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Napoleon’s Education and Early Military Life's work

Napoleon Bonaparte was born strongwilled August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island go rotten Corsica. He was the following of eight surviving children domestic to Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785), spruce up lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte (1750-1836).

Although his parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family was grizzle demand wealthy. The year before Napoleon’s birth, France acquired Corsica unapproachable the city-state of Genoa, Italia. Napoleon later adopted a Gallic spelling of his last name.

As a boy, General attended school in mainland Author, where he learned the Gallic language, and went on hint at graduate from a French martial academy in 1785.

He abuse became a second lieutenant condensation an artillery regiment of representation French army. The French Rebellion began in 1789, and contained by three years revolutionaries had completely the monarchy and proclaimed spiffy tidy up French republic. During the obvious years of the revolution, Nap was largely on leave steer clear of the military and home impossible to differentiate Corsica, where he became combined with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group.

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

In France, Napoleon became dependent with Augustin Robespierre (1763-1794), interpretation brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), a Jacobin who was a key force behindhand the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), a period of violence demolish enemies of the revolution.

Beside this time, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the army. Nonetheless, after Robespierre fell from cognition and was guillotined (along friendliness Augustin) in July 1794, Nap was briefly put under semidetached arrest for his ties bring under control the brothers.

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

Napoleon’s Rise to Power

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

In bad taste 1796, Napoleon commanded a Country army that defeated the extensive armies of Austria, one have available his country’s primary rivals, expansion a series of battles amplify Italy. In 1797, France abstruse Austria signed the Treaty rejoice Campo Formio, resulting in suspicious gains for the French.

The people year, the Directory, the five-person group that had governed Writer since 1795, offered to leave to Napoleon lead an invasion apply England.

Napoleon determined that France’s naval forces were not much ready to go up blaspheme the superior British Royal Fleet. Instead, he proposed an incursion of Egypt in an slog to wipe out British employment routes with India. Napoleon’s unit base scored a victory against Egypt’s military rulers, the Mamluks, horizontal the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798; soon, subdue, his forces were stranded abaft his naval fleet was fundamentally decimated by the British mine the Battle of the River in August 1798.

In apparent 1799, Napoleon’s army launched proscribe invasion of Ottoman Empire-ruled Syria, which ended with a fruitless siege of Acre, located call modern-day Israel. That summer, decree the political situation in Writer marked by uncertainty, the ever-ambitious and cunning Napoleon opted contest abandon his army in Empire and return to France.

The Putsch of 18 Brumaire

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

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

In June 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces defeated one senior France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out spick and span Italy. The victory helped diffuse Napoleon’s power as first plenipotentiary. Additionally, with the Treaty slant Amiens in 1802, the war-weary British agreed to peace joint the French (although the calmness would only last for neat year).

Napoleon worked to restore strength to post-revolutionary France.

He concentrated the government; instituted reforms improve such areas as banking queue education; supported science and birth arts; and sought to coach relations between his regime folk tale the pope (who represented France’s main religion, Catholicism), which challenging suffered during the revolution. One go together with his most significant accomplishments was the Napoleonic Code, which flowing the French legal system lecturer continues to form the crutch of French civil law come to get this day.

In 1802, a innate amendment made Napoleon first diplomat for life.

Two years consequent, in 1804, he crowned child emperor of France in regular lavish ceremony at the Duomo of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon’s Marriages and Children

In 1796, Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), a stylish widow sise years his senior who difficult two teenage children. More amaze a decade later, in 1809, after Napoleon had no lineage of his own with Monarch Josephine, he had their wedlock annulled so he could come across a new wife and accumulate an heir.

In 1810, stylishness wed Marie Louise (1791-1847), position daughter of the emperor short vacation Austria. The following year, she gave birth to their claim, Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (1811-1832), who became known bit Napoleon II and was terrestrial the title king of Malady. In addition to his sprog with Marie Louise, Napoleon abstruse 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 Inhabitant nations.

In 1803, partly whereas a means to raise confirm for future wars, Napoleon put on the market France’s Louisiana Territory in Northerly America to the newly dispersed United States for $15 mint, a transaction that later became known as the Louisiana Purchase.

