Books by Alexander Mikaberidze
Le Grand Continent, 2023
Oubliez Fabrice à Waterloo. Suivez Jean Chahin à Austerlitz. À travers l’histoire de ce mamelouk,... more Oubliez Fabrice à Waterloo. Suivez Jean Chahin à Austerlitz. À travers l’histoire de ce mamelouk, et d’autres de ses frères d’armes, Alexander Mikaberidze livre un récit haletant de la bataille d'Austerlitz. Il décrit la construction de la Grande Armée comme objet impérial tout à la fois symbole des ambitions territoriales de Napoléon et lieu de rencontre de traditions militaires extrêmement diverses. Avec beaucoup de finesse, ce texte permet de redécouvrir cette bataille — sans doute la plus célèbre des guerres napoléoniennes — sous un nouveau jour.
The Napoleonic Wars saw almost two decades of brutal fighting. Fighting took place on an unpreced... more The Napoleonic Wars saw almost two decades of brutal fighting. Fighting took place on an unprecedented scale, from the frozen wastelands of Russia to the rugged mountains of the Peninsula; from Egypt's Lower Nile to the bloody battlefield of New Orleans. Volume II of The Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars provides a comprehensive guide to the Napoleonic Wars and weaves together the four strands – military, naval, economic, and diplomatic - that intertwined to make up one of the greatest conflicts in history. Written by a team of the leading Napoleonic scholars, this volume provides an authoritative and comprehensive analysis of why the nations went to war, the challenges they faced and how the wars were funded and sustained. It sheds new light not only on the key battles and campaigns but also on questions of leadership, strategy, tactics, guerrilla warfare, recruitment, supply, and weaponry.
The second of three volumes, this book represents the first English translation of the memoirs th... more The second of three volumes, this book represents the first English translation of the memoirs that rank among the best in the vast Napoleonic memoir literature. The author, Ilya Radozhitskii, served with distinction during the wars against Napoleon and wrote down his reminisces shortly after the war based on the notes that he kept while campaigning. Born in 1788, Radozhitskii studied at the Imperial Orphanage, enlisted in the artillery unit in 1806, and steadily rose through the ranks, earning a reputation of a capable officer.
Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, he saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, Radozhitskii took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction at Bischofswerde, Bautzen, Katzbach, and Leipzig before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814. Upon Napoleon’s return in 1815, Radozhitskii was assigned to the Russian Expeditionary Corps that was dispatched to France but arrived too late to confront Napoleon.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. This volume follows Radozhitskii across Germany as the Russian army, buoyed by the victory over Napoleon in 1812, marched on to liberate German states. Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The first volume, entitled The Russian Campaign of 1812, was published by Pen & Sword in 2023. Volume 3, The Invasion of France 1814, will follow in 2024.
The first of three volumes, this book represents the first English translation of the memoirs tha... more The first of three volumes, this book represents the first English translation of the memoirs that rank among the best in the vast Napoleonic memoir literature. The author, Ilya Timofeyevich Radozhitskii, served with distinction during the wars against Napoleon and wrote down his reminisces shortly after the war based on the notes that he kept while campaigning. Born in 1788, Radozhitskii studied at the Imperial Orphanage, enlisted in the artillery unit in 1806, and steadily rose through the ranks, earning a reputation of a capable officer. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, he saw action in virtuall every major battle of that historic campaign. Wounded at the battle of Ostrovno, he remained in ranks and later fought at Smolensk, Lubino (Valutina Gora) and Borodino, lamented the surrender of Moscow, and celebrated Russian victories at Vyazma and Krasnyi. He watched in bewilderment the catastrophe that engulfed Napoleon’s forces that winter, an event he vividly describes in his memoirs.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. Starting in the summer of 1812 and following the travails of his unit over the next six months, Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The second volume, entitled The German Liberation 1813, came out in late 2023. The third volume, The Invasion of France 1814, will be published by Pen & Sword Books in 2024.
Helion, 2022
Translated for the first time into English, this memoir offers unique insights into the epic conf... more Translated for the first time into English, this memoir offers unique insights into the epic confrontation between the French and Russians in Poland during the winter of 1806–1807, including the terrible carnage at Eylau.
