Abel Douay, Gérard Hertault: Schulmeister. Dans les coulisses de la Grande Armée (Schulmeister: Behind the scenes of the Grande Armée)

Made famous by a television series in which he was portrayed by Jacques Fabbri, Karl Schulmeister is a real historical character. He was the most famous spy of the imperial epic, a kind of Napoleonic”James Bond”, in the words of Jean Tulard. In a few years, he went from illegality to the most official (but discreet) duties, from smugglers to notability. Born in Baden and conscripted to the French armies at the end of the revolution, he participated as part of the Grande Armée in the campaigns of the Empire, poisoning “états-majors”, or spying on their organisations. Trusted by General Savary, “aide de camp” and then Minister of the Emperor’s police force, Schulmeister still occupied prominent positions in the forces of occupied territories (especially in Vienna, 1809), while continuing to facilitate effective and feared networks. It is a complete and impartial portrait, established using documents from many largely unexplored archives, both public and private.

Paris: Editions of Fondation Napoléon – Nouveau Monde Éditions, 2002, Series Biographies, 350 pages. Language: French.

To order look at the website of Nouveau Monde Éditions.