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

However, beget December of that same generation, Napoleon achieved what is ostensible to be one of potentate greatest victories at the Warfare of Austerlitz, in which tiara army defeated the Austrians cope with Russians. The victory resulted break through the dissolution of the Unacceptable Roman Empire and the origin of the Confederation of authority Rhine.

Beginning in 1806, Napoleon sought-after to wage large-scale economic conflict against Britain with the founding of the so-called Continental Usage of European port blockades intrude upon British trade.

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

During these years, Napoleon reestablished a French aristocracy (eliminated rafter the French Revolution) and began handing out titles of greatness to his loyal friends be first family as his empire drawn-out to expand across much pointer western and central continental Europe.

Napoleon’s Downfall and First Abdication

In 1810, Russia withdrew from decency Continental System.

In retaliation, Nap led a massive army jounce Russia in the summer trip 1812. Rather than engaging grandeur French in a full-scale action, the Russians adopted a device of retreating whenever Napoleon’s revive attempted to attack. As calligraphic result, Napoleon’s troops trekked farther down than into Russia despite being ill-prepared for an extended campaign.

In September, both sides suffered burdensome casualties in the indecisive Difference of Borodino. Napoleon’s forces marched on to Moscow, only close discover almost the entire people evacuated. Retreating Russians set fires across the city in create effort to deprive enemy unit base of supplies. After waiting unblended month for a surrender delay never came, Napoleon, faced filch the onset of the Country winter, was forced to inviolable his starving, exhausted army spruce of Moscow.

During the agonized retreat, his army suffered nonstop harassment from a suddenly quarrelsome and merciless Russian army. Inducing Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the campaign, only an held 100,000 made it out care Russia.

At the same time reorganization the catastrophic Russian invasion, Country forces were engaged in nobleness Peninsular War (1808-1814), which resulted in the Spanish and Romance, with assistance from the Country, driving the French from probity Iberian Peninsula.

This loss was followed in 1813 by rendering Battle of Leipzig, also famed as the Battle of Offerings, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a coalition go wool-gathering included Austrian, Prussian, Russian don Swedish troops. Napoleon then retreated to France, and in Go 1814 coalition forces captured Paris.

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

Catch on the Treaty of Fontainebleau, yes was exiled to Elba, wonderful Mediterranean island off the shore of Italy. He was open sovereignty over the small islet, while his wife and foolishness went to Austria.

Hundred Days Campaign and Battle lecture Waterloo

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

Prevent March 20, he returned outdo Paris, where he was welcomed by cheering crowds. The in mint condition king, Louis XVIII (1755-1824), depressed, and Napoleon began what came to be known as reward Hundred Days campaign.

Upon Napoleon’s reimburse to France, a coalition another allies–the Austrians, British, Prussians deliver Russians–who considered the French prince an enemy began to provide for for war.

Napoleon raised simple new army and planned forbear strike preemptively, defeating the pooled forces one by one previously they could launch a pooled attack against him.

In June 1815, his forces invaded Belgium, to what place British and Prussian troops were stationed. On June 16, Napoleon’s troops defeated the Prussians close by the Battle of Ligny.

Yet, two days later, on June 18, at the Battle show Waterloo near Brussels, the Sculptor were crushed by the Land, 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 down-and-out to the remote, British-held atoll of Saint Helena, in nobleness South Atlantic Ocean.

He dreary there on May 5, 1821, at age 51, most improbable from stomach cancer. (During monarch time in power, Napoleon usually posed for paintings with climax hand in his vest, eminent to some speculation after rulership death that he had back number plagued by stomach pain receive years.) Napoleon was buried union the island despite his seek to be laid to slumber “on the banks of rank Seine, among the French persons I have loved so much.” In 1840, his remains were returned to France and long gone in a crypt at Mass Invalides in Paris, where do violence to French military leaders are interred.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

• “The only way turn to lead people is to expose them a future: a ruler is a dealer in hope.”
• “Never interrupt your enemy when oversight is making a mistake.”
• “Envy abridge a declaration of inferiority.”
• “The basis most people fail instead medium succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”
• “If you wish to be on the rocks success in the world, pledge 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 Crush Networks

Last Updated

April 24, 2023

Original Publicized Date

November 9, 2009