Napoleon's Lost Legions
French Prisoners of War in Britain, 1803–1814
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9877656 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gavin Daly (0000-0003-4122-7810, University of Tasmania, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue | 295 |
| Pages | 361-380 |
| Publication date | 2004-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2648 • E-ISSN: 1468-229X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-229x.2004.00304.x |
| OpenAlex | W1969823797 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 11 |
During the Napoleonic Wars, over 100,000 French prisoners of war were held captive in Britain. These prisoners remain a marginal group in the military history of the period, yet they represent a key turning point in the history of European prisoners of war, and their predicament offers insights into the nature of the French Revolution. This article considers the treatment and experiences of French prisoners, and in particular seeks to understand the circumstances surrounding their long‐term captivity. Unlike eighteenth‐century prisoners of war, prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars remained captive for the duration of the conflict, unable to return home through the traditional means of prisoner exchange or officer parole. This radical departure from the past gave rise to the modern practice of interning prisoners of war for the entire duration of a war. This historic shift was, on the one level, a result of the actions of one man – Napoleon Bonaparte. Yet, as this article highlights, it must also be understood as part of the long‐term social and cultural legacy of the French Revolution
Aesthetics · Ancient history · Art · Criminology · Duration (music · Economic history · French revolution · Literature · Military history · Officer · Period (music · Political science · Politics · Prisoners of war · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Turning point · World War II · European Political History Analysis · Historical Studies and Socio-cultural Analysis · History · Law · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies
Control or Repression
All at Sea
Incarceration Conditions of the French Prisoners of War in the British Prison in Chatham in 1803-1814
Surprisingly gentle confinement
Norman Cross
Whole Shew and Spectacle
Convict Transportation from Britain and Ireland 1615–1870
Hidden presences
English Smugglers, the Channel, and the Napoleonic Wars, 1800–1814
French Prisoners of War, Conflicts of Honour, and Social Inversions in England, 1744–1783
Judging Freedom and Loyalty in Venezuela during the War of Spanish Independence
| Unique citing works | 11 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,55 |
| Citation span | 2006 - 2025 (20) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 11 |