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Secret Service: British Agents in France, 1792-1815 (Modern History)
 
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Secret Service: British Agents in France, 1792-1815 (Modern History) (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Sparrow (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 474 pages
  • Publisher: The Boydell Press; illustrated edition edition (2 Dec 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0851157645
  • ISBN-13: 978-0851157641
  • Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.3 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 940,720 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

The whole history of the world war against revolutionary and Napoleonic France now has to be rewritten... a fine piece of secret service history and a most readable account of human beings under pressure. SPECTATOR (M R D Foot) A tour de force of research, an essential document for future students of the subject. JOHN LE CARREBy tracking down a secret-service archive tucked away...for nearly 200 years she can boast a stunning coup. SUNDAY TIMES Better than fiction... fascinating, first ever account of early days in the Secret Service... open(s) up this vast, undiscovered continent in our history. OLDIE Sparrow has done an exceptional job of tracing documents in many archives and reconstructing a story hitherto largely unknown, by piecing these together and brilliantly (and judiciously) reading between the lines... A conspicuous achievement and a valuable contribution to our knowledge of this period as well as of the British secret service, ALBION A study of clandestine operations and subversion... a major work. RUSI JOURNAL


Product Description

"Something rare in the study of a period or a subject: a genuinely substantial addition to knowledge, of a kind that will henceforth need to be taken fully into account in any study of the British conduct of the great French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars." - John Ehrman. "A tour de force of research, an essential document for future students of the subject." - John Le Carre. Elizabeth Sparrow traces the origins of the British secret service to the turbulent aftermath of the French revolution, when Pitt's government, concerned to forestall civil unrest in England, set uppolice surveillance to counteract immigration and sedition. Close study of hitherto unknown Aliens Office documents reveals the expansion of this activity into a foreign secret service, the world of the Scarlet Pimpernel, drawing on an international intelligentsia to infiltrate the French revolutionary government and subsequently, as his domination of Europe seemed ever more certain, Napoleon's military machine. Elizabeth Sparrow is an independent scholar, author of a number of articles on the early history of the British secret service.

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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Espionage as it really happened in the era of Napoleon, 1 Feb 2000
By D. A. Hollins (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
From Mata Hari to the recently opened Mitrokhin archive, it might be thought that effective espionage has only existed in the 20th century, but as the British Director of Military Operations, James Edmonds, commented in 1908, the military successes of Napoleon and Wellington "were largely due to carefully elaborated spy systems". Napoleon himself is reputed to have said that a spy in the right place was worth 40,000 men, although his famous spy Schulmeister was only ever rewarded with plenty of money and not the Legion d'Honneur he reputedly craved. On the other side of the coin, the French would regularly attribute their setbacks to "English gold". The authoress tells the story of the operations run by the British during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Begun by the Aliens Office to control French agitators among the émigrés fleeing Revolutionary France, under Wickham the networks expanded into a system capable of both gathering vital military and political intelligence, while channelling money to the Continental Allies. It should be more accurately described as the activities of both the British and French, as the various French factions and leaders jockey for position backed by Britain. Virtually anyone of any consequence is included, plus unsavoury characters and throughout the story, the shadowy and cunning Joseph Fouche lives a charmed life, keeping just enough incriminating documentation out of Napoleon's way to prevent the Emperor taking decisive action against him. The success of the British network is stunning - they are often in control of the Paris police - as they attempt to support a series of potential new rulers in France (and ultimately Bonaparte). Then, they act in support of their Allies against the expansionist plans of Emperor Napoleon. There were disasters too, especially in 1804, when the network is broken up by Napoleon's men. In fact all the elements of a good spy story are here, including double-crosses, bribes, multiple aliases, assassination conspiracies, spies dressed as monks, the unfortunate souls who found themselves sacrificed to save operations or senior individuals. Naturally, the authoress concentrates on the Anglo-French duel, but there are many interesting details included which influence the Wars in general, notably the Bank of France's near-bankruptcy in Sept 1805. Aside from the murder of Tsar Paul I, something that has remained an opaque subject until this book, she can only briefly look at the activities of the Continental Allies, but there are several smoking guns left east of the Rhine, which are worthy of further investigation. Few books in the last twenty years have added greatly to our knowledge of the Napoleonic period, but this is certainly one of them. Just one word of caution - this is not a James Bond novel! These men were involved in something far more complex and were doing it for real. The first 30 pages or so see a whole series of characters emerging in quick succession as the British deal with the various factions, so take it steady at the start. All becomes clear soon after, especially when the focus turns directly on Consul and later Emperor Napoleon. The real backdrop to many key events emerges - ever wondered how Napoleon eluded the British blockade of Egypt? Essential and worthwhile reading - buy it and no doubt, more will be uncovered about this fascinating subject.
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