biography of napoleon bonaparte in 200 words

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Napoleon Bonaparte

By: History.com Editors

Updated: April 24, 2023 | Original: November 9, 2009

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799). After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. Shrewd, ambitious and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire. However, after a disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon abdicated the throne two years later and was exiled to the island of Elba. In 1815, he briefly returned to power in his Hundred Days campaign. After a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, he abdicated once again and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died at 51.

Napoleon’s Education and Early Military Career

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. He was the second of eight surviving children born to Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785), a lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte (1750-1836). Although his parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family was not wealthy. The year before Napoleon’s birth, France acquired Corsica from the city-state of Genoa, Italy. Napoleon later adopted a French spelling of his last name.

As a boy, Napoleon attended school in mainland France, where he learned the French language, and went on to graduate from a French military academy in 1785. He then became a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment of the French army. The French Revolution began in 1789, and within three years revolutionaries had overthrown the monarchy and proclaimed a French republic. During the early years of the revolution, Napoleon was largely on leave from the military and home in Corsica, where he became affiliated with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group. In 1793, following a clash with the nationalist Corsican governor, Pasquale Paoli (1725-1807), the Bonaparte family fled their native island for mainland France, where Napoleon returned to military duty.

In France, Napoleon became associated with Augustin Robespierre (1763-1794), the brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), a Jacobin who was a key force behind the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), a period of violence against enemies of the revolution. During this time, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the army. However, after Robespierre fell from power and was guillotined (along with Augustin) in July 1794, Napoleon was briefly put under house arrest for his ties to the brothers.

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

Did you know? In 1799, during Napoleon’s military campaign in Egypt, a French soldier named Pierre Francois Bouchard (1772-1832) discovered the Rosetta Stone. This artifact provided the key to cracking the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics, a written language that had been dead for almost 2,000 years.

Napoleon’s Rise to Power

Since 1792, France’s revolutionary government had been engaged in military conflicts with various European nations. In 1796, Napoleon commanded a French army that defeated the larger armies of Austria, one of his country’s primary rivals, in a series of battles in Italy. In 1797, France and Austria signed the Treaty of Campo Formio, resulting in territorial gains for the French.

The following year, the Directory, the five-person group that had governed France since 1795, offered to let Napoleon lead an invasion of England. Napoleon determined that France’s naval forces were not yet ready to go up against the superior British Royal Navy. Instead, he proposed an invasion of Egypt in an effort to wipe out British trade routes with India. Napoleon’s troops scored a victory against Egypt’s military rulers, the Mamluks, at the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798; soon, however, his forces were stranded after his naval fleet was nearly decimated by the British at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798. In early 1799, Napoleon’s army launched an invasion of Ottoman Empire -ruled Syria , which ended with a failed siege of Acre, located in modern-day Israel . That summer, with the political situation in France marked by uncertainty, the ever-ambitious and cunning Napoleon opted to abandon his army in Egypt and return to France.

Napoleon’s Life—and Mysterious Death—in Exile

After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, the former emperor was placed in a 'wretched' home on a remote island.

The Personality Traits that Led to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Epic Downfall

Sex. Money. Class. You name the inferiority complex, and this thin‑skinned and deeply insecure French leader had it.

How Napoleon Plotted One of History’s Greatest Prison Breaks

The French emperor escaped his island prison in plain sight.

The Coup of 18 Brumaire

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

The Directory was replaced with a three-member Consulate, and 5'7" Napoleon became first consul, making him France’s leading political figure. In June 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces defeated one of France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out of Italy. The victory helped cement Napoleon’s power as first consul. Additionally, with the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, the war-weary British agreed to peace with the French (although the peace would only last for a year).

Napoleon worked to restore stability to post-revolutionary France. He centralized the government; instituted reforms in such areas as banking and education; supported science and the arts; and sought to improve relations between his regime and the pope (who represented France’s main religion, Catholicism), which had suffered during the revolution. One of his most significant accomplishments was the Napoleonic Code , which streamlined the French legal system and continues to form the foundation of French civil law to this day.

