New Books Network William Doyle, "Napoleon at Peace: How to End a Revolution" (Reaktion Books, 2022)
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Oct 19, 2025 William Doyle, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Bristol and an expert on the French Revolution, shares insights from his latest work on Napoleon. He discusses how Napoleon resolved France's crises of war, religion, and monarchy to establish peace. Doyle highlights Napoleon's approach to securing peace with the Church through the Concordat and his shift towards hereditary monarchy. He also examines the fragile peace that ultimately unraveled due to Britain’s hesitance over Malta and Napoleon's colonial ambitions, contextualizing these events within his broader historical significance.
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Three Problems That Define The Revolution
- Doyle frames the Revolution as a period defined by instability, not just ideology.
- He identifies monarchy, religion, and war as the three core problems Napoleon solved to end the Revolution.
Sidney Smith’s Ambiguous Role In Napoleon’s Return
- Sidney Smith's ambiguous behavior may have allowed Napoleon to dash from Egypt back to France.
- Doyle notes Smith spoke perfect French, loved France, and later retired and was buried in Paris.
Victory Gives Commanders Political Leverage
- Napoleon's Italian victories made him indispensable and enabled him to act autonomously.
- The Directory realized they could not control a proven winner and effectively ceded decision-making to him.