A Hanoverian by birth, General Levin von Bennigsen spent 45 years in the Russian army earning a reputation as a capable officer. Due to his father’s connections at the Hanoverian court, Bennigsen began his service there at the tender age of 10 as a page and was commissioned as an ensign in the Hanoverian army at 14. In 1763, as a captain, he fought in the final campaign of the Seven Years War but then retired, deeply disillusioned with military service and widely regarded as an unpromising officer. After apparently squandering his inheritance, he sought a new career in Russia in 1773. Over the next four decades he fought against the Poles, Turks, and Persians, steadily advancing through the ranks and garnering a fistful of awards. A lieutenant general in 1798, he was caught up in Emperor Paul’s purge of high-ranking officers and nurtured deep animosity towards the czar. He thus took an active part in the conspiracy that assassinated Paul in late March 1801. Despite his role in the conspiracy, Bennigsen’s career did not suffer under the new emperor – promoted to general in 1802, he commanded a Russian corps sent to support Prussians during the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806. It was then that his name became a household word as he took supreme command of the Russian army against Napoleon, at the height of his power and fresh from his thrashing of Prussia. The subsequent Polish campaign turned into a quagmire as the two sides clashed amidst one of Europe’s poorest and most barren regions.
Bennigsen’s memoirs offer unique insights into this war, revealing the extent of command dissension at the Russian headquarters, discussing operational and logistical challenges confronting the Russian army, and underscoring the heroism of the Russian soldiers. During a gruelling campaign, Bennigsen evaded Napoleon’s enveloping manoeuvres during a five-day all-out pursuit that brought the two sides to the snow-covered fields of Eylau. Here over 140,000 French and Russian soldiers fought a terrible battle that claimed over 40,000 casualties and left thousands of dead and wounded littering the frozen slope.
Artanuji, 2022
First Georgian-language study of the French marshals, exploring their lives and careers.
Oxford University Press, 2022
From Publisher:
Alexander Mikaberidze's latest book is the first modern English-language biograp... more From Publisher:
Alexander Mikaberidze's latest book is the first modern English-language biography of Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov, the famed Russian Field Marshal and central character of Leo Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace." One of the most important military minds of the period, he is credited with defeating Napoleon and saving Russia, though his fame is not limited to the Napoleonic wars. As it often happens with national heroes, Kutuzov gradually became larger than life, a messianic character who led Holy Russia against the evils of the Revolution and anarchy; the Soviet leaders later exploited his personality for even more grandiose schemes.
The real Kutuzov was gradually replaced by a mythical character who appeared at a time of great danger to save Russia. The impact of this propaganda can be still seen in modern Russia: In 2000, the public opinion poll showed that majority of the Russians consider Kutuzov as "the Person of the 19th Century," far ahead of famous writers Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy, composer Peter Tchaikovsky or scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev, while the 2017 public opinion poll placed Kutuzov in the top twenty of the most distinguished historical personalities in world history (slightly behind Napoleon).
As much as Kutuzov is venerated in Russia, he remains an overlooked figure in the West, with Western historiography comprising of just a handful of titles in English, French or German, the vast majority of them translations of older Soviet works or derived from them. This book provides a new biography of the field marshal, examining his personal life and military/diplomatic accomplishments, and relying on a wide range of primary and secondary sources as well as Russian archival material. Mikaberidze offers a fresh look at the historical figure whose character remains elusive but whose accomplishments are irrefutable.
Oxford University Press, 2020
From Publisher:
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places... more From Publisher:
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of the tremors that spread throughout the world.
In this ambitious and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective. France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses major political-military events around the world and situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control.
Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying the foundations of the modern world.
NSG, 2019
The fifth installment in the “Russian Voice of the Napoleonic Wars” series is the memoirs of Loui... more The fifth installment in the “Russian Voice of the Napoleonic Wars” series is the memoirs of Louis-Victor-Léon de Rochechouart, the scion of an eminent French noble family who fled his native land during the French Revolution and served in the Russian army during the Napoleonic Wars.
![Research paper thumbnail of საქართველო უცხო თვალით (XV-XVII სს) [Georgia through Foreign Eyes XV-XVII centuries]](https://a.academia-assets.com/images/blank-paper.jpg)
The present book is part two of a larger study on Western perceptions of Georgia. It explores Wes... more The present book is part two of a larger study on Western perceptions of Georgia. It explores Western travelogues (XV-XVII centuries) containing descriptions of Georgia, including its climate, social hierarchy, agriculture, trade and commerce, etc.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს. მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
The present book is part one of a larger study on Western perceptions of Georgia. It explores Wes... more The present book is part one of a larger study on Western perceptions of Georgia. It explores Western travelogues (XV-XVII centuries) containing descriptions of the Georgians, their physical appearance, clothing, and customs.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს.
მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
The book discusses the lives of Georgians who, by the turn of fate, had found themselves in forei... more The book discusses the lives of Georgians who, by the turn of fate, had found themselves in foreign lands in XV-XIX centuries. It particularly explores the fate of those Georgians who had ended up in India and managed to rise to high positions in military and royal courts.