In 1802, a constitutional amendment made Napoleon first consul for life. Two years later, in 1804, he crowned himself emperor of France in a lavish ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon’s Marriages and Children

In 1796, Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), a stylish widow six years his senior who had two teenage children. More than a decade later, in 1809, after Napoleon had no offspring of his own with Empress Josephine, he had their marriage annulled so he could find a new wife and produce an heir. In 1810, he wed Marie Louise (1791-1847), the daughter of the emperor of Austria. The following year, she gave birth to their son, Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (1811-1832), who became known as Napoleon II and was given the title king of Rome. In addition to his son with Marie Louise, Napoleon had 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 European nations. In 1803, partly as a means to raise funds for future wars, Napoleon sold France’s Louisiana Territory in North America to the newly independent United States for $15 million, a transaction that later became known as the Louisiana Purchase .

In October 1805, the British wiped out Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar . However, in December of that same year, Napoleon achieved what is considered to be one of his greatest victories at the Battle of Austerlitz, in which his army defeated the Austrians and Russians. The victory resulted in the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Beginning in 1806, Napoleon sought to wage large-scale economic warfare against Britain with the establishment of the so-called Continental System of European port blockades against British trade. In 1807, following Napoleon’s defeat of the Russians at Friedland in Prussia, Alexander I (1777-1825) was forced to sign a peace settlement, the Treaty of Tilsit. In 1809, the French defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Wagram, resulting in further gains for Napoleon.

During these years, Napoleon reestablished a French aristocracy (eliminated in the French Revolution) and began handing out titles of nobility to his loyal friends and family as his empire continued to expand across much of western and central continental Europe.

Napoleon’s Downfall and First Abdication

In 1810, Russia withdrew from the Continental System. In retaliation, Napoleon led a massive army into Russia in the summer of 1812. Rather than engaging the French in a full-scale battle, the Russians adopted a strategy of retreating whenever Napoleon’s forces attempted to attack. As a result, Napoleon’s troops trekked deeper into Russia despite being ill-prepared for an extended campaign.

In September, both sides suffered heavy casualties in the indecisive Battle of Borodino. Napoleon’s forces marched on to Moscow, only to discover almost the entire population evacuated. Retreating Russians set fires across the city in an effort to deprive enemy troops of supplies. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced with the onset of the Russian winter, was forced to order his starving, exhausted army out of Moscow. During the disastrous retreat, his army suffered continual harassment from a suddenly aggressive and merciless Russian army. Of Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the campaign, only an estimated 100,000 made it out of Russia.

At the same time as the catastrophic Russian invasion, French forces were engaged in the Peninsular War (1808-1814), which resulted in the Spanish and Portuguese, with assistance from the British, driving the French from the Iberian Peninsula. This loss was followed in 1813 by the Battle of Leipzig , also known as the Battle of Nations, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a coalition that included Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish troops. Napoleon then retreated to France, and in March 1814 coalition forces captured Paris.

On April 6, 1814, Napoleon, then in his mid-40s, was forced to abdicate the throne. With the Treaty of Fontainebleau, he was exiled to Elba, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Italy. He was given sovereignty over the small island, while his wife and son went to Austria.

HISTORY Vault: Napoleon Bonaparte: The Glory of France

Explore the extraordinary life and times of Napoleon Bonaparte, the great military genius who took France to unprecedented heights of power, and then brought it to its knees when his ego spun out of control.

Hundred Days Campaign and Battle of Waterloo

On February 26, 1815, after less than a year in exile, Napoleon escaped Elba and sailed to the French mainland with a group of more than 1,000 supporters. On March 20, he returned to Paris, where he was welcomed by cheering crowds. The new king, Louis XVIII (1755-1824), fled, and Napoleon began what came to be known as his Hundred Days campaign.

