Learning about Napoleon need never be boring again, not since a British television drama, based on the books of Bernard Cornwell, hit the airwaves in 1993. Featuring Lord of the Rings star Sean Bean, this fifteen-part series follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a fictionalized British soldier fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Mixed with Sharpe’s adventures, you’ll find nearly all of the major players and events in Napoleon’s campaigns. In other words, your kids can learn about Napoleon, Wellington, and every major battle in the Napoleonic wars effortlessly. In fact, they may even look forward to it. I suggest that you start with the first episode, Sharpe’s Rifles. Once you are hooked on this engaging series, you can pick up the Rifle Collection, which contains the first five episodes, next the Sword Collection, and finally the Revenge Collection. The series is family friendly, with moderately mature content. Think Indiana Jones with an edge. I am also delight to inform you that this series is now available through Netfix and Blockbuster, making it a history lesson affordable to everyone. I can’t recommend this series enough.

Final Note: This series was so popular in Britian that when the Napoleonic campaigns were over and won, signaling the end of the series, fans demanded more. Happily, history obliged and the BBC is currently producing a new season; the first episode, Sharpe’s Challenge, was just released in August and is available now on Netfix. In it, we learn about the British and Indian conflicts of the early 1800s. Two years after the Duke of Wellington crushed Napoleon at Waterloo, dispatches from India warned of a local Maharaja, Khande Rao, threatening British interests. In this first episode, Wellington sends Sharpe to investigate what turns out to be his most dangerous mission to date. Very family friendly, the entire Sharpe collection continues to be a great way to get kids hooked on history.