ბედის უკუღმართობით XV-XIX საუკუნეებში ათასობით ქართველი აღმოჩნდა უცხო მხარეში.
ზოგი მათგანი გაიტაცეს, ზოგი ტყვედ ჩავარდა ომიანობისას, ზოგი კი ქართველმა თავადმა გაყიდა (ზოგიერთ შემთხვევაში – საკუთარმა ოჯახმა).
ოსმალეთიდან იემენის სანაპირომდე, მოროკოს ატლასის მთებიდან ინდოეთამდე, იშვიათი იყო ისეთი მხარე, სადაც ქართველთა შესახებ არ სმენოდათ. ხშირად ხდებოდა, რომ ძალაუფლებას ქართველი მონები იგდებდნენ ხელთ.
იშვიათი გამონაკლისის გარდა, ამ ქართველების ბედი წარსულის ბინდშია გახვეული, მათი სახელები კი მივიწყებულია. ამ წიგნის მიზანია, მკითხველს გაუზიაროს უცხოეთში დაკარგული ქართველების ერთი მცირე ნაწილის თავგადასავალი.
მოცემულ წიგნში განხილულია ნაპოლეონის ცხოვრების ერთ-ერთ უმნიშვნელოვანესი მომენტი, ქალაქ ტულონის ალ... more მოცემულ წიგნში განხილულია ნაპოლეონის ცხოვრების ერთ-ერთ უმნიშვნელოვანესი მომენტი, ქალაქ ტულონის ალყა. სწორედ აქ გამოიჩინა თავი და დიდება მოიხვეჭა ახალგაზრდა ნაპოლეონმა, რომლისთვისაც ეს ბრწყინვალე სამხედრო კარიერის დასაწყისი აღმოჩნდა. მას კიდევ უამრავი დიდებული და სახელოვანი გამარჯვება ხვდა წილად, მაგრამ ტულონი სამუდამოდ დარჩა მისი ცხოვრების გამორჩეულ მომენტად. სწორედ აქ გამოჩნდა პირველად მისი სამხედრო ხედვის უნარი, ტაქტიკური ალღო, პირადი სიმამაცე და წინამძღოლობისა და ორგანიზაციის ნიჭი.
Annotated Georgian-language translation of Napoleon's memoir on the siege and capture of Toulon in 1793.
This issue of the Napoleonica. La Revue aims at showcasing the need for more studies to highlight... more This issue of the Napoleonica. La Revue aims at showcasing the need for more studies to highlight the experiences of war prisoners during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
François Houdecek , Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 1 of 7Editorial / Editorial
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 8 to 16Russian Prisoners of War after the Battle of Austerlitz
Stéphane Calvet
Page 17 to 34In the hands of the British and the Spaniards. The captivity of French soldiers and officers in the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 35 to 44Napoleon's Lost Legions. The Great Army Prisoners of War in Russia
François Houdecek
Page 45 to 73The Government of Louis XVIII and the Return of French Prisoners of War in Russia 1814-1816
Elodie Duché
Page 74 to 117Charitable Connections: Transnational Financial Networks and Relief for British Prisoners of War in Napoleonic France, 1803-1814
Paul Chamberlain
Page 118 to 129The Release of Prisoners of War from Britain in 1813 and 1814
Eman M. Vovsi
Page 130 to 140"A Long Road Home": Russian Prisoners in France, 1799-1801
Biography of Colonel Nicolas Tokhadze of the French Foreign Legion. Born and raised in Georgia, T... more Biography of Colonel Nicolas Tokhadze of the French Foreign Legion. Born and raised in Georgia, Tokhadze immigrated to France after the Bolshevik occupation of Georgia in 1921. Enrolling in the Foreign Legion, he served with distinction in North Africa and Indochina, rising to the rank of colonel and garnering the much coveted Legion d'Honneur. In 1945, while serving in the 5th Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie, he distinguished himself in conducting an epic retreat of some 1000 km from the Tonkin region to China.
This third installment in the Russian Eyewitness Accounts series is the first title to bring toge... more This third installment in the Russian Eyewitness Accounts series is the first title to bring together letters, diaries and memoirs of Russian participants of the War of the Fourth Coalition (1806-1807). The book is organized in chronological manner starting with the aftermath of the Russian defeat at Austerlitz In December 1805 and ending with the signing of the Treaty of Tilsit in July 1807. It is divided into seven chapters that contain a selection of excerpts from over two dozen memoirs and diaries.
In the spring of 1814, after twenty-two years, France was once again invaded by enemy forces. Fol... more In the spring of 1814, after twenty-two years, France was once again invaded by enemy forces. Following Napoleon’s defeats in Russia and Germany, the victorious Allies had crossed the River with the intention of putting an end to the long-standing conflict with Imperial France.