Upon Napoleon’s return to France, a coalition of allies–the Austrians, British, Prussians and Russians–who considered the French emperor an enemy began to prepare for war. Napoleon raised a new army and planned to strike preemptively, defeating the allied forces one by one before they could launch a united attack against him.

In June 1815, his forces invaded Belgium, where British and Prussian troops were stationed. On June 16, Napoleon’s troops defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny. However, two days later, on June 18, at the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels, the French were crushed by the British, 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 exiled to the remote, British-held island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died there on May 5, 1821, at age 51, most likely from stomach cancer. (During his time in power, Napoleon often posed for paintings with his hand in his vest, leading to some speculation after his death that he had been plagued by stomach pain for years.) Napoleon was buried on the island despite his request to be laid to rest “on the banks of the Seine, among the French people I have loved so much.” In 1840, his remains were returned to France and entombed in a crypt at Les Invalides in Paris, where other French military leaders are interred.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

• “The only way to lead people is to show them a future: a leader is a dealer in hope.”
• “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
• “Envy is a declaration of inferiority.”
• “The reason most people fail instead of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”
• “If you wish to be a success in the world, promise everything, deliver nothing.”

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Napoleon Bonaparte

French military general Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself the first emperor of France in 1804. His Napoleonic Code remains a model for governments worldwide.

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Latest News: Napoleon Movie in Theaters Now

Legendary French General Napoleon Bonaparte has been the subject of many movies, and the latest is director Ridley Scott ’s new biopic simply titled Napoleon . The movie, now in theaters , stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and Vanessa Kirby as his wife Josephine. In addition to depicting the famed military leader’s rise to French emperor, the movie focuses heavily on Napoleon and Josephine’s tumultuous relationship .

Napoleon has received some flack for its historical inaccuracies , such as showing the titular character shooting at pyramids. “If you want to really understand Napoleon, then you should probably do your own studying and reading,” Phoenix previously told Empire magazine . “Because if you see this film, it’s this experience told through Ridley’s eyes... What we were after was something that would capture the feeling of this man.”

Who Was Napoleon Bonaparte?

Quick facts, early life and military education, how tall was napoleon, napoleon’s rise to power, wives: empress josephine and marie-louise, napoleonic code, napoleonic wars, exile on st. helena, death and tomb, napoleon movies.

French General Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the world’s greatest military leaders who became the first emperor of France, from 1804 to 1815. Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, he attended military schools in France and eventually embraced his adopted home. Bonaparte steadily rose to power in the tumult of the French Revolution before seizing power in a 1799 coup. He was elected consul for life in 1802, then proclaimed the French emperor two years later. As a political leader, Bonaparte broadly transformed French society, most notably ushering in the Napoleonic Code that still serves as the basis of civil codes around the world today. During the Napoleonic Wars, the famed military tactician expanded France’s footprint before a string of critical losses forced him into exile. Bonaparte spent the final years of his life on the remote island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821 at age 51.

FULL NAME: Napoleon Bonaparte BORN: August 15, 1769 DIED: May 5, 1821 BIRTHPLACE: Ajaccio, Corsica SPOUSES: Josephine de Beauharnais (1796-1809) and Archduchess Marie-Louise (1810-1821) CHILDREN: Charles, Alexandre, and Napoleon II ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo HEIGHT: 5 ft. 7 in.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born Napoleone Buonaparte in Ajaccio, on the French island of Corsica, on August 15, 1769. He was the fourth, and second surviving, child of Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer, and his wife, Letizia Ramolino. Napoleon eventually had seven surviving siblings.

Around the time of Napoleon’s birth, the French’s occupation of Corsica had drawn considerable local resistance. Napoleon’s father had at first supported the nationalists, siding with their leader, Pasquale Paoli. But after Paoli was forced to flee the island, Carlo switched his allegiance to the French. After doing so, he was appointed assessor of the judicial district of Ajaccio in 1771, a plush job that eventually enabled him to enroll his two sons, Joseph and Napoleon, in France’s College d’Autun.

