Leggere Cesare a Sant’Elena. Il Précis des guerres de César

Abstract

During his exile on Saint Helena, in the light of wide-ranging reading and frequent conversations with his generals, Napoleon composed the Précis des guerres de César, which was published after his death. This work, as well as Napoleon’s annotations on the books of his library and the memoirs of his lieutenants, give evidence on the Empereur’s twofold attitude towards Caesar’s Commentarii: for Napoleon, Caesar was not merely a model or an inspira­tion, but a military competitor too. Moreover, Caesar’s campaigns prompted Napoleon to draw a comparison between ancient and modern warfare.