This book is the first title to bring together dozens of letters, diaries and memoirs of Russian participants of the 1814 Campaign. Reading these documents we see what Russian officers and soldiers experienced during the final months of the three year-long campaign as well as their joy at winning the war over Russia’s most dangerous enemy. We follow them not only through the heat of the battle but also on delightful tours of Paris which they describe as the pleasure and entertainment capital of the world.
"Russia played a decisive role in the Napoleonic wars and the success in the struggle against Fra... more "Russia played a decisive role in the Napoleonic wars and the success in the struggle against France allowed Russian leaders to shape the course of European history.
Over the last 200 years, the Napoleonic era has been discussed and analyzed in numerous studies, but many fail to fully portray the Russian side of the events due to the relative scarcity of Russian sources in English. Only a handful of Russian memoirs (e.g. those of Alexey Yermolov, Nadezhda Durova, Denis Davydov and Eduard Lowernstern) have been translated in English while dozens remain unknown outside Russia. This book seeks to fill this gap by providing, in English, previously unavailable memoirs of Russian participants.
Each chapter deals with an important episode of the 1812 campaign and featuring dozens of memoirs, letters and diaries. These documents show the other side of the proverbial coin, providing an unique insight on the Russian leadership, how and why decisions were made and what a common Russian soldier experienced as he slowly progressed towards victory. The author is an acclaimed writer who has won the International Napoleonic Society’s Legion of Merit Award for his contribution to Napoleonic studies."
Russian Voices of the Napoleonic Wars, 2011
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Napoleonic Wars, I have decided to launch the “Russia... more To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Napoleonic Wars, I have decided to launch the “Russian Voice of the Napoleonic Wars” series that will gradually present previously unknown or unavailable Russian primary sources. Russia played a decisive role in the Napoleonic Wars but Russian voices are oftentimes absent from the pages of historical accounts due to the dearth of Russian material in English. As of today, only a handful of Russian memoirs is available to Western readers. Over the next few years, I will therefore publish translations of Russian memoirs, diaries and correspondence that will shed fresh insights into the Napoleonic Wars.
Volume 4 includes Kotzebue's memoir of serving in the Russian army in 1812 and his time in the French captivity in 1813-1814.
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Books by Alexander Mikaberidze
Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, he saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, Radozhitskii took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction at Bischofswerde, Bautzen, Katzbach, and Leipzig before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814. Upon Napoleon’s return in 1815, Radozhitskii was assigned to the Russian Expeditionary Corps that was dispatched to France but arrived too late to confront Napoleon.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. This volume follows Radozhitskii across Germany as the Russian army, buoyed by the victory over Napoleon in 1812, marched on to liberate German states. Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The first volume, entitled The Russian Campaign of 1812, was published by Pen & Sword in 2023. Volume 3, The Invasion of France 1814, will follow in 2024.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. Starting in the summer of 1812 and following the travails of his unit over the next six months, Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The second volume, entitled The German Liberation 1813, came out in late 2023. The third volume, The Invasion of France 1814, will be published by Pen & Sword Books in 2024.
A Hanoverian by birth, General Levin von Bennigsen spent 45 years in the Russian army earning a reputation as a capable officer. Due to his father’s connections at the Hanoverian court, Bennigsen began his service there at the tender age of 10 as a page and was commissioned as an ensign in the Hanoverian army at 14. In 1763, as a captain, he fought in the final campaign of the Seven Years War but then retired, deeply disillusioned with military service and widely regarded as an unpromising officer. After apparently squandering his inheritance, he sought a new career in Russia in 1773. Over the next four decades he fought against the Poles, Turks, and Persians, steadily advancing through the ranks and garnering a fistful of awards. A lieutenant general in 1798, he was caught up in Emperor Paul’s purge of high-ranking officers and nurtured deep animosity towards the czar. He thus took an active part in the conspiracy that assassinated Paul in late March 1801. Despite his role in the conspiracy, Bennigsen’s career did not suffer under the new emperor – promoted to general in 1802, he commanded a Russian corps sent to support Prussians during the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806. It was then that his name became a household word as he took supreme command of the Russian army against Napoleon, at the height of his power and fresh from his thrashing of Prussia. The subsequent Polish campaign turned into a quagmire as the two sides clashed amidst one of Europe’s poorest and most barren regions.
