No More Napoleons: How Britain managed Europe from Waterloo to World War One
25 Sep 2025 17:00 - 10:00 Online event
How did Britain, a small island state burdened with war debt, emerge from the Napoleonic era to become the architect of European stability and a global maritime empire?
Join us for an online conversation with acclaimed naval historian Professor Andrew Lambert, whose new book No More Napoleons offers a bold reinterpretation of Britain’s 19th-century foreign policy. Lambert reveals how, in the wake of Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat, Britain reshaped the European balance of power—intervening from offshore, manipulating continental alliances, and expanding its naval dominance.
Rather than seeking control of the continent, Britain ensured no single power could dominate it. From the diplomacy of the Duke of Wellington to the quiet threat of British sea power, No More Napoleons tells the story of a century-long strategy that kept Europe in check—until the collapse of this fragile system in 1914.
Lambert will be in conversation with Dr Hugo Bromley, exploring the legacy of Britain’s balancing act and what it can tell us about maritime strategy, power projection, and geopolitical risk today.
https://www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/47896/