Imperial/ Colonial

Provision for the Restatement of Names and Surnames

Images of 1989 tend to center on dramatic events in Berlin, in Beijing, in Bucharest, and in Johannesburg, just to name a few. Visions of mass demonstration and popular uprising predominate.

British Empire: Travel Narrative, Mary Kingsley

Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) is one of the best known British women to have visited West Africa during the period historians call the Age of New Imperialism. Her early life gave no indication of her future renown.

Ho Chi Minh, Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Viet–Nam

Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary name of Nguyen That Thanh (1890–1969), was the leader of the Vietnamese revolution for independence from the French. He was educated in France, where he became a communist.

Benjamin Constant, Leader of French Liberal Opposition to Napoleon

Benjamin Constant (1767–1830) spent the early years of the French Revolution in a post at a minor German court. He moved to Paris in 1795 and became active in French politics (and became the lover of de Staël).

The Battle of Waterloo as Recounted by one of Napoleon’s Personal Aides (June 1815)

Jardin Ainé (the elder) was responsible for Napoleon’s horse and had a firsthand view of the momentous events that definitively ended Napoleon’s career.

The Effect of the Russian Winter Described by a General

Ségur gave a terrifying description of the effect of the Russian winter that started in November 1812.

This source is a part of the The Napoleonic Experience teaching module.

The Burning of Moscow as Seen by One of Napoleon’s Generals

Philippe de Ségur served as Quartermaster–General during the invasion of Russia and had accompanied Napoleon on many of his military campaigns.

Another Firsthand View of the Fighting in Portugal

This account by British Private William Wheeler of the 51st Regiment gives a vivid account of the hand–to–hand fighting in Portugal. Wheeler’s letters home were saved by the family and form the basis of their publication in 1949.

An Ordinary British Soldier Recounts the Portuguese Campaign (1810)

This account, probably by Thomas Howell, a soldier of the Highland Light Infantry regiment, offers a firsthand account of the skirmishes between British/Portuguese forces and the French armies. Little is known about Howell except that he was born in 1790 of Methodist parents.

The Continental System (1806)

Since 1793, the French government had carried out policies intended to ruin British commerce; it hoped in this way to eliminate or at least dampen the British will to join in and its ability to finance military coalitions against the French.