Bennigsen’s memoirs offer unique insights into this war, revealing the extent of command dissension at the Russian headquarters, discussing operational and logistical challenges confronting the Russian army, and underscoring the heroism of the Russian soldiers. During a gruelling campaign, Bennigsen evaded Napoleon’s enveloping manoeuvres during a five-day all-out pursuit that brought the two sides to the snow-covered fields of Eylau. Here over 140,000 French and Russian soldiers fought a terrible battle that claimed over 40,000 casualties and left thousands of dead and wounded littering the frozen slope.
Alexander Mikaberidze's latest book is the first modern English-language biography of Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov, the famed Russian Field Marshal and central character of Leo Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace." One of the most important military minds of the period, he is credited with defeating Napoleon and saving Russia, though his fame is not limited to the Napoleonic wars. As it often happens with national heroes, Kutuzov gradually became larger than life, a messianic character who led Holy Russia against the evils of the Revolution and anarchy; the Soviet leaders later exploited his personality for even more grandiose schemes.
The real Kutuzov was gradually replaced by a mythical character who appeared at a time of great danger to save Russia. The impact of this propaganda can be still seen in modern Russia: In 2000, the public opinion poll showed that majority of the Russians consider Kutuzov as "the Person of the 19th Century," far ahead of famous writers Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy, composer Peter Tchaikovsky or scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev, while the 2017 public opinion poll placed Kutuzov in the top twenty of the most distinguished historical personalities in world history (slightly behind Napoleon).
As much as Kutuzov is venerated in Russia, he remains an overlooked figure in the West, with Western historiography comprising of just a handful of titles in English, French or German, the vast majority of them translations of older Soviet works or derived from them. This book provides a new biography of the field marshal, examining his personal life and military/diplomatic accomplishments, and relying on a wide range of primary and secondary sources as well as Russian archival material. Mikaberidze offers a fresh look at the historical figure whose character remains elusive but whose accomplishments are irrefutable.
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of the tremors that spread throughout the world.
In this ambitious and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective. France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses major political-military events around the world and situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control.
Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying the foundations of the modern world.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს. მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს.
მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
ბედის უკუღმართობით XV-XIX საუკუნეებში ათასობით ქართველი აღმოჩნდა უცხო მხარეში.
ზოგი მათგანი გაიტაცეს, ზოგი ტყვედ ჩავარდა ომიანობისას, ზოგი კი ქართველმა თავადმა გაყიდა (ზოგიერთ შემთხვევაში – საკუთარმა ოჯახმა).
ოსმალეთიდან იემენის სანაპირომდე, მოროკოს ატლასის მთებიდან ინდოეთამდე, იშვიათი იყო ისეთი მხარე, სადაც ქართველთა შესახებ არ სმენოდათ. ხშირად ხდებოდა, რომ ძალაუფლებას ქართველი მონები იგდებდნენ ხელთ.
იშვიათი გამონაკლისის გარდა, ამ ქართველების ბედი წარსულის ბინდშია გახვეული, მათი სახელები კი მივიწყებულია. ამ წიგნის მიზანია, მკითხველს გაუზიაროს უცხოეთში დაკარგული ქართველების ერთი მცირე ნაწილის თავგადასავალი.
Annotated Georgian-language translation of Napoleon's memoir on the siege and capture of Toulon in 1793.
François Houdecek , Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 1 of 7Editorial / Editorial
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 8 to 16Russian Prisoners of War after the Battle of Austerlitz
Stéphane Calvet
Page 17 to 34In the hands of the British and the Spaniards. The captivity of French soldiers and officers in the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 35 to 44Napoleon's Lost Legions. The Great Army Prisoners of War in Russia
François Houdecek
Page 45 to 73The Government of Louis XVIII and the Return of French Prisoners of War in Russia 1814-1816
Elodie Duché
Page 74 to 117Charitable Connections: Transnational Financial Networks and Relief for British Prisoners of War in Napoleonic France, 1803-1814
Paul Chamberlain
Page 118 to 129The Release of Prisoners of War from Britain in 1813 and 1814
Eman M. Vovsi
Page 130 to 140"A Long Road Home": Russian Prisoners in France, 1799-1801
This book is the first title to bring together dozens of letters, diaries and memoirs of Russian participants of the 1814 Campaign. Reading these documents we see what Russian officers and soldiers experienced during the final months of the three year-long campaign as well as their joy at winning the war over Russia’s most dangerous enemy. We follow them not only through the heat of the battle but also on delightful tours of Paris which they describe as the pleasure and entertainment capital of the world.
Over the last 200 years, the Napoleonic era has been discussed and analyzed in numerous studies, but many fail to fully portray the Russian side of the events due to the relative scarcity of Russian sources in English. Only a handful of Russian memoirs (e.g. those of Alexey Yermolov, Nadezhda Durova, Denis Davydov and Eduard Lowernstern) have been translated in English while dozens remain unknown outside Russia. This book seeks to fill this gap by providing, in English, previously unavailable memoirs of Russian participants.