In 1779, young Napoleon began attending the military college of Brienne, where he studied for five years. He excelled as a student yet struggled to fit in with his classmates who were the children of French nobles and bullied Napoleon for being a foreigner.

At age 15, Napoleon moved on to the military academy in Paris. While Napoleon was still there, his father died of stomach cancer in 1785. This propelled Napoleon to take the reins as the head of the family. Graduating early from the military academy, Napoleon, now second lieutenant of artillery, returned to Corsica in 1786.

Back home, Napoleon got behind the Corsican resistance to the French occupation, siding with his father’s former ally, Pasquale Paoli. But the two soon had a falling out, and when a civil war in Corsica began in April 1793, Napoleon—now an enemy of Paoli—and his family relocated to France, where they assumed the French version of their name: Bonaparte.

Napoleon stood about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, making him slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time.

Much has been made of Napoleon’s height, and legends claim that he was unusually short, giving rise to the term “Napoleon complex,” an inferiority complex sometimes associated with people of short stature. Some historians attribute the myths about Napoleon’s height to British propaganda.

Napoleon’s return to France began with a service with the French military, where he rejoined his regiment at Nice in June 1793. The turmoil of the French Revolution , which began four years prior, created opportunities for ambitious military leaders like Napoleon. The young leader quickly showed his support for the Jacobins, a far-left political movement and the most well-known and popular political club from the French Revolution.

A year after France was declared a republic, King Louis XVI was executed in January 1793. Ultimately, these acts led to the rise of Maximilien de Robespierre and what became, essentially, the dictatorship of the Committee of Public Safety. The years of 1793 and 1794 came to be known as the Reign of Terror , in which as many as 40,000 people were killed. Eventually, the Jacobins fell from power, and Robespierre was executed.

Trusted Military Leader

In 1795, the French revolutionary government known as the Directory took control of the country. Napoleon, who had previously fallen out of favor with Robespierre, came into the good graces of the Directory that same year after he saved the government from counter-revolutionary forces. For his efforts, Napoleon was soon named commander of the Army of the Interior. In addition, he was a trusted advisor to the Directory on military matters.

In 1796, Napoleon took the helm of the Army of Italy, a post he’d been coveting. The army—just 30,000 strong, disgruntled, and underfed—was soon turned around by the young military commander. Under his direction, the reinvigorated army won numerous crucial victories against the Austrians, greatly expanded the French empire, and squashed an internal threat by the royalists, who wished to return France to a monarchy. All of these successes helped make Napoleon the military’s brightest star.

Failed Egypt Campaign

On July 1, 1798, Napoleon and his army traveled to the Middle East to undermine Great Britain’s empire by occupying Egypt and disrupting English trade routes to India. But his military campaign proved disastrous: On August 1, Admiral Horatio Nelson’s fleet decimated Napoleon’s forces in the Battle of the Nile.

Napoleon’s image and that of France were greatly harmed by the loss, and in a show of newfound confidence against the commander, Britain, Austria, Russia, and Turkey formed a new coalition against France. In the spring of 1799, French armies were defeated in Italy, forcing France to give up much of the peninsula. That October, Napoleon returned to France as his troops continued fighting.

Coup of 18 Brumaire

Shortly after his return to France, Napoleon participated in an event known as the Coup of 18 Brumaire. The bloodless coup d’etat, heavily orchestrated by Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès, overthrew the newly Jacobin-controlled Directory on November 9, 1799. Napoleon and Sieyès ushered in a new government called the Consulate to be led by three members—themselves and Pierre-Roger Ducos. Napoleon’s brother Lucien Bonaparte also assisted the cause.

When Napoleon was named first consul, he became France’s leading political figure in a position that amounted to nothing less than a dictatorship. Under the new guidelines, the first consul was permitted to appoint ministers, generals, civil servants, magistrates, and even members of the legislative assemblies. Sieyès and Ducos were reduced to figureheads. In February 1800, the new constitution was easily accepted.

