’.
The Imposter Syndrome is strong. Should be a lot of fun though.
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Genuine question, as I can’t decide where I stand on this:
Given the role of the Arc de Triomphe in commemoration, is this not… tacky?
It doesn’t feel quite right to me?
Napoléon de Ridley Scott s’empare de l’Arc de Triomphe ! 🇫🇷 Le film événement de cette fin d’année !
@NapoleonMovie
@SonyPicturesFr
@SonyPictures
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🚨Attention all wargamers & Napoleonic nerds 🚨
A new wargame dedicated to the Sharpe’s series has been announced by Wargames Atlantic.
Due for release on 4th September.
Details and pre-orders below
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The chateau of Hougoumont farm on the battlefield of Waterloo.
The chateau, gardens & surrounding orchard were defended by a mixture of Coldstream and Scots Guards, Dutch, King's German Legion and Hanoverian troops.
Despite multiple French break ins, the farm never fell.
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I was quoted in @guardian 😱
There’s a lot I could say about Bidiss’s arguments. The comment about how Napoleon could win a naval battle & make up the number of ships captured amused me.
Napoleon was famous for not being a naval commander 🤦♂️
theguardian.com/world/2023/n…
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Majorly oversimplified, but about as good a representation of Austerlitz as you could expect from Hollywood in 2 mins, & not as bad as I was expecting.
Could do with less of this ice nonsense though. Napoleon had the ‘lakes’ (actually fish ponds) drained: they found two bodies.
A look at the Battle of Austerlitz from Ridley Scott’s #Napoleon. See this scene and more in Premium Large Formats, Screen X, 70mm and IMAX November 22. Get tickets now. napoleon.movie/
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And that, as they say, is that.
Adios @HistoryAtSoton. Its been a great run. I first walked through your doors as a a spotty teenager in 2010. Twelve years later, I'm a Dr.
Who knows what the future holds now...
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Wellington as an old man
This is an early version of a photograph - it remains one of the most prized possessions of the Wellington family (according to the current Duke).
This image is available on the National Army Museum's website
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During the Napoleonic Wars the British were not the avenging angels they tend to be portrayed as.
Napoleon was a better general than Wellington, but by slim margin. Both could be unpleasant humans and I’d go drinking with neither of them.
Oh, and Trafalgar isn’t quite all that
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What is the most iconic depiction of Napoleon?
David - Napoleon crossing the alps
Gillray - Plum Pudding in Danger
Canova - Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker
Delaroche - Napoleon at Fontainebleau
Open to other suggestions (especially from Napoleon’s ‘Rod Stewart’ phase)
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This attitude comes as a particular disappointment considering I’ve spent months urging people to recognise there will be some historical inaccuracies in ‘Napoleon’ due to artistic licence and the nature of Hollywood - his film is meant to entertain, rather than educate 2/
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The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras, by Lady Butler.
One of the best paintings of conflict in my honest opinion. Look closely for the guy grey from blood loss, the one in a euphoric state, and the officer grimly doing his job by pointing out targets.
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Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
On this day, 1854, the charge of the Light Brigade
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I’ve just heard that, for the 2nd time in my career, I’ve been awarded @HistoryAtSoton’s & @hartleyspecialc’s Wellington Prize for my PhD. The first time was in 2012 as an undergrad. It’s come as a total shock, & I’m a mess. Huge thanks to the judges & the 9th Duke for the award.
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The Napoleon Movie: Impressive for the way it made one of the most compelling stories in history seem boring.
I unleash my thoughts on the Ridley Scott monstrosity. In summary: I could have forgiven the historical inaccuracies if the film had a sole
piped.video/fLBO9fbUapQ
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However, with these comments, Scott shows that he doesn’t understand what historians do, and cares even less. For him it seems that history is not ‘a set of lies agreed upon’ as Napoleon supposedly claimed, but rather is just whatever you want it to be. 3/
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Irrespective of your thoughts on casting, tone and much more besides, we’ve waited a long time for a Napoleonic blockbuster.
Popcorn. Suspend historical precision (it’s going to be inaccurate in places). Enjoy
Joaquin Phoenix takes the crown. Watch the new trailer for #Napoleon, from acclaimed director Ridley Scott. See it in Premium Large Formats, Screen X, 70mm and IMAX this Thanksgiving.
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That's a wrap. After over 4 years in the making, I've submitted my PhD thesis.
