author
Charles Napier
1786–1860
A hard-fighting admiral with a flair for independence, he served across the Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812, the Syrian campaign, and the Crimean War. His long career also included a remarkable spell commanding the Portuguese navy during the Liberal Wars.
2 Audiobooks
The War in Syria, Volume 1 (of 2)
by Charles Napier
The War in Syria, Volume 2 (of 2)
by Charles Napier
About the author
Born in Scotland in 1786, Sir Charles John Napier spent about sixty years in naval service and became one of the best-known British admirals of his day. He built a reputation for courage, blunt opinions, and a willingness to challenge convention, qualities that made him both admired and controversial.
Napier saw action in major conflicts from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars to the War of 1812, and later took command in the eastern Mediterranean and the Baltic. One of the most unusual chapters in his career came when he led the Portuguese navy during the Liberal Wars, where his victories helped secure the constitutional cause.
He was also known as a reform-minded officer who took an interest in new naval technology and in the treatment of sailors. By the time of his death in 1860, he had left behind the image of a forceful, outspoken seaman whose career stretched across a transformative era in naval history.