Each chapter deals with an important episode of the 1812 campaign and featuring dozens of memoirs, letters and diaries. These documents show the other side of the proverbial coin, providing an unique insight on the Russian leadership, how and why decisions were made and what a common Russian soldier experienced as he slowly progressed towards victory. The author is an acclaimed writer who has won the International Napoleonic Society’s Legion of Merit Award for his contribution to Napoleonic studies."
Volume 4 includes Kotzebue's memoir of serving in the Russian army in 1812 and his time in the French captivity in 1813-1814.
Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 changed his life. Serving as an artillery lieutenant, he saw action in virtually every major battle of that historic campaign. In 1813-1814, Radozhitskii took part in the War of the German Liberation and the invasion of France, serving with distinction at Bischofswerde, Bautzen, Katzbach, and Leipzig before finishing the war as a staff captain in Paris in 1814. Upon Napoleon’s return in 1815, Radozhitskii was assigned to the Russian Expeditionary Corps that was dispatched to France but arrived too late to confront Napoleon.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. This volume follows Radozhitskii across Germany as the Russian army, buoyed by the victory over Napoleon in 1812, marched on to liberate German states. Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The first volume, entitled The Russian Campaign of 1812, was published by Pen & Sword in 2023. Volume 3, The Invasion of France 1814, will follow in 2024.
Radozhitskii offers fresh insight into the life and daily experiences of Russian officers during the Napoleonic Wars. Starting in the summer of 1812 and following the travails of his unit over the next six months, Radozhitskii’s narrative contains striking descriptions of the wartime experiences of soldiers and officers, vivid accounts of the battles, and heartrending stories from the French retreat. When published in Russia, these memoirs garnered considerable public attention and Leo Tolstoy consulted them extensively while writing his famous “War and Peace”.
The second volume, entitled The German Liberation 1813, came out in late 2023. The third volume, The Invasion of France 1814, will be published by Pen & Sword Books in 2024.
A Hanoverian by birth, General Levin von Bennigsen spent 45 years in the Russian army earning a reputation as a capable officer. Due to his father’s connections at the Hanoverian court, Bennigsen began his service there at the tender age of 10 as a page and was commissioned as an ensign in the Hanoverian army at 14. In 1763, as a captain, he fought in the final campaign of the Seven Years War but then retired, deeply disillusioned with military service and widely regarded as an unpromising officer. After apparently squandering his inheritance, he sought a new career in Russia in 1773. Over the next four decades he fought against the Poles, Turks, and Persians, steadily advancing through the ranks and garnering a fistful of awards. A lieutenant general in 1798, he was caught up in Emperor Paul’s purge of high-ranking officers and nurtured deep animosity towards the czar. He thus took an active part in the conspiracy that assassinated Paul in late March 1801. Despite his role in the conspiracy, Bennigsen’s career did not suffer under the new emperor – promoted to general in 1802, he commanded a Russian corps sent to support Prussians during the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806. It was then that his name became a household word as he took supreme command of the Russian army against Napoleon, at the height of his power and fresh from his thrashing of Prussia. The subsequent Polish campaign turned into a quagmire as the two sides clashed amidst one of Europe’s poorest and most barren regions.
Bennigsen’s memoirs offer unique insights into this war, revealing the extent of command dissension at the Russian headquarters, discussing operational and logistical challenges confronting the Russian army, and underscoring the heroism of the Russian soldiers. During a gruelling campaign, Bennigsen evaded Napoleon’s enveloping manoeuvres during a five-day all-out pursuit that brought the two sides to the snow-covered fields of Eylau. Here over 140,000 French and Russian soldiers fought a terrible battle that claimed over 40,000 casualties and left thousands of dead and wounded littering the frozen slope.
Alexander Mikaberidze's latest book is the first modern English-language biography of Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov, the famed Russian Field Marshal and central character of Leo Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace." One of the most important military minds of the period, he is credited with defeating Napoleon and saving Russia, though his fame is not limited to the Napoleonic wars. As it often happens with national heroes, Kutuzov gradually became larger than life, a messianic character who led Holy Russia against the evils of the Revolution and anarchy; the Soviet leaders later exploited his personality for even more grandiose schemes.
The real Kutuzov was gradually replaced by a mythical character who appeared at a time of great danger to save Russia. The impact of this propaganda can be still seen in modern Russia: In 2000, the public opinion poll showed that majority of the Russians consider Kutuzov as "the Person of the 19th Century," far ahead of famous writers Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy, composer Peter Tchaikovsky or scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev, while the 2017 public opinion poll placed Kutuzov in the top twenty of the most distinguished historical personalities in world history (slightly behind Napoleon).
