Text in French A century of blood is coming to an end. Begun with the War of the Spanish Succession under the reign of an elderly Louis XIV, it ended with the American War of Independence and that of the first years of the Revolution. From now on, we find at the head of France, a "triumvirate." All, except Napoleon, are new men who have not soaked in the political combinations of the late Directory. Hope for a peaceful future rests on them. In 1800, Napoleon was thirty-one. He is new to politics. Will he succeed in restoring confidence in the country; to be treated as equals with the belligerent powers? And will the extraordinary victory of Marengo be, finally, herald of a new found peace? The last element of the triptych dedicated to the glory years of General Bonaparte, this abundantly illustrated work by Lionel Marquis recounts the political and military events that took place in this year 1800, a crucial year which marks the birth of a new century.