Stephen Ede-Borrett – лучшие книги

As well as being Emperor of the French (and note, incidentally, that Napoleon’s title was not ‘Emperor of France’) it is often forgotten, or simply overlooked, that Napoleon was also King of Italy – a state that essentially comprised all Italy north of the Kingdom of Naples. The Kingdom of Italy was a distinct entity and had a different line of succession to its Title to ensure that it remained so. The Army of the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside that of France in all of the major campaigns of the Grande Armée as well as contributing troops to the French Army in Spain. This is a fully revised and greatly expanded edition of the first full-length English language study of the uniforms, organization, personnel and campaigns of that army.

The Army of the Kingdom was, perhaps not surprisingly, amongst France’s most reliable allies but it is usually confused with what the French termed the Armée d’Italie – a different, if related, entity. The author explains why these two are not synonymous and why they should not be confused. The elements of the Navy of the Kingdom that served alongside the Army are covered in a separate section.

Illustrated in full colour throughout, with over a hundred additional colour illustrations, this study covers not just the regulation uniforms, although unusually the regulations were somewhat sparse, but also the numerous variations recorded in contemporary documents and plates, and in surviving items. This new edition also covers, for the first time in English, the little-known, and highly esoteric, provisional uniforms of the Army’s early years.

The uniforms of what the French called the Tête de Colonne were never regulated properly and could change from issue to issue and year to year, often depending solely on the availability of cloth or the personal idiosyncrasies of the Colonel. The author has tried to cover all of the known changes and variations in these uniforms including some additional variations that have been brought to his attention since the first edition was published.

Sieges dominated the English Civil Wars: one study suggests that for every major battle there were perhaps as many as eight sieges, and probably more than 200 towns, castles, and country homes in England were besieged. However, sieges and fortifications have long been the poor relation in the histories of the period. Whilst up and down the country, numerous siege-sites and fortresses are being studied by historians and archaeologists, so much of this is being done in relative isolation, and unlike the study of battles, seldom has there been an opportunity to bring this research together, to present and compare findings.

To provide a forum for experts and the curious alike to share results and to learn from one another was a key driver behind the first ever conference dedicated to the study of fortress warfare during the English Civil Wars. Newark-upon-Trent was besieged three times during the English Civil Wars, and is home to perhaps the best surviving fortifications in the country. It was appropriate, therefore, that the town should host the English Civil War Fortress Symposium in November 2022.

The co-hosts of the symposium, the Battlefields Trust, and the Fortress Study Group have both run their own conferences in the past, but this symposium was the first time that these two internationally renowned organisations have come together to stage a joint event. The success of the symposium was a recognition of the standing of both societies, as well as the efforts of the organisers. But most importantly, it was a demonstration of the interest in this important topic.

The symposium brought together a variety of projects and studies covering the archaeology of sieges, fortifications and the public, and the challenges, approaches and results connected to the rediscovery and preservation of fortifications.

As well as being Emperor of the French it is often forgotten, or simply overlooked, that Napoleon was also King of Italy – a state that essentially comprised all Italy north of the Kingdom of Naples. The Army of the Kingdom of Italy fought alongside that of France in all of the major campaigns of the Grande Armée as well as contributing troops to the French army in Spain. This is the first full-length English language study of the uniforms, organization, personnel and campaigns of that army.

The army of the Kingdom was, perhaps not surprisingly, amongst France’s most reliable allies but it is usually simply confused with what the French termed the Armée d’Italie - a different, if related, entity. The author explains why these two are not synonymous and should not be confused.

The book covers not just the regulation uniforms, although unusually the regulations were somewhat sparse, but also the numerous variations recorded in contemporary documents and plates. The uniforms of the Tête de Colonne were never regulated properly and could change from issue to issue and year to year and the author has tried to cover all of these known changes.

This is the first full-length detailed study of the uniforms, organization, personnel and campaigns of the numerous Swiss units that served in the armies of Revolutionary, Directorate, and Imperial France from the campaigns of 1798 in Switzerland until the Hundred Days of 1815. The author covers not just the regulation uniforms but also the numerous variations recorded in contemporary documents and plates. The uniforms of the Tete de Colonne could change from issue to issue and year to year and the author has tried to cover all of these known changes. Estimates of the number of Swiss who served in the French Army from 1798-1815 vary from fifty to ninety thousand – numbers that makes the Swiss the largest non-French nationality in the Imperial Armies. There have been many studies of these units published in France and Switzerland but this is the first full-length study to be published in England.

Between James’ accession in February 1685 and flight in December 1688 the British Armies increased four fold (the English, Scots and Irish Armies were still separate institutions and were to remain so until the early 18th Century, in the case of the Scots, and the early 19th Century in the case of the Irish); from a small force of little more than ceremonial and policing use to a fully-fledged Army with all of its necessary supporting arms and services. Respected historian Correlli Barnett wrote: “It might well be said that if the British royal standing army was in fact founded at one given time, it was between 1685 and 1688, and that James II was the army’s creator.” James himself said his Army had “…the reputation of being the best paid, the best equipped and the most sightly troops of any in Europe.” At the time there were political complaints about illegality of a “new standing Army” with a “new Cromwellian military dictatorship” (and on a point of law a standing army was still illegal), in 1689 the new King, William III, kept James’ Army in being and within a few years it was to become the Army which led the victories at Blenheim and elsewhere of the Great Duke of Marlborough, who had himself been a General in James’ Army. It has been said that amongst William’s reasons for accepting the British Crowns was a fear that the British Army would serve in alliance with Louis XIV against him. Despite this, James’ part in the creation of the British Army is often deliberately overlooked or ignored. The political aspects of James’ reign, and thus of the Army, are well covered in numerous works but this book looks at the creation of the enlarged Armies of England, Scotland and Ireland - their uniforms and flags, organization and weapons, their drill and their strength, their pay and their Staff. Researched primarily from contemporary documents and manuscripts, including those in the rarely accessed Royal Library at Royal Archives at Windsor, it will go a long way to restoring these years, and the last Stuart King, to their true importance in the creation of the British Army.