As much as Kutuzov is venerated in Russia, he remains an overlooked figure in the West, with Western historiography comprising of just a handful of titles in English, French or German, the vast majority of them translations of older Soviet works or derived from them. This book provides a new biography of the field marshal, examining his personal life and military/diplomatic accomplishments, and relying on a wide range of primary and secondary sources as well as Russian archival material. Mikaberidze offers a fresh look at the historical figure whose character remains elusive but whose accomplishments are irrefutable.
Austerlitz, Wagram, Borodino, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Waterloo: these are the places most closely associated with the era of the Napoleonic Wars. But how did this period of nearly continuous conflict affect the world beyond Europe? The immensity of the fighting waged by France against England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and the immediate consequences of the tremors that spread throughout the world.
In this ambitious and far-ranging work, Alexander Mikaberidze argues that the Napoleonic Wars can only be fully understood in an international perspective. France struggled for dominance not only on the plains of Europe but also in the Americas, West and South Africa, Ottoman Empire, Iran, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Taking specific regions in turn, Mikaberidze discusses major political-military events around the world and situates geopolitical decision-making within its long- and short-term contexts. From the British expeditions to Argentina and South Africa to the Franco-Russian maneuvering in the Ottoman Empire, the effects of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars would shape international affairs well into the next century. In Egypt, the wars led to the rise of Mehmed Ali and the emergence of a powerful state; in North America, the period transformed and enlarged the newly established United States; and in South America, the Spanish colonial empire witnessed the start of national-liberation movements that ultimately ended imperial control.
Skillfully narrated and deeply researched, here at last is the global history of the period, one that expands our view of the Napoleonic Wars and their role in laying the foundations of the modern world.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს. მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
საუკუნეების განმავლობაში საქართველოს მრავალი უცხოელი მოგზაური ეწვია. სწორედ მათი დატოვებული ჩანაწერებიდან ამოკრებილი ფრაგმენტებია თავმოყრილი წიგნში. ჩვენი ქვეყნის ისტორიისთვის XV-XVII საუკუნეები ურთულესი პერიოდია. ამ დროს მოხდა ერთიანი საქართველოს დაშლა ცალკეულ სამეფო-სამთავროებად და საგარეო და საშინაო პირობების მკვეთრად გაუარესება. ამდენად, დიდი მნიშვნელობა ენიჭება ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა თუ მწერლების ჩანაწერებს.
მოგზაურთა უმეტესი ნაწილი დაჯილდოებულია დაკვირვების უნარით და ისინი საინტერესოდ აღგვიწერენ ქართველების ცხოვრების წესსა და ზნე-ჩვეულებებს. მათ შემოგვინახეს ბევრი ისეთი დეტალი, რომელიც სხვა მხრივ ჩვენთვის დაკარგული იქნებოდა. ბუნებრივია, მათ ჩანაწერებში იკვეთება ნეგატიური მოსაზრებებიც, რაც ასევე საყურადღებოა. ევროპელი მოგზაურებისა და მისიონერების თვალით დანახული საქართველო ხშირად ახალ ჭრილში წარმოგვიდგება.
ბედის უკუღმართობით XV-XIX საუკუნეებში ათასობით ქართველი აღმოჩნდა უცხო მხარეში.
ზოგი მათგანი გაიტაცეს, ზოგი ტყვედ ჩავარდა ომიანობისას, ზოგი კი ქართველმა თავადმა გაყიდა (ზოგიერთ შემთხვევაში – საკუთარმა ოჯახმა).
ოსმალეთიდან იემენის სანაპირომდე, მოროკოს ატლასის მთებიდან ინდოეთამდე, იშვიათი იყო ისეთი მხარე, სადაც ქართველთა შესახებ არ სმენოდათ. ხშირად ხდებოდა, რომ ძალაუფლებას ქართველი მონები იგდებდნენ ხელთ.
იშვიათი გამონაკლისის გარდა, ამ ქართველების ბედი წარსულის ბინდშია გახვეული, მათი სახელები კი მივიწყებულია. ამ წიგნის მიზანია, მკითხველს გაუზიაროს უცხოეთში დაკარგული ქართველების ერთი მცირე ნაწილის თავგადასავალი.
Annotated Georgian-language translation of Napoleon's memoir on the siege and capture of Toulon in 1793.
