Nelson
The Sword of Albion
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5.0 • 5 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The most authoritative and intimate portrait written of Horatio Nelson
In this epic biography of British history's most celebrated naval commander, acclaimed historian John Sugden separates fact from myth to offer a powerful portrait of the military hero of Trafalgar.
As was true of the Sugden's riveting account of Horatio Nelson's early years (Nelson: A Dream of Glory, 2005), this comprehensive life of Lord Nelson is built from largely overlooked primary documents, letters, and diaries that reach across two centuries to invite us to share Nelson's multifaceted life in the Napoleonic Wars.
The Sword of Albion offers the sweep and intimacy of first-rate historical fiction—revealing the interior lives, for example, of Lord Nelson's wife, Fanny and family and the caring and more passionate Emma, Lady Hamilton, who nursed the war-weary hero back to health in Naples and London after his brilliant victory over the Spanish fleet at Cape St. Vincent in 1797 and the stunning defeat at Tenerife that cost Nelson his right arm.
Today's reader comes to understand that every obstacle in Nelson's path was attacked head-on with an Achilles-like ferocity and resolve. Yet his life was no steady upward trajectory; it was instead plagued by injuries and debt for the commoner admiral in a royal navy and English society dominated by lineage and property. As Sugden points out, "His life was a mission with the essence of a tour de force, hurrying toward a bloody climax that would change the fate of empires."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Picking up where Sugden's Nelson: A Dream of Glory, 1758 1797 left off, this superb warts-and-all biography details the awe-inspiring ups and downs of the final eight years of British Admiral Horatio Nelson's life. After the then-39-year-old Nelson lost an arm in the Royal Navy's 1797 defeat at Tenerife, he returned home to convalesce with his loving wife, Frances. Quickly reappointed to command, Nelson achieved a stunning victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Emerging as an international superhero, he was elevated to the peerage and inspired a torrent of songs, snuff boxes, jewelry, and other commemorative memorabilia. Nelson's hunger for adoration impelled him to manipulate the press, flaunt his decorations for posterity, and enter into a notorious affair with the bewitching wife of Britain's ambassador to Naples but it also drove him to push ever forward militarily, even in the face of extreme opposition. After several successful campaigns, Nelson was killed in the critical victory over the French and Spanish at the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, one of the greatest British naval triumphs since the 1588 defeat of the Spanish Armada. In addition to expertly depicting the intricacies of maritime warfare, Sugden's meticulously researched, highly readable work will no doubt be the definitive portrait of a brilliant, fearless, inspiring warrior beset by flaws and vulnerabilities. 33 illus.
