The Journal of Jean Victor de Constant-Rebecque Volume 1, 1787-1805

The Journal of Jean Victor de Constant-Rebecque is an eyewitness account of a Swiss officer’s life during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including escaping a massacre in Paris, fighting against France, frequenting royal courts, and playing a key role in the Battle of Waterloo. It is available here for the first time, in English, in its entirety.

For those seeking detailed insight into an individual navigating the key courts and campaigns of this period, Constant-Rebecque’s accounts of the French Revolution, the Peninsular War, the Battle of Waterloo, and his tutorship with a future Dutch King compile a uniquely extensive account of many of the era’s pivotal events. A rare occurrence where a single writer shares his first-hand experience through the start and end of these storied conflicts.

In Volume I, he leaves home at the age of 13 to begin his military career in the service of the King of France. He witnessed the storm clouds of the Revolution and then the bloodshed that ensued. He joins his cousin in the army of the Dutch Republic and engages in its struggle to save that regime. Remaining loyal to the House of Orange, he shared its exile in Germany and secured a commission in the Prussian army. During this time, he witnessed the army and court life as Prussia inexorably slid towards war with Napoleon.

Lavishly illustrated with colour artwork created by Constant-Rebecque at the time, the journal is unique for the breadth and depth of the narrative it provides for many of the key moments of one of the most momentous periods in European history.