I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has got me through it, including all of you, the gang @hack_history & especially my supervisors @jgammon2 Chris Woolgar & David Brown @HistoryAtSoton
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First Ridley Scott, now Steven Spielberg…
Napoleon is getting the full Hollywood treatment at the moment.
Wellington, Blucher & Tsar Alexander all just left the chat in jealousy 🤣
And yes I am available as a historical advisor. Not that anyone is asking, listening or cares🤣
Steven Spielberg told #Berlinale2023 that he's adapting Stanley Kubrick's lost film 'Napoleon' into a limited series for HBO
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After two years my court martial database covering the GB Army for 1808-1818 is complete!
At 9,228 cases it's the largest study of GB Army crime in the Napoleonic Wars.
A worrying number of the accused had the surname 'White'!
Next step? Get it online! Oh, and finish the PhD!
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So: historians.
We have a life.
It’s dedicated to the past.
To uncovering people’s stories so that others care & share in their joy and heartbreak
So that we remember, reflect & try to learn
It’s more honest & important than just making it up because it looks cool.
End/
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I'm excited & privileged to have been awarded 3rd place by the judges of the @SMH_Historians 'Edward Coffman First manuscript prize'
They seemed to enjoy my PhD thesis on crime & punishment in Wellington's army during the Napoleonic Wars
I really should turn it into a book...
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Historianing isn’t all glamour:
The face of a man as he realises that the small mountain he just climbed is the wrong one and has no historical significance whatsoever. 🤦♂️
Still vaguely worth it for a very impressive view of the Vittoria battlefield.
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I’m very excited to have just been invited to speak on ‘In Our Time’ from @BBCSounds
I’ll be debating Napoleon’s ‘Hundred Days’ with two other historians of the period (don’t know who yet).
Rest assured I’ll mythbust the hell out of the ‘British vs Prussian Victory’ debate
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Publication Day!
‘An Unavoidable Evil: Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon’, my second edited collection, is now available from @Helionbooks
Featuring work from leading historians of the period, it takes a global look at sieges during the period.
Here’s what you need to know
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The ability to smash concrete with your head is famously of great value in the midst of a gunfight... 🙄
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Who was Napoleon's greatest marshal?
This year's Napoleonic Wars pod Xmas special is a contest of Napoleon's finest, & you can be on the show
Many options are already taken, but I'm looking for people to champion Lefrebvre & Bessieres
If you're interested, reply below
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#WaterlooLive #OTD
Right Now: 18th June 1815 14:30
Just as D’Erlon’s corps reaches the allied ridge, and is trying reorganise its formation, its swamped by the charge of the Allied Union and Household brigades. The charge is devastatingly successful.
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So this is what 'taking back control' looks like, is it?
Anyway, what happened to the 'oven ready' deal? I thought they said doing a trade deal would be incredibly easy? And when are we going to see the £350 million a week. Surely these politicians didn't lie to us? 🤔😱
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It's here! The Napoleon trailer has landed.
Ridley's Scott's hotly anticipated retelling of Napoleon's life will land in cinemas Thanksgiving 2023
He came from nothing. He conquered everything. From acclaimed director Ridley Scott, #Napoleon is exclusively in movie theaters this Thanksgiving. Watch the official trailer now.
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Happy Easter!
What's the biggest 'What if?' of the Napoleonic Wars?
- Nelson intercepts Napoleon en-route to Egypt
- Britain & France honour the peace of Amiens
- Napoleon doesn't attempt the continental system
- Napoleon doesn't invade Russia
Happy to hear other contenders...
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The Battle of Salamanca fought #OnThisDay 22nd July 1812.
Wellington’s best day at the office
After days of marching, often within cannon shot of the French, & having been on the back foot, Wellington spotted an opportunity & struck like a viper.
Here I describe that moment
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There will also be things that are missed out. You can’t tell Napoleon’s life fully in ten hours, never mind two.
But that’s not the line Scott takes. His remarks spit in the face of the expertise and hard work of skilled intelligent people who devote their lives to the past 5/
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I now own a historical artefact!
This 1796 light cavalry pattern was almost certainly produced pre 1815, & belonged to an officer (blueing still just visible on the blade in places)
With notches to the blade, it’s clearly been swung. I love the worn leather on the grip! 😍
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I have just, finally, been to see Oppenheimer.
