In the summer of 1793 French Royalists surrendered the great naval base at Toulon to the British, intending this to be the springboard for a full-scale counter-revolution. A multi-national taskforce led by the British, and including Spanish, Austrian and Italian forces, landed in the city. But the Royalists' hopes were dashed: the Revolutionaries reacted with great speed and violence. Instead of striking into France, the Royalists and their foreign allies were besieged in Toulon. Among the Republican forces was a young artillery officer who soon made a name for himself: Napoleon Bonaparte. The stage was set for tragedy.Bernard Ireland's popular and accessible account of the fall of Toulon brings to life a savage episode in European history.