The concept of the bodyguard is as ancient as the practice of an individual assuming the leadership of a group or tribe. From the Companions of Alexander to the Varangians of Byzantium, bodies of elite warriors, owing personal allegiance to their sovereign and obeying no others, have illuminated or stained the annals of military history. Napoleon's Imperial Guards probably represent the last true link in a chain spanning the ages. Philip Haythornthwaite describes the history, organization and equipment of Napoleon's Guard Infantry during the Napoleonic Wars period (1799-1815) in an engaging work which includes numerous illustrations and eight full page color plates superbly drawn by Bryan Fosten."
- ISBN10 0850455340
- ISBN13 9780850455342
- Publish Date 26 July 1984
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 19 January 2006
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Osprey Publishing
- Format Paperback
- Pages 48
- Language English