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Most of the great powers contested the lands around the Adriatic Sea during the Napoleonic Wars. While never a major theatre of operations, the Adriatic was part of the overall strategy of most of the combatants. It played an essential role by influencing alliances and diverting troops and ships, which all contributed to the defeat of Napoleon. The Napoleonic Wars was also a period of significant change, with the French and British intervening in a region that had long been a battleground reserved for the Austrian, Russian and
Ottoman empires.
This book examines the Adriatic campaigns, including those rarely mentioned in the history of the period, and the armies, navies and personalities that fought in the region between 1797 and 1815. Austrian, French, Russian, British, and their foreign regiments fought up and down the coast, sometimes with or against local leaders like Peter I of Montenegro and Ali Pasha of Ioannina. Many commanders were far from home, with orders taking weeks to reach them. This meant even junior officers could take military and diplomatic decisions usually reserved for more senior officers.
This is a story of strategy and small wars with many colourful personalities playing their part in a fascinating, if violent, tale against the backdrop of the frontier sea.
About the author
Dave Watson was born in Liverpool and has been based in Scotland for the last thirty-two years. He lives with his wife Liz and Rasputin (the wargaming cat) in Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. He is the editor of the website Balkan Military History (www.balkanhistory.org), which has covered the military history of the Balkans for over twenty-three years. He has written for many magazines, journals, and online publications. A list of his publications can be found on the website, and hisblog, balkandave.blogspot.com.He is the author of 'Chasing the Soft Underbelly: Turkey and the Second World War' (Helion, 2023). In addition, he is a contributing author to the books 'A New Scotland' (Pluto, 2022), 'What Would Keir Hardie Say?' (Luath,2015), 'Keir Hardie and the 21st Century Socialist Revival' (Luath, 2019), and. several other current affairs books and publications.Dave is a graduate in Scots Law from the University of Strathclyde and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He retired in 2018 from his post as Head of Policy and Public Affairs at UNISON Scotland and now works part-time as a policy consultant and Director of the think tank the Jimmy Reid Foundation. His passions include wargaming, travel and golf. He is the secretary of Glasgow and District Wargaming Society-one of the UK's longest-running wargame clubs. You can also follow Dave on Twitter @Balkan_Dave.
