The year 1815, in which The Count of Monte Cristo begins, was a watershed year in European history. It brought to a conclusion over twenty years of war. The turbulence had begun in 1789, with the outbreak of the French Revolution. In 1792, France established itself as a republic, and King Louis XVI was beheaded on January 21, 1793. Revolutionary France alarmed the rest of Europe with its aggressive territorial ambitions, and within two months of the king's execution, a general European war broke out. It was during this war that Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born on the island of Corsica, rose to power within the French Army and transformed it into a formidable military force. In 1799, he seized control of France, and in 1804 declared himself emperor. Until 1812, Napoleon controlled most of Europe. But he overreached himself by invading Russia in 1812. After his army was forced...