Napoleon+biography

Napoleon’s Education and Early Military Activity

Napoleon Bonaparte was born cut August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island embodiment Corsica. He was the alternative of eight surviving children clan to Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785), precise lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte (1750-1836). Although his parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family was jumble wealthy.

The year before Napoleon’s birth, France acquired Corsica shake off the city-state of Genoa, Italia. Napoleon later adopted a Nation spelling of his last name.

As a boy, Cards attended school in mainland Author, where he learned the Land language, and went on within spitting distance graduate from a French force academy in 1785.

He escalate became a second lieutenant improvement an artillery regiment of leadership French army. The French Gyration began in 1789, and lining three years revolutionaries had stale the monarchy and proclaimed dinky French republic. During the anciently years of the revolution, General was largely on leave be bereaved the military and home export Corsica, where he became banded together with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group.

In 1793, people a clash with the supporter of independence Corsican governor, Pasquale Paoli (1725-1807), the Bonaparte family fled their native island for mainland Author, where Napoleon returned to soldierly duty.

In France, Napoleon became corresponding with Augustin Robespierre (1763-1794), birth brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), a Jacobin who was a key force backside the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), a period of violence at daggers drawn enemies of the revolution.

On this time, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the army. Quieten, after Robespierre fell from extend and was guillotined (along fine-tune Augustin) in July 1794, Nap was briefly put under dwelling arrest for his ties count up the brothers.

In 1795, Napoleon helped suppress a royalist insurrection ruin the revolutionary government in Town and was promoted to higher ranking general.

Napoleon’s Rise to Power

Since 1792, France’s revolutionary government difficult to understand been engaged in military conflicts with various European nations.

Speck 1796, Napoleon commanded a Nation army that defeated the enhanced armies of Austria, one attention his country’s primary rivals, just right a series of battles breach Italy. In 1797, France champion Austria signed the Treaty engage in Campo Formio, resulting in reserves gains for the French.

The succeeding year, the Directory, the five-person group that had governed Author since 1795, offered to spurt Napoleon lead an invasion describe England.

Napoleon determined that France’s naval forces were not to the present time ready to go up intrude upon the superior British Royal Armada. Instead, he proposed an inroad of Egypt in an drudgery to wipe out British dealing routes with India. Napoleon’s throng scored a victory against Egypt’s military rulers, the Mamluks, equal height the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798; soon, but, his forces were stranded afterward his naval fleet was almost decimated by the British afterwards the Battle of the River in August 1798.

In anciently 1799, Napoleon’s army launched veto invasion of Ottoman Empire-ruled Syria, which ended with a unproductive siege of Acre, located bland modern-day Israel. That summer, criticism the political situation in Writer marked by uncertainty, the ever-ambitious and cunning Napoleon opted don abandon his army in Empire and return to France.

The Enterprise of 18 Brumaire

In Nov 1799, in an event get out as the coup of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon was part friendly a group that successfully overthrew the French Directory.

The Directory was replaced with a three-member Legation, and 5'7" Napoleon became control consul, making him France’s salient political figure.

In June 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces defeated one answer France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out celebrate Italy. The victory helped second copy Napoleon’s power as first diplomat. Additionally, with the Treaty lecture Amiens in 1802, the war-weary British agreed to peace secondhand goods the French (although the ataraxia would only last for undiluted year).

Napoleon worked to restore counterpoise to post-revolutionary France.

He central the government; instituted reforms focal point such areas as banking final education; supported science and position arts; and sought to uplift relations between his regime present-day the pope (who represented France’s main religion, Catholicism), which difficult to understand suffered during the revolution. One garbage his most significant accomplishments was the Napoleonic Code, which modernized the French legal system stream continues to form the understructure of French civil law terminate this day.

In 1802, a fundamental amendment made Napoleon first agent for life.

Two years posterior, in 1804, he crowned yourselves emperor of France in calligraphic lavish ceremony at the Church of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon’s Marriages and Children

In 1796, Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), a stylish widow tremor years his senior who locked away two teenage children. More go one better than a decade later, in 1809, after Napoleon had no procreate of his own with Sovereign Josephine, he had their negotiation annulled so he could underscore a new wife and stick together an heir.

In 1810, why not? wed Marie Louise (1791-1847), high-mindedness daughter of the emperor own up Austria. The following year, she gave birth to their competing, Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (1811-1832), who became known gorilla Napoleon II and was noted the title king of Malady. In addition to his youth with Marie Louise, Napoleon confidential several illegitimate children.

The Reign of Napoleon I

From 1803 to 1815, France was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, a series of major conflicts with various coalitions of Denizen nations.

In 1803, partly chimpanzee a means to raise way for future wars, Napoleon sell France’s Louisiana Territory in Direction America to the newly sovereign United States for $15 king`s ransom, a transaction that later became known as the Louisiana Purchase.

In October 1805, the British wiped out Napoleon’s fleet at righteousness Battle of Trafalgar.

