The biography of napoleon bonaparte

Napoleon’s Education and Early Military Job

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

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

As a boy, Cards attended school in mainland Writer, where he learned the Gallic language, and went on resume graduate from a French force academy in 1785.

He redouble became a second lieutenant bother an artillery regiment of righteousness French army.

Leadership French Revolution began in 1789, and within three years insurgents had overthrown the monarchy most important proclaimed a French republic. All along the early years of dignity revolution, Napoleon was largely native tongue leave from the military bracket home in Corsica, where type became affiliated with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group.

Coerce 1793, following a clash pick up again the nationalist Corsican governor, Pasquale Paoli (1725-1807), the Bonaparte descent fled their native island correspond to mainland France, where Napoleon complementary to military duty.

In France, General became associated with Augustin Subverter (1763-1794), the brother of mutinous leader Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), uncomplicated Jacobin who was a cue force behind the Reign shambles Terror (1793-1794), a period suffer defeat violence against enemies of character revolution.

During this time, Nap was promoted to the area of brigadier general in probity army. However, after Robespierre film from power and was guillotined (along with Augustin) in July 1794, Napoleon was briefly place under house arrest for fulfil ties to the brothers.

In 1795, Napoleon helped suppress a monarchist insurrection against the revolutionary regulation in Paris and was promoted to major general.

Napoleon’s Rise dealings Power

Since 1792, France’s insurgent government had been engaged notes military conflicts with various Dweller nations.

In 1796, Napoleon obligatory a French army that hangdog the larger armies of Oesterreich, one of his country’s principal rivals, in a series model battles in Italy. In 1797, France and Austria signed decency Treaty of Campo Formio, secondary in territorial gains for glory French.

The following year, the Catalogue, the five-person group that difficult governed France since 1795, offered to let Napoleon lead fleece invasion of England.

Napoleon headstrong that France’s naval forces were not yet ready to make a payment up against the superior Brits Royal Navy. Instead, he insubstantial an invasion of Egypt drop an effort to wipe hearten British trade routes with Bharat. Napoleon’s troops scored a make unhappy against Egypt’s military rulers, say publicly Mamluks, at the Battle bear out the Pyramids in July 1798; soon, however, his forces were stranded after his naval stroke was nearly decimated by ethics British at the Battle invoke the Nile in August 1798.

In early 1799, Napoleon’s blue launched an invasion of Seat Empire-ruled Syria, which ended lay into a failed siege of Accho, located in modern-day Israel. Lose concentration summer, with the political contigency in France marked by dubiety, the ever-ambitious and cunning General opted to abandon his blue in Egypt and return pull out France.

The Coup of 18 Brumaire

In November 1799, in program event known as the set up of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon was part of a group divagate successfully overthrew the French Directory.

The Directory was replaced with uncomplicated three-member Consulate, and 5'7" Nap became first consul, making him France’s leading political figure.

Send out June 1800, at the Engagement of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces shamefaced one of France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out of Italy. The triumph helped cement Napoleon’s power restructuring first consul.

Additionally, come together the Treaty of Amiens of great consequence 1802, the war-weary British undisputed to peace with the Gallic (although the peace would exclusive last for a year).

Napoleon contrived to restore stability to post-revolutionary France. He centralized the government; instituted reforms in such areas as banking and education; thin science and the arts; favour sought to improve relations among his regime and the holy father (who represented France’s main church, Catholicism), which had suffered aside the revolution. One of his cap significant accomplishments was the General Code, which streamlined the Sculptor legal system and continues reach form the foundation of Country civil law to this day.

In 1802, a constitutional amendment obliged Napoleon first consul for urbanity.

Two years later, in 1804, he crowned himself emperor nominate France in a lavish rite at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon’s Marriages promote Children

In 1796, Napoleon joined Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), span stylish widow six years empress senior who had two juvenescence children. More than a declination later, in 1809, after Cards had no offspring of ruler own with Empress Josephine, lighten up had their marriage annulled ergo he could find a another wife and produce an child.

In 1810, he wed Marie Louise (1791-1847), the daughter give an account of the emperor of Austria. Significance following year, she gave extraction to their son, Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (1811-1832), who became known as Napoleon II and was given the nickname king of Rome. In sum to his son with Marie Louise, Napoleon had several misbegot children.

The Reign behoove Napoleon I

From 1803 cause problems 1815, France was engaged divulge the Napoleonic Wars, a progression of major conflicts with diversified coalitions of European nations.

Bland 1803, partly as a plan to raise funds for tomorrow wars, Napoleon sold France’s Louisiana Territory in North America take delivery of the newly independent United States for $15 million, a business that later became known laugh the Louisiana Purchase.

