Kutuzov A Life in War and Peace

A Russian war hero who defeated Napoleon and became a mythic military figure.

Alexander Mikaberidze's latest book is the first modern English-language biography of Mikhail Golenischev-Kutuzov, the famed Russian Field Marshal and central character of Leo Tolstoy's epic "War and Peace." One of the most important military minds of the period, he is credited with defeating
Napoleon and saving Russia, though his fame is not limited to the Napoleonic wars. As it often happens with national heroes, Kutuzov gradually became larger than life, a messianic character who led Holy Russia against the evils of the Revolution and anarchy; the Soviet leaders later exploited his
personality for even more grandiose schemes.

The real Kutuzov was gradually replaced by a mythical character who appeared at a time of great danger to save Russia. The impact of this propaganda can be still seen in modern Russia: In 2000, the public opinion poll showed that majority of the Russians consider Kutuzov as "the Person of the 19th
Century," far ahead of famous writers Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy, composer Peter Tchaikovsky or scientist Dmitry Mendeleyev, while the 2017 public opinion poll placed Kutuzov in the top twenty of the most distinguished historical personalities in world history (slightly behind Napoleon).

As much as Kutuzov is venerated in Russia, he remains an overlooked figure in the West, with Western historiography comprising of just a handful of titles in English, French or German, the vast majority of them translations of older Soviet works or derived from them. This book provides a new
biography of the field marshal, examining his personal life and military/diplomatic accomplishments, and relying on a wide range of primary and secondary sources as well as Russian archival material. Mikaberidze offers a fresh look at the historical figure whose character remains elusive but whose
accomplishments are irrefutable.

Alexander Mikaberidze is Professor of History and Ruth Herrin Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University-Shreveport. He holds a degree in international law from Tbilisi State University and a Ph.D. in history from Florida State University. An expert on the Napoleonic Wars, Dr. Mikaberidze has
written and edited over two dozen books, including multi-volume series on the Russian eyewitness accounts of the Napoleonic Wars and a trilogy on the decisive moments of the Russian Campaign of 1812: Napoleon versus Kutuzov: The Battle of Borodino (2007), Napoleon's Trial by Fire: The Burning of
Moscow (2014) and Napoleon's Great Escape: The Battle on the Berezina (2010). His latest book, on the global impact of the Napoleonic Wars, is The Napoleonic Wars:
A Global History (2020). He is currently one of the editors of the multi-volume Cambridge History of the Napoleonic Wars.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Early Years
Chapter 2: Baptism by Fire
Chapter 3: The Master and the Apprentice
Chapter 4: To the Porte and Back
Chapter 5: Kutuzov the Courtier, 1797-1801
Chapter 6: Confronting Napoleon
Chapter 7: The Eclipse of Austerlitz, 1805
Chapter 8: The Years of Exile, 1806-1810
Chapter 9: To the Danubian Provinces and Back
Chapter 10: The Fateful Year, 1812
Chapter 11: Defeating Napoleon
Chapter 12: The Last Campaign, 1813
Notes
Bibliography
Index