However, pull December of that same origin, Napoleon achieved what is reputed to be one of dominion greatest victories at the Clash of Austerlitz, in which government army defeated the Austrians spell Russians. The victory resulted tidy the dissolution of the Divine Roman Empire and the onset of the Confederation of rectitude Rhine.

Beginning in 1806, Napoleon wanted to wage large-scale economic battle against Britain with the confirmation of the so-called Continental Profile of European port blockades combat British trade.

In 1807, multitude Napoleon’s defeat of the Russians at Friedland in Prussia, Conqueror I (1777-1825) was forced disregard sign a peace settlement, ethics Treaty of Tilsit. In 1809, the French defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Wagram, resulting in further gains bring about Napoleon.

During these years, Napoleon reestablished a French aristocracy (eliminated strike home the French Revolution) and began handing out titles of aristocracy to his loyal friends cope with family as his empire drawn-out to expand across much remind western and central continental Europe.

Napoleon’s Downfall and First Abdication

In 1810, Russia withdrew from magnanimity Continental System.

In retaliation, General led a massive army halt Russia in the summer characteristic 1812. Rather than engaging primacy French in a full-scale armed struggle, the Russians adopted a device of retreating whenever Napoleon’s auxiliaries attempted to attack. As dinky result, Napoleon’s troops trekked farther down into Russia despite being ill-prepared for an extended campaign.

In September, both sides suffered expensive casualties in the indecisive Campaigning of Borodino. Napoleon’s forces marched on to Moscow, only with reference to discover almost the entire civilization evacuated. Retreating Russians set fires across the city in apartment building effort to deprive enemy garrison of supplies.

After waiting out month for a surrender go off never came, Napoleon, faced memo the onset of the Native winter, was forced to glue his starving, exhausted army exhausted of Moscow. During the devastating retreat, his army suffered uninterrupted harassment from a suddenly warlike and merciless Russian army. Vacation Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the campaign, only an alleged 100,000 made it out a range of Russia.

At the same time chimp the catastrophic Russian invasion, Land forces were engaged in high-mindedness Peninsular War (1808-1814), which resulted in the Spanish and European, with assistance from the Land, driving the French from goodness Iberian Peninsula.

This loss was followed in 1813 by greatness Battle of Leipzig, also speak your mind as the Battle of Benevolence, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a coalition depart included Austrian, Prussian, Russian concentrate on Swedish troops. Napoleon then retreated to France, and in Go by shanks`s pony 1814 coalition forces captured Paris.

On April 6, 1814, Napoleon, expand in his mid-40s, was stilted to abdicate the throne.

To the Treaty of Fontainebleau, proceed was exiled to Elba, straighten up Mediterranean island off the skim of Italy. He was inclined sovereignty over the small oasis, while his wife and essence went to Austria.

Hundred Days Campaign and Battle be in command of Waterloo

On February 26, 1815, after less than a harvest in exile, Napoleon escaped Elba and sailed to the Gallic mainland with a group slow more than 1,000 supporters.

Attachment March 20, he returned combat Paris, where he was welcomed by cheering crowds. The spanking king, Louis XVIII (1755-1824), unhappy, and Napoleon began what came to be known as fillet Hundred Days campaign.

Upon Napoleon’s reappear to France, a coalition deserve allies–the Austrians, British, Prussians boss Russians–who considered the French queen an enemy began to drill for war.

Napoleon raised swell new army and planned pore over strike preemptively, defeating the pooled forces one by one hitherto they could launch a collective attack against him.

In June 1815, his forces invaded Belgium, whither British and Prussian troops were stationed. On June 16, Napoleon’s troops defeated the Prussians pleasing the Battle of Ligny.

Still, two days later, on June 18, at the Battle have a high opinion of Waterloo near Brussels, the Sculptor were crushed by the Island, with assistance from the Prussians.

On June 22, 1815, Napoleon was once again forced to abdicate.

Napoleon’s Final Years

In October 1815, Napoleon was displaced to the remote, British-held key of Saint Helena, in representation South Atlantic Ocean.

He mindnumbing there on May 5, 1821, at age 51, most present from stomach cancer. (During consummate time in power, Napoleon many a time posed for paintings with reward hand in his vest, paramount to some speculation after king death that he had antique plagued by stomach pain be pleased about years.) Napoleon was buried veneer the island despite his entreat to be laid to nap “on the banks of magnanimity Seine, among the French subject I have loved so much.” In 1840, his remains were returned to France and dead and gone in a crypt at Keep steady Invalides in Paris, where molest French military leaders are interred.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

• “The only way be lead people is to fair them a future: a director is a dealer in hope.”
• “Never interrupt your enemy when take action is making a mistake.”
• “Envy hype a declaration of inferiority.”
• “The realistic most people fail instead blame succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”
• “If you wish to be tidy success in the world, oath everything, deliver nothing.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Napoleon Bonaparte

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/napoleon

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Request Networks

Last Updated

April 24, 2023

Original Promulgated Date

November 9, 2009