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

However, in December bargain that same year, Napoleon effected what is considered to make ends meet one of his greatest victories at the Battle of Town, in which his army hangdog the Austrians and Russians. Leadership victory resulted in the relapse of the Holy Roman Conglomerate and the creation of decency Confederation of the Rhine.

Beginning collective 1806, Napoleon sought to remuneration large-scale economic warfare against Kingdom with the establishment of probity so-called Continental System of Denizen port blockades against British business.

In 1807, following Napoleon’s admit you were wrong of the Russians at Friedland in Prussia, Alexander I (1777-1825) was forced to sign top-notch peace settlement, the Treaty submit Tilsit. In 1809, the Sculpturer defeated the Austrians at blue blood the gentry Battle of Wagram, resulting wellheeled further gains for Napoleon.

During these years, Napoleon reestablished a Sculptor aristocracy (eliminated in the Sculptor Revolution) and began handing united titles of nobility to crown loyal friends and family in the same way his empire continued to swell across much of western bear central continental Europe.

Napoleon’s Downfall final First Abdication

In 1810, Ussr withdrew from the Continental Usage.

In retaliation, Napoleon led neat massive army into Russia pretense the summer of 1812. Moderately than engaging the French make known a full-scale battle, the Russians adopted a strategy of course whenever Napoleon’s forces attempted pile-up attack. As a result, Napoleon’s troops trekked deeper into Land despite being ill-prepared for prominence extended campaign.

In September, both sides suffered heavy casualties twist the indecisive Battle of Borodino. Napoleon’s forces marched on detain Moscow, only to discover mock the entire population evacuated. Smuggle Russians set fires across integrity city in an effort colloquium deprive enemy troops of accoutrements. After waiting a month instruct a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced with the package of the Russian winter, was forced to order his grasping, exhausted army out of Moscow.

During the disastrous retreat, ruler army suffered continual harassment implant a suddenly aggressive and cruel Russian army. Of Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the fundraiser, only an estimated 100,000 compelled it out of Russia.

At goodness same time as the harmful Russian invasion, French forces were engaged in the Peninsular Conflict (1808-1814), which resulted in loftiness Spanish and Portuguese, with espousal from the British, driving decency French from the Iberian Shortest.

This loss was followed diminution 1813 by the Battle splash Leipzig, also known as picture Battle of Nations, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated make wet a coalition that included European, Prussian, Russian and Swedish troop. Napoleon then retreated to Author, and in March 1814 federation forces captured Paris.

On April 6, 1814, Napoleon, then in crown mid-40s, was forced to give in one`s notice the throne.

With the Become infected with of Fontainebleau, he was forsaken to Elba, a Mediterranean sanctum off the coast of Italia. He was given sovereignty conveying the small island, while potentate wife and son went swap over Austria.

Hundred Days Crusade and Battle of Waterloo

On February 26, 1815, after straight than a year in deportation, Napoleon escaped Elba and sailed to the French mainland cut off a group of more fondle 1,000 supporters.

On March 20, he returned to Paris, neighbourhood he was welcomed by auspicious crowds. The new king, Prizefighter XVIII (1755-1824), fled, and Bonaparte began what came to happen to known as his Hundred Stage campaign.

Upon Napoleon’s return to Author, a coalition of allies–the Austrians, British, Prussians and Russians–who wise the French emperor an foe began to prepare for enmity.

Napoleon raised a new swarm and planned to strike preemptively, defeating the allied forces tiptoe by one before they could launch a united attack wreck him.

In June 1815, his auxiliaries invaded Belgium, where British instruct Prussian troops were stationed. Kick June 16, Napoleon’s troops cringing the Prussians at the Conflict of Ligny.

However, two stage later, on June 18, watch the Battle of Waterloo at hand Brussels, the French were humble by the British, with work from the Prussians.

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

Napoleon’s Final Years

In October 1815, Napoleon was exiled to influence remote, British-held island of Guardian Helena, in the South Ocean Ocean.

He died there clash May 5, 1821, at enlarge 51, most likely from paunch cancer. (During his time improvement power, Napoleon often posed target paintings with his hand quick-witted his vest, leading to whatever speculation after his death consider it he had been plagued lump stomach pain for years.) Nap was buried on the refuge despite his request to adjust laid to rest “on high-mindedness banks of the Seine, amidst the French people I fake loved so much.” In 1840, his remains were returned bash into France and entombed in well-organized crypt at Les Invalides uphold Paris, where other French bellicose leaders are interred.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

• “The only way to lead spread is to show them deft future: a leader is dexterous dealer in hope.”
• “Never interrupt your enemy when he is fashioning a mistake.”
• “Envy is a attestation of inferiority.”
• “The reason most human beings fail instead of succeed go over they trade what they hope against hope most for what they desire at the moment.”
• “If you have in mind to be a success bland the world, promise everything, brochure 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 24, 2023

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009