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The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars raged in Italy for 23 years. In that time, no fewer than eight campaigns involving hundred of thousands of troops were mounted in the Italian peninsula, as France and Austria struggled over this secondary, but still vitally important theater of war. As Frederick Schneid demonstrates in this groundbreaking work, control of Italy was rightly seen by Napoleon as an important means of applying strategic pressure on the Austrians, while simultaneously providing security for France's vulnerable southern flank. As the first in-depth consideration of the struggle for strategically key region, this book places the Italian campaigns into their proper historical context.
Beginning with a geo-strategic overview of the Italian peninsula and its place in French and Austrian calculations, Schneid moves on to a careful consideration of the major campaigns that began in 1805, 1809, and 1813. These include studies of the battles at Caldiero, Wagram, and Mincio. The book also provides appendices with complete orders of battle for each campaign.
List of contents
Foreword
Prologue: Italy, Wars and Geography
The Conquest of the Italian Peninsula, 1805-1806The Origins of the Campaign, Armies and Generals
Planning, Preparations and Opening Moves
The Battle of Caldiero
The Conquest of Naples
The Defense of Italy, 1809Armies, Generals, and Strategy
From Sacile to the Piave and Beyond
The Battles of Raab and Wagram
The Fall of Napoleonic Italy, 1813-1815Rebuilding the Armies
From War Plans to War
The Battle of the Mincio
Murat's Hundred Days
Epilogue: War from Italy
Appendix I: Orders of Battle 1805-1806
Appendix II: Orders of Battle 1809
Appendix III: Orders of Battle 1813-1814
Appendix IV: Orders of Battle 1815
Bibliography
About the author
Frederick C. Schneid is Herman and Louise Smith Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at High Point University, USA. He is the author of several books, including The Second War of Italian Unification (Osprey, 2012), The Napoleonic Wars (2012) and Napoleon's Italian Campaigns, 1805-1815 (2002). He is also the editor of numerous books, such as European Politics 1815-1848 (2011) and European Warfare, 1792-1815 (2007). He is a series editor for the award-winning History of Warfare book series, and on the editorial advisory board of the award-winning, Campaigns & Commanders book series.
Frederick C. Schneid is Professor of History at High Point University. He is the author of Napoleon's Italian Campaigns, 1805-1815 (Praeger, 2002) and Soldiers of Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy: Army, State and Society, 1800-1815 (1995). He serves on the board of directors of the Consortium on Revolutionary Europe and is southern regional director for the Society for Military History.
Summary
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars raged in Italy for 23 years. In that time, no fewer than eight campaigns were mounted in the Italian peninsula, as France and Austria struggled over this important theatre of war. This work places these campaigns into their proper historical perspective.