At the Battle of Marengo in June 1800, Napoleon’s forces defeated the Austrians and drove them from the Italian peninsula. This military victory cemented Napoleon’s authority as first consul.

Napoleon proceeded to transform France’s economy, legal and educational systems, and even the Church, as he reinstated Roman Catholicism as the state religion through the Concordat of 1801. He also negotiated a European peace, partially through the 1802 Treaty of Amiens that struck a (short-lived) truce with the war-weary British.

His reforms proved popular: In 1802, he was elected consul for life, and two years later, he was proclaimed emperor of France on May 18, 1804. He was officially crowned Napoleon I during his coronation at Notre Dame Cathedral on December 2 of that year.

As Napoleon was rising in the ranks, his personal life was also taking shape. He met Josephine de Beauharnais, the widow of General Alexandre de Beauharnais (guillotined during the Reign of Terror) and a mother of two children, at a party in 1795. He was quickly smitten and despite her initial reservations— Josephine described Napoleon as “altogether strange in all his person”—they married on March 9, 1796, in a civil ceremony.

Their union was tempestuous from the outset, with Napoleon’s military campaigns forcing him away from home for long periods. Although he often complimented Josephine in letters from the battlefield, both of them engaged in extramarital affairs. Napoleon had at least two children out of wedlock—Charles Léon Denuelle in 1806 and Alexandre Walewski in 1810.

Josephine was known for holding lavish parties and spending money on clothing and property, including the Malmaison estate near Paris in 1799. Despite their arguments, the two stayed together as Josephine maintained a positive perception among the public. When Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804, he insisted upon placing a crown upon Empress Josephine as well.

Despite his new title, not all was going to plan for Napoleon. He faced mounting pressure from his family to separate from Josephine, who was in her 40s by this point, because she was unable to give him a legitimate son and, thus, an heir. So in December 1809, Napoleon arranged for the annulment of their marriage.

Following the annulment, Napoleon searched in haste for a new bride. His first choice was Anna Pavlovna, the 15-year-old sister of Russian Tsar Alexander I. But after delays and excuses, he instead selected Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, 18, due largely to political motivations. Marie-Louise was the great-niece of Marie Antoinette . She dreaded the idea , writing in her diary that just looking at Napoleon would be the “worst form of torture.” However, she complied and married Napoleon by proxy in a civil ceremony in March 1810.

Marie-Louise gave Napoleon the heir he desired, as the couple had a son—Napoleon II, King of Rome—on March 20, 1811.

Despite his marriage to Marie-Louise, Napoleon continued his correspondence with Josephine and made unannounced personal visits to Malmaison. In 1813, he even brought his young son to meet her, as their struggle to produce an heir “had cost her so many tears.” This stoked jealousy in Marie-Louise, who remained married to Napoleon until his death.

Continuing the societal reforms he made, Napoleon instituted the Napoleonic Code, otherwise known as the French Civil Code, on March 21, 1804. The sweeping set of laws ended the feudal system and addressed property rights, family law, and individual freedoms. It forbade privileges based on birth, declaring all men to be equal and stating that government jobs must be given to the most qualified. Men were entitled to religious freedom and placed in charge of the women and children in their families. Women were largely left without rights, though they did have limited liberties in divorce proceedings.

The Napoleonic Code applied in France and its growing number of territories. Napoleon correctly predicted that his code, more so than his many military victories, would have a lasting legacy. Parts of it are still in use around the world today. The terms of the code are the main basis for many other countries’ civil codes throughout Europe and North America.

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of European wars lasting from 1803 to Napoleon’s permanent abdication of power in 1815.

In 1803, in part to raise funds for war, France sold its North American Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million, a transaction known as the Louisiana Purchase . Napoleon then returned to war with Britain, Russia, and Austria.

In 1805, the British registered an important naval victory against France at the Battle of Trafalgar , which led Napoleon to scrap his plans to invade England. Instead, he set his sights on Austria and Russia, beating back both militaries in the Battle of Austerlitz.

