Philip J. Haythornthwaite

FRHistS The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

(born 1951) is an author and historical consultant specialising in military history, uniforms, and equipment. While his main area of research is the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, his list of publications covers a wider period from the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

through to 1939.

Works

Since 1973, Haythornthwaite has had over 80 books published, in addition to numerous articles and papers on military history. Much of this output through the publishers

Orion Books Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...

and Osprey Publishing, is directed at the popular market. His works ''The Armies of Wellington'' and ''Redcoats, The British Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars'' as well as '' Picton’s Division at Waterloo'' are works of research. Other work includes Haythornthwaite preparation of new editions of several well-known

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

memoirs: ''Life in Napoleon’s Army: the Memoirs of Captain Elzear Blaze'' ''In the Peninsula with a French Hussar: Memoirs of the War of the French in Spain''.

Awards

Haythornthwaite is a Fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

and a Member of the British Commission for Military History. In 2015 he was awarded a ''Certificate in Recognition of Lifetime Achievement'' jointly by the BCMH and the Peninsular War 200 organisation.Peninsular War 200 was the official UK organisation for the commemoration of the Peninsular War - President : General Sir

Nick Parker General Sir Nicholas Ralph Parker, (born 13 October 1954) is a former British Army officer who served as Commander Land Forces (formerly Commander-in-Chief, Land Forces) until December 2012. As a general officer, Parker served in Northern Irel ...

Select bibliography

Orion Books * * *
''The Armies of Wellington'' is the most comprehensive account ever published of the effect of this one man on the British Army during the Napoleonic era. * * Osprey Publishing 35 titles between 1983 and 2016 * * Pen & Sword Books * *
In this landmark book, Haythornthwaite traces the career of a British soldier from enlistment, through the key stages of his path through the military system, including combat, all the way to his eventual discharge. *
He concentrates on the famous Fifth Division, commanded by Sir

Thomas Picton Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Picton (24 August 175818 June 1815) was a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. According to the historian Alessandro Barbero, Picton was "respected for his courage and feared for his irascible t ...

, which was a key element in Wellington's Reserve. The experiences of this division form a microcosm of those of the entire army. Other published works * *

Collaborations

With Jack Cassin-Scott and John Fabb: *

References

British military historians Historians of the Napoleonic Wars 1951 births Living people Fellows of the Royal Historical Society {{UK-historian-stub