Soldiers, Citizens and Civilians: Experiences and Perceptions of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1790-1820

The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars have been described as the first 'total war', which affected millions of people's lives and brought a whole continent into contact with armies and bloodshed. But the extent to which the constant state of war that existed between 1792 and 1815 shaped everyday experience has been much less studied, even although these wars, conducted by mass armies and often mobilized by patriotism, led to the circulation of millions of people throughout Europe and beyond. The changing nature of warfare had far-reaching consequences for civil society as well as for those directly engaged in fighting. This volume of essays by international scholars examines the formative experiences of men and women – soldiers, citizens and civilians – in the years 1792-1815, drawing particularly on their personal documents and social and cultural practices, to offer a perspective on the wars which is at some distance from broader and more familiar historical narratives.