Other victories soon followed, allowing Napoleon to greatly expand the French empire and paving the way for loyalists to his government—including his brothers and other family members—to be installed in Holland, Italy, Naples, Sweden, Spain, and Westphalia.

Invasion of Russia

In 1812, France was devastated when Napoleon’s invasion of Russia turned out to be a colossal failure—and the beginning of the end for Napoleon. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Napoleon’s Grand Army were killed or badly wounded: Out of an original fighting force of some 600,000 men, just 10,000 soldiers were still fit for battle.

News of the defeat reinvigorated Napoleon’s enemies, both inside and outside of France. Some attempted a failed coup while Napoleon led his charge against Russia and as the British began to advance through French territories. With international pressure mounting and his government lacking the resources to fight back against his enemies, Napoleon surrendered to allied forces on March 30, 1814.

First Exile

About a week later, on April 6, Napoleon was forced to abdicate power and went into exile on the island of Elba off the Italian coast in the Mediterranean Sea. His exile didn’t last long, as he watched France stumbled forward without him.

In March 1815, Napoleon escaped the island and quickly made his way back to Paris. King Louis XVIII fled, and Napoleon triumphantly returned to power. But the enthusiasm that greeted Napoleon when he resumed control of the government soon gave way to old frustrations and fears about his leadership.

On June 16, 1815, Napoleon led French troops into Belgium and defeated the Prussians; two days later, he was defeated by the British, reinforced by Prussian fighters, at the Battle of Waterloo .

It was a humiliating loss, and on June 22, 1815, Napoleon abdicated his powers for good. In an effort to prolong his dynasty, he pushed to have his young son, Napoleon II, named emperor, but the coalition rejected the offer.

After Napoleon’s abdication from power in 1815, fearing a repeat of his earlier return from exile on Elba, the British government sent Napoleon to the remote island of St. Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. He lived there for the rest of his life.

For the most part, Napoleon was free to do as he pleased at his new home. He had leisurely mornings, wrote often, and read a lot. But the tedious routine of life soon got to him, and he often shut himself indoors.

According to historian Kate Williams’ 2014 book Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte , Napoleon continued to show great affection for his ex-wife , who died of pneumonia at her Malmaison estate in May 1814. He had portraits of Josephine placed throughout his residence and even ate off plates with her likeness on them.

Starting in 1817, Napoleon’s health began to deteriorate. In early 1821, he was bedridden and growing weaker by the day. That April, he dictated his last will: “I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of that French people which I have loved so much. I die before my time, killed by the English oligarchy and its hired assassins.”

Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, on the island of St. Helena at age 51. Allegedly, he uttered his ex-wife Josephine’s name as his final word.

During his final weeks, he experienced symptoms such as vomiting, incessant hiccups, and blood clots. Physicians who conducted his autopsy ruled stomach cancer, exacerbated by bleeding gastric ulcers, as the cause of Napoleon’s death. According to PBS News Hour , Napoleon’s cancer was in an advanced state, and his family history of gastric carcinomas supported the autopsy results.

However, researchers have posited alternative theories regarding his demise. In 1961, Swedish dentist Sten Forshufvud and Drs. Hamilton Smith and Anders Wassen analyzed a sample of his hair and published an article suggesting he might have died from arsenic poisoning. Although other experts have rebuffed this theory, it has led to conspiracies surrounding Napoleon’s death.

Despite what he requested in his last will, Napoleon was initially buried on St. Helena on May 9, 1821, in the Geranium Valley, now known as the Valley of the Tomb. In 1840, he was exhumed by order of French King Louis-Phillippe , and Bonaparte’s remains were transferred back to mainland France, arriving on December 15 .

