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On the 19th May 1804, the day after he had proclaimed himself Emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte appointed 19 Marshals of the Empire. In the wake of the French Revolution, Napoleon hoped to build a new nobility – but this aristocracy was to be based on merit, and especially military ability.

He showered his Marshals with honours, titles and wealth. They became the celebrities of their day.

Napoleon had intended to create a band of brothers to ride alongside him into battle, but his leadership style instead created a nest of vipers.

Written by Andrew Roberts
Read by Ben Cura
Producer Lu Kemp

Andrew Roberts (Lord Roberts of Belgravia) is an award-winning historian whose prize-winning books include Salisbury, Masters and Commanders, The Storm of War, Napoleon the Great, George III and Churchill: Walking with Destiny. An Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is currently a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, and Visiting Professor at King’s College, London.