François Houdecek , Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 1 of 7Editorial / Editorial
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 8 to 16Russian Prisoners of War after the Battle of Austerlitz
Stéphane Calvet
Page 17 to 34In the hands of the British and the Spaniards. The captivity of French soldiers and officers in the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula
Alexander Mikaberidze
Page 35 to 44Napoleon's Lost Legions. The Great Army Prisoners of War in Russia
François Houdecek
Page 45 to 73The Government of Louis XVIII and the Return of French Prisoners of War in Russia 1814-1816
Elodie Duché
Page 74 to 117Charitable Connections: Transnational Financial Networks and Relief for British Prisoners of War in Napoleonic France, 1803-1814
Paul Chamberlain
Page 118 to 129The Release of Prisoners of War from Britain in 1813 and 1814
Eman M. Vovsi
Page 130 to 140"A Long Road Home": Russian Prisoners in France, 1799-1801
This book is the first title to bring together dozens of letters, diaries and memoirs of Russian participants of the 1814 Campaign. Reading these documents we see what Russian officers and soldiers experienced during the final months of the three year-long campaign as well as their joy at winning the war over Russia’s most dangerous enemy. We follow them not only through the heat of the battle but also on delightful tours of Paris which they describe as the pleasure and entertainment capital of the world.
Over the last 200 years, the Napoleonic era has been discussed and analyzed in numerous studies, but many fail to fully portray the Russian side of the events due to the relative scarcity of Russian sources in English. Only a handful of Russian memoirs (e.g. those of Alexey Yermolov, Nadezhda Durova, Denis Davydov and Eduard Lowernstern) have been translated in English while dozens remain unknown outside Russia. This book seeks to fill this gap by providing, in English, previously unavailable memoirs of Russian participants.
Each chapter deals with an important episode of the 1812 campaign and featuring dozens of memoirs, letters and diaries. These documents show the other side of the proverbial coin, providing an unique insight on the Russian leadership, how and why decisions were made and what a common Russian soldier experienced as he slowly progressed towards victory. The author is an acclaimed writer who has won the International Napoleonic Society’s Legion of Merit Award for his contribution to Napoleonic studies."
Volume 4 includes Kotzebue's memoir of serving in the Russian army in 1812 and his time in the French captivity in 1813-1814.
In the 1960s, while on assignment in the Kingdom of Afghanistan, Georgian scholar Ilya Tabaghua tried finding places connected to the Georgian activities in Afghanistan and conducted interviews with Afghan scholars. Tabaghua returned from Afghanistan with several sources and other materials, which he intended to translate and introduce into Georgian scholarship. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete this task and the subsequent fate of this material remains unknown.
We were unable to locate the Afghan sources that Tabaghua had mentioned in his work but we did obtain the Dari, Italian and English versions of Pata Khazana, the well known but disputed manuscript of epic poems written in Pashto language that was discovered and translated by Abdul Hay Habibi, Afghan historian and Professor of the Kabul University. We translated one of the poems that provides interesting insights on the Afghan perceptions of King Giorgi of Kartli, and now introduce it for the first time to the Georgian scholarship. Unlike other sources, this poem offers interesting details on the 1709 Afghan uprising against Iran. On the eve of the uprising, the Afghans organized several clandestine meetings in the tribal territory of their leader Mir Ways. The famed Afghan historian Mir Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar went as far as to describe these meetings as loya jirga attended by all tribal elders and that was intended to settle crucial tribal issues, including selection of a new leader or declaration of war against a foreign power. In the case of the 1709 Afghan uprising, the assembly did not select a supreme leader but rather focused its deliberations on waging war against the occupying forces of Iran. The assembly had agreed that defeating Gurgin Khan would only be feasible if he (and his garrison) were lured out of the fortress of Kandahar. Reddei Khan Mohmand, the poem’s author, speaks of various Afghan tribal and religious leaders taking part in this meeting: Saidal Nasir, the leader of Nasar Ghilzai (Ghilji) and one of the commanders of the Hotaki host; the famed Pashto warrior and also Hotaki commander Babojan Babei; the Kandahar commander Bahadur Khan; the Pashto spiritual leader Mullah Pir M. Miyajji; the ruler of Syoray, Yusuf Khan Hotaki; Aziz Nourzay of Delaram; Gul Khan of Baber; Nour Khan of Barech (Barreitsch); Nasro Khan Alekoza from Jaldak; Mir Ways’ own brother Yahya Khan and his son Mohammad Khan. No other source offers such details on the preparations of the Afghan uprising, which adds importance to this literary source.
The Afghan poem contains interesting details on King Giorgi XI’s activities in Kandahar. While some episodes and facts cannot be confirmed by other sources, this source still offers details on the Afghan preparations and identities of the Afghan leaders, and can serve as an additional document to fill in gaps in the life and career of one of Georgia’s most illustrious rulers.