Napoleon Boot camp

Firstly, a big thank you to all the hard work and resilience of the supporting artists who helped make this movie.

My job is to train mass numbers in the basics of drills and tactics of the projects target period in the shortest time possible in a safe and controlled environment.

Everyone is required to go through a rigorous assessment to ensure everyone is fit and healthy.

Prior preparation and training before a shoot ensures everyone knows their role in the bigger picture on the day.

More photos will be posted in due course.

We can advise, not dictate.

Historical advisors are on hand to advise on the history of the project.

Military advisors are on hand to assist the director in forming the supporting artists to the desired look of his direction.

Advisers can only advise. We cannot insist as its not our train set.

We make drama, not documentaries.

ROUSTAM RAZA. NAPOLEON’S BODYGUARD.

Roustam served Napoleon for fifteen years. Also known as Roustan or Rustam and was Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous Mamluk bodyguard.

born in Tbilisi, Georgia to Armenian parents. At thirteen Roustam was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Cairo.

The Turks gave him the name Idzhahia. The sheikh of Cairo presented him to General Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 where he became
the great emperor’s famous bodyguard, and soon accompanied Napoleon in peace and wars.

Every morning Roustam, together with Louis Constant Wairy, the Emperor’s personal valet, helped Napoleon bathe and get dressed. During the day, Roustam was constantly at Napoleon’s side, regardless of whether the emperor was on the battlefield.

At night, he slept in an entrance to the emperor’s bedroom, where a small bed was laid for him. If there existed a suspicion of a conspiracy against Napoleon, then he slept right in front of the door, blocking it.

Roustam can be seen in many paintings close to Napoleon at all times.

He accompanied the emperor in the first/second wars of Austria, Prussia, Poland, Spain, Moscow, Dresden, Italy, Venice, France, Dutch and was wounded several times. He is said to have had an influence and played a role on some of the most sensitive decisions made by Napoleon.

Roustan served as a bodyguard of Napoleon until 1814.

In 1814, the end of the French Campaign also put an end to the Emperor and Mamluk’s long relationship. When Napoleon tried to commit suicide at the Château de Fontainebleau and asked Roustam for his pistols, He knew he would be inevitably accused of his masters murder. If he disobeyed the emperor’s order he would be branded a traitor so took fright and ran off to Paris to join his wife,

Napoleon wad exiled to island Elba. In March of 1815, Napoleon returned from his exile and got his title of the Emperor back, but refused to accept Roustan back or even read his letters asking for forgiveness.

Roustan settled in Durdan, where he wrote the book titled as “Life of Roustam Raza till 1814.” Roustam Raza died on December 7, 1845, and was buried in Durdan.