Jeremy Black (UCL) Why, enquires Dr. Black, did France stand so large and powerful and yet fail to achieve hegemony in Europe? The question rather begs why France should have done so, since though large and wealthy it was not overpowering. But who cares, this is an opportunity for examining the diplomatic terrain from one great French monarch to another. Most histories either take only one time period or consider matters in greater detail. Black allows none of this. To him wars are merely methods to improve the effectiveness of one's diplomats. France passes through aggression, to the careful peace of Fleury and on to Napoleon. As France misses the opportunities Russia's population grows and so does the Royal Navy. Unsurprisingly a Habsburg-Bourbon alliance is the answer, one that the Corsican Brothers refused. This is a clever book on an interesting topic that allows one to see the similarities and differences across so long a period. More Old Duffer's Book Corner (book reviews) Exercise of Arms: Warfare in the Netherlands 1568-1648 The Anglo-Scots Wars 1513-1550 Seapower and Naval Warfare 1650-1830 The Making of A World Power The Punic Wars The Roman Army At War 100BC – AD200 The Collapse and Recovery of the Roman Empire The Victory of Seapower: Winning the Napoleonic War 1806-1814 Vittoria 1813 The Battle of Koniggratz 1866 and The History of K.u.K Infantry Regiment Graf Khevenhuller-Metsch Nr 35 Patton The Navy At War 1939-1945 Medieval Warfare From Louis XIV to Napoleon: The Fall of A Great Power The Army of Francis Joseph Back to Perfidious Albion #100 Table of Contents Back to Perfidious Albion List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Charles and Teresa Vasey. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com