Actual rating: 3,5/5 stars "One of the main differences between the court of Napoleon I and others is that his court was a conscious creation of the monarch's will. It was not the product of centuries of traditions and accumulated "rights". It was formed at the beginning of the nineteenth century and all its officials were selected, often to their own surprise, by the Emperor himself. Thus the court reveals as much about the Emperor's character as it does about the society of his day. It shows how the greatest genius to sit on a throne interpreted his role as a monarch." (S. 29f.) If someone expects a rough insight in Napoleon’s court he has to look out for a different book. This one is complex, seriously researched for and incredibly well thought-out so that it is not suitable as a parallel read. Against the background of Napoleon’s biography in seven chapters one gets to know what it was all about the institution „court“ and what was special about Napoleon’s. The members are scrutinized as well as their relationships to each other and to the Emperor, but also the different interests, the court’s political function, the other Bonaparte courts for comparison and much more. The text is supported by commented pictures and quotes. The former show different buildings, e.g. Napoleon’s numerous palaces, or people and events mentioned in the text so that you can take a break by looking at them and better process the information this way. A myriad of quotes by contemporary witnesses immensely contribute to the illustration of the facts. It has to be said, also, that it is a good thing to have basic French skills since you stumble upon a lot of expressions in this language which can supposedly be confusing if you do not have an idea what they might mean. You easily notice the book was not written for everyone. It is an advantage to bring along some knowledge about Napoleon and his reign otherwise some connections could be inscrutable. This does not apply for the whole book but the author makes it clear it is addressed to readers who want to deal with the subject seriously. A proof by itself is the fact there are suitable numbers for all facts and topics which are used frequently and generously. The amount of names is almost bigger. There are incredibly many persons who play a role and at some point I could not distinguish one from the other any more, except for Napoleon’s family members. Yet all the princes, dukes, ladies and others as well as the numbers made the reading very difficult for me. If the author Régine Pernoud rings a bell for anyone they might vaguely know what I am talking about. She also likes to use innumerable names which have sometimes brought me to despair. Likewise, the reading process of "The Eagle in Splendour" turned out to be particularly tenacious but I am sure for the right reader (for example a historian) this book has to be of inestimable value. But I also know Mansel can write differently. There are countless passages which I considered to be great since he expresses his thoughts in a way you can easily follow them and he shows more than tells. What is matching the seriousness of this work is the clear structure which is intended to support the reading and indeed helps to conquer rather dull parts. All in all, I can tell I collected a lot of fresh knowledge from the book. I found Mansel's theses about the court’s function and its collapse as well as about the discrepancy between Napoleon’s relative unpopularity during his lifetime and the large acknowledgment after his death especially thrilling. Besides, the author always presents subjects from different perspectives so that you do not stay focused on one point of view. I noticed I had a very inaccurate view on Napoleon and now I am happy for having been enlightened. This means I can look forward to compare the acquired knowledge with information on topic presented in other books. To sum up: A not so easily readable piece of literature with a countless amount of information which should be really interesting for experts but for the first approach to the topic it is rather unsuitable.