Frankly it does a better job of retelling the life of Napoleon Bonaparte than the Ridley Scott production did.
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What's the best on screen depiction of the Napoleonic Wars? There are many contenders, so feel free to add suggestions beyond these four... I'll then do a poll in two days time...
War and Peace (2016 TV)
Sharpe (1990s TV)
Master & Commander (2003 Film)
Waterloo (1970 Film)
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#WaterlooLive #OTD
Right Now: 18th June 1815 09:30
Napoleon realises his attack will have to be delayed further, as his army is still moving up to the battlefield, and delays the attack until 11:00. He orders D’Erlon to break the Allied centre and advance on Brussels.
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Can we please stop pretending that war is a mathematical construct?
Military history is built on the whims of the human mind, and cannot be reduced down to an algorithmic table of win/lose/draw statistics.
Also, a better source of data than Wikipedia would be advisable.
Napoleon was the best general ever, and it’s backed up by science.
A data scientist recently created a mathematical model to rank every general in the history of warfare—and it led to some surprising results.
Here’s what he found🧵
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To be clear, there is always a balance to be achieved. I can understand setting the Battle of the pyramids far closer to the tombs than it was in reality. I get why he’s playing into myth with the ice at Austerlitz scene. It’s dramatic. It’s visually stunning. That’s Hollywood 4/
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The dangers of commenting on history, when you know sweet FA about history
Fox News anchor: "I remember, 20 years-old, going to Trier, Germany and trying to find the home of Karl Marx 'cause, you know, 1848, he wrote Mein Kampf. I wanted to know what was all about. So, that's part of the education in America."
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I'm honoured to have been awarded an 'honourable mention' (runner up) by the judges of the International Commission for Military History's Corvisier prize for my PhD thesis.
That makes it one first place and two runners up for the thesis. Good job the book is in the pipleline...
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Today is a significant personal anniversary: On this day in 2022, I passed my PhD viva examination, becoming Dr White.
Not that I really use the title except when in arguments with the bank 🤦♂️
The inimitable mug was a present from @churchill_alex
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Who was the biggest scoundrel of the Napoleonic Wars?
Talleyrand
Metternich
Napoleon
Sir Home Popham
It will be interesting to see how people choose to define ‘scoundrel’.
I’m open to arguments for other contenders, including the British government as a whole.
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Saying the first two books ever written about Napoleon is not just untrue, it’s like saying ‘there’s no point watching Gladiator because I’ve seen Ben Hurr and all Roman films are the same’.
It’s an illogical point. It also misses the point on why historians write books 6/
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Well naturally, otherwise they’d be sitting ducks. These people weren’t dim. The point is that the formation is not invulnerable.
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The most harrowing artefact of the Napoleonic Wars.
The cuirass of Antoine Fauveau, killed by a cannon ball at the Battle of Waterloo (18th June 1815).
The breastplate is now in Les Invalides, Paris.
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The 2nd December was Napoleon's best day in the office:
1804: He crowned himself Emperor of the French.
1805: He shattered the Austrian-Russian Army at the Battle of Austerlitz in one of the most impressive battles in all of military history.
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A decade long dream is being realised.
I’ve just booked part one of a Peninsular War road trip for May.
Lisbon, Torres Vedras, Roliça, Vimeiro, Bussaco, Almeida, Fuentes D’Oñoro, Ciudad Rodrigo & Salamanca (or bust!) & for 3/4 of it I’m staying within sight of a battlefield 😍
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This week Spotify tried to destroy the Napoleonic Wars Podcast.
The listeners have risen in revolt against this tyranny.
Here's how you can help me reconnect with my lost audience.
Unfollow 'The Na Po Le On Ic' & follow the correct version. Correct link replies below
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The castle wall of Badajoz.
On the night of 6th April, Picton’s division was tasked with making an escalade of this point in the city’s defences.
Originally intended as a diversionary attack, their eventual success, rather than the breach assaults, was partly why Badajoz fell
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On this day 1810 the Third French invasion of Portugal ground to a halt before the Lines of Torres Vedras.
The brainchild of (then) Viscount Wellington, these 3 lines of fortifications were manned with militia, with the army behind the lines waiting to pounce on breakthroughs.
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My name is Zack. I am a bookaholic.
Guess who spent their Wellington prize money on more books? The only challenge now is actually reading them 🤔
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Guess who was responsible for the first account of Napoleon’s life?
