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, army. 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 This revised and expanded edition is in color throughout and includes an additional 35 previously unpublished artworks.
The Author has been fascinated by early military flags for as long as he can remember and made his first notes on those of the English Civil War at the age of fifteen! This fascination has never faded and was only enhanced by a long association with re-enacting the period. Over the years he has written a number of short studies of particular colours as well as three short studies of the Colours of Foot. He is proud to live in London with his partner Mary as guests of the cats who allow them to share it.
“The materials provided and the range of knowledge on offer makes this book a great introduction to the Napoleonic Italian Army as it brings together a fascinating study of uniform development, against a backdrop of the campaign history and the organisation of the Napoleonic war machine and would therefore make a great reference text for both the uniform enthusiast and historian of Napoleonic Italy.”
~The Napoleon Series
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