AGEOD Forums

Where your knowledge of Napoleon Age and Warfare does come from?
Report your way to be introduced and get interested with Napoleonic Age.
Multiple selections allowed in the pool.

Basically wargames inspire me to read and reading inspires me to wargame.

Heldenkaiser wrote:Basically wargames inspire me to read and reading inspires me to wargame.

+1
On the poll i voted for half the options : books, movies, boardgames, PC games, webs and forums... all this sources have served me to learn and become interested on the Napoleonic era
Cheers!

I am an amateur historian, so like hisotry generally. As for Napoleon himself, it was the film Waterloo that made me want to know something about who he was and what he did. This is only recently, and I have found him one of the truly fascinating characters of history. Is he a hero or villain? The Hitler/Anti-christ of his generation or the embodiment of human energy and tenacity and what it can acheive.

Maybe the line he says in the film somes it up: 'Is that all I shall leave for my son? The limits of glory?'

Heldenkaiser wrote:Basically wargames inspire me to read and reading inspires me to wargame.

+1

Basically, a childhood-and-since fascination with war gaming has been my lure to a love of history in general. That, and early music, too!

Not strictly napoleonic, but my interest in military history started in my chilhood, when I played with things like this

http://www.teacuerdas.com/nostalgia-juguetes-baraja-uniformes.htm



What times that will never come back

Heldenkaiser wrote:Basically wargames inspire me to read and reading inspires me to wargame.

My +1

On my own, basically wargames inspire me to searching and searching inspires me to wargame modding!

Andriko wrote:The Hitler/Anti-christ of his generation or the embodiment of human energy and tenacity and what it can acheive.

Why not both two, as well represented in War and Peace!

I wasn't going to include movies, but I DID learn alot from Woody Allen's "Love and Death"

A semi-serious statement by a French historian says it all: There was no such person as Napoleon, he did not exist.

My interpretation of that statement: The Napoleon that we know of did not exist. What we know of him today has been shaped and distorted by the peeves and rants, proponents and opposition of vastly different ideas of his time, of romanticism, classicism, the revolution, republicanism, monarchy, nationalism, secularism, and religion. When people speak of Napoleon, they speak of their own beliefs, ideals, and fears and attribute them to him.

Only a myth can be murderer and saint, tyrant and savior at the same time.

Rod Steiger got the myth right in the film "Waterloo"...."Soldiers of the Fifth!...IF you want to kill your Emperor *heheh*, here I am!"

My first history book I have read at the age of nine was a book about Napoleon Bonaparte from Victor Cronin as I remember.This was the start of a good collection of about 200 history books especially military history with a specialization on late roman history,the American Civil War and World WarII and the Third Reich.In my school days I got only one very good teacher in history,a female professor which has inspired me for a more intensive study of historical books and history to learn more about the evolution of the mankind and failures which have happened and to learn how humans can prevent things like the Holocaust.
Nowadays I play pc strategy games and to expand my knowledge I am buying books to which the games often refering.I have done so as I played Rome Total War or Shogun Total War or Medieval Total War and since playing AGEOD titles I have done so as I played BOA and AACW and NCP.Now I own about one dozen books about the ACW therefore McPherson´s "Battlecry of Freedom" in German.And so I am often buying strategy games which are based on good historical research like the AGEOD titles.So I must tell you that AGEOD has inspired me for a more intensive study of history especially the ACW. For that I have to thank a lot to AGEOD,above all to PhilThib(from his pc games I own a whole lot) and to Pocus which are in my eyes the best pc games developer I have ever seen. And I am playing pc games since March 1991 especially strategy and often some good rpgs.

heartful greetings

Hohenlohe,who is a great AGEOD fan...

Hohenlohe wrote:In my school days I got only one very good teacher in history,a female professor which has inspired me for a more intensive study of historical books and history to learn more about the evolution of the mankind and failures which have happened and to learn how humans can prevent things like the Holocaust.

I also had a good history teacher during high school. The fire in her eyes as she told us about Napoleon, Bismarck, and the revolution inspired me. To me then, history was just good stories. A professor, Edmund Wehrle, introduced me to the works of Paul Kennedy and Fernand Braudel, and showed me that history is more than generals with big egos and big talks. I came to appreciate the great force that shaped history from behind the scene: economy. Behind every noble cause is economic necessity. For me now, history is just a hobby -- I did not pursue it professionally. I play boardgames and PC games. The latter mainly gives me the bang-bangs of history.

It is remarkable that your history lessons are based on the prevention of the holocaust. Most of the history of the world are written to show: why-we-are-better-than-them, how-to-win-the-next-war, we-didn't-do-it.

Dear Walter, my teacher was a student in the early 40ies in Munich and was in contact with the resistance group of the White Rose and knew the Sister Scholz who lead that group in Munich.She inspired me even in learning about the old Romans and their history.She gave me reason to question political decisions nowadays and in the past and to develop my own opinion.If I had not study catholic theology I would have study history.But thats a story in itself and nowadays I read history books only as a personal hobby and I try to understand how politics,history and economic are related with each other.
For example since the fall of communism the political behaviour of some east european states remember me to the situation of the Twenties in the 20th century.Especially Poland or Czech Republic in their relation to Germany.I hope that the European Union will help to unite Europe and develop new ties between their member states and to bring a better future for coming generations.I think that history helps us to learn about ourselves and to be prepared for the future.So far my personal opinion.

heartly greetings

Hohenlohe,who loves reading history books...

I read Paul Kennedy: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers.
I could think books like that are behind past PhilThib works as Europa Universalis......

notice:
[color="Purple"]Have to warn last gentlemen posting here!
Their discussion, but interesting and moderate, is going to cross the thin line of politic, a think not allowed here.[/color]
Take my suggestion friendly!
JastaV

I read the Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler and Moscow 1812 by Adam Zamoyski and varios Osprey titles to get my Napoleonic Knowledge. I'm an Amateur Historian always looking for more knowledge.

Comtedemeighan wrote:I read the Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler and Moscow 1812 by Adam Zamoyski and varios Osprey titles to get my Napoleonic Knowledge. I'm an Amateur Historian always looking for more knowledge.

D. Chandler is my favourite historians for Napoleonic age. He's often behind Osprey titles, too.

The Campaigns of Napoleon
Napoleon's Marshals
Waterloo-The Hundred Days
are the only works available in an Italian edition, AFAIK.