Napoleon himself.
Just like you wouldn’t expect Johnson, Trump, Wellington or Ceaser to have been objective about their lives and achievements, you can’t expect Napoleon to be either when dictating his. 10/
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The Lion's Mound on the Waterloo battlefield.
Marking the place where the Prince of Orange was wounded, it also sits on part of the ground where the first wave of Napoleon's Imperial Guard were defeated.
More stunning drone footage dropping soon.
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She's gonna lose her mind when she learns about how the 'good old fashioned Anglo-Saxons' were all immigrants to the British Isles...
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As for ‘you weren’t there’. NEITHER WERE YOU RIDLEY!
Ffs 🤦♂️
But there’s an important difference with historians: we’ve spent years of our lives reading the accounts of the people who WERE there.
And that’s what’s missing here: an appreciation of why history matters 15/
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Salamanca is quite simply the most beautiful city I have ever seen.
Like a fusion of Cambridge and York, but prettier, with a Spanish charm about it. And warmer.
Every street you turn down has an utterly stunning surprise in store.
😍😍😍
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The Art of History vs Ridley Scott.
Four historians respond to to Ridley Scott's comments on historical accuracy, and how historians know what they know.
Featuring @ClareSiviter @lureynol & @KKriegeBlog
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/s…
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Who was the WORST commander of the Napoleonic era?
Villeneuve (Trafalgar)
Dupont (Bailen)
The Duke of York (Flanders Campaign)
Tsar Alexander (Austerlitz)
As ever, open to alternatives (I’m bound to have missed some great contenders), and let me know you reasoning why.
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Recording at the BBC went well (I’ll share pics later)
Thank you to everyone for the messages of support, to my friends who helped me combat the imposter syndrome, & to Kate Astbury for recommending me to the BBC
In Our Time: Napoleon’s Hundred Days will broadcast Thursday 19/4
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In Our Time: Napoleon’s Hundred Days
Today 9am BST
Melvin Bragg is joined by me, Prof Kate Astbury @100Days1815 & Prof Michael Rowe to discuss Napoleon’s final gamble.
Extended cut (with more on the Battle of Waterloo) available on BBC Sounds
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I fear my choice of a paperweight whilst typing up notes from a book might say rather too much about me…
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Spare a thought for the soldiers of Moore's & Soult's armies, who right now in 1809 were trekking through the Galician mountains as Moore's men rushed to evacuate Spain via Corunna - they'd been marching since 24th December in freezing conditions.
NAM. 1956-02-328-1
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The most audacious cavalry charge of the entire Peninsular War?
Fought on this day, 23rd July 1812, a mixture of courage, impetuosity and blind luck saw cavalry of the King’s German Legion shatter two squares, mauling Foy’s division.
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A classic example is Waterloo. It has been done to death & it is only very occasionally that a genuinely new insight is offered by an author. The worst accounts merely perpetuate the myths and misunderstandings of the last 200 years.
So does that mean Ridley is right? No. 8/
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The Victorians renamed HMS Waterloo as HMS Conqueror in 1862.
Were they being ‘woke’ too?
🤦♂️🙄 Some people really need to pick up a history book before having an aneurysm about renaming a ship.
🚨 NEW: The Royal Navy has renamed the submarine ‘HMS Agincourt’ as ‘HMS Achilles’ after concerns that the previous name may upset the French
[@thetimes]
Community note
The submarine in question is still under construction, and had not yet been officially named or commissioned. It never was "HMS Agincourt" because hadn't made it that far. Many ships have changed names when under construction - ie Ark Royal was supposed to be Indomitable.
navylookout.com/agincourt-beco
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#WaterlooLive #OTD
Right Now: 18th June 1815 06:00
Napoleon’s attack is delayed to 09:00 as his army has not concentrated yet. Meanwhile, Wellington leaves Waterloo, heading for the Mont St Jean position.
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Sure, some people jump on the bandwagon and write ‘hack’ versions of history - ultra basic accounts that don’t do much more than tell the story badly. That’s not an attack on narrative accounts of events, they can be done of the best history books out there. Yet done badly…😬7/
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‘Ou est Grouchy?’
Oh wait, he’s fighting the Prussian rearguard like you told you to, Napoleon.
Filmed from Napoleon’s observation point panning from Frischermont toward Papelotte and on towards the allied centre. Prussian IV corps attacked from the right of this shot
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