Napoleon’s tomb is located in Paris in the Dôme des Invalides . Originally a royal chapel built between 1677 and 1706, the Invalides were turned into a military pantheon under Napoleon’s reign. In addition to Napoleon Bonaparte, several other French notables are buried there, including: Napoleon II, the King of Rome and Napoleon’s son; Napoleon’s brothers Joseph and Jérôme Bonaparte; Generals Henri-Gratien Bertrand and Géraud-Christophe-Michel Duroc; and the French Marshals Ferdinand Foch and Hubert Lyautey.

Not surprising given his place in world history, Napoleon has appeared on the big screen many times with depictions ranging from purposefully humorous to based in realism.

Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper were cast as Bonaparte in the 1950s movies Désirée (1954) and The Story of Mankind (1957), respectively. The general also appears in films such as Waterloo (1970), Time Bandits (1981), and The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

In terms of more fantastical portrayals, Napoleon is a character in the 1989 cult comedy Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in which the title characters played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves decide to abduct historical figures for their high school project through the use of time travel. He also appears as an antagonist in the 2009 sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian .

In 2023, director Ridley Scott helmed a new biopic simply titled Napoleon that released in theaters on November 22. The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as the French emperor and Vanessa Kirby as Josephine and focuses heavily on their tumultuous relationship. Napoleon marked a reunion for Phoenix and Scott, who worked on the 2000 classic Gladiator also starring Russell Crowe .

• I am never angry when contradicted; I seek to be enlightened.
• I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of that French people which I have loved so much. I die before my time, killed by the English oligarchy and its hired assassins.
• A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
• A great people may be killed, but they will not be intimidated.
• He who fears being conquered is certain of defeat.
• Love does more harm than good.
• A man is not dependent upon his fellow creature, when he does not fear death.
• It is the cause, and not the death that makes the martyr.
• Even when I am gone, I shall remain in people’s minds the star of their rights, my name will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes.
• Men of genius are meteors, intended to burn to light their century.
• Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.
• In choosing a wife, a man does not renounce his mother, and still less is he justified with breaking her heart.

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A short biography of Napoleon Bonaparte

Last Updated:  9 July 2022

You may hate him or love him… but you can’t ignore Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French emperor! Born in 1769 in Corsica from the minor nobility, Napoleon rose to fame during the French Revolution and proclaimed himself emperor in 1804. His legacy is still visible in France. Think about the Code Napoleon still in use today. Or the Arc de Triomphe that he commissioned (but never saw completed). Here is a (very) brief biography of Napoleon Bonaparte…

A (very) short biography of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on the 15th of August 1769 .

Born two years before it would have been Italian as the Mediterranean island became part of France in 1767.

This military genius who graduated from the Ecole Militaire in Paris became a general at the young age of 26.

From First Consul to Emperor

Napoleon was elected First Consul of France for life in 1802. In December 1804 he crowned himself emperor of the French at Notre-Dame cathedral . The coronation brought the 1st Republic to an end. France was now under a military despotism presided over by an absolute monarch. His court was re-established in the Tuileries .

During the 10 years of his reign, he successfully conquered Spain, Germany, Poland, Austria, and Italy.

Napoleon is known for having translated the great principles of the French Revolution into law, giving France a new civil code: the Code Napoléon . His work still remains in force not only in France but also in other countries. He re-established public worship and religious tolerance, making an agreement (the Concordat ) with the Pope in 1801.

But the emperor’s greatest mistake was the invasion of Russia in 1812. The great distances and severe cold of Russia caused the loss of most of his army.

Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig in 1814. Forced to abdicate, Napoleon was banished to the tiny Mediterranean island of Elba off the coast of Italy for a kingdom and granted a pension for life.  

In February 1815, Napoleon returned to France for “ Les Cent Jours ” (The Hundred Days).

After a few victories, Napoleon was lured into a confrontation with the Allied armies, commanded by the Duke of Wellington, at Waterloo in Belgium, on the 15th June 1815.

Napoleon’s exile and death

Napoleon abdicated on the 22nd June 1815 and was taken in exile by the English under guard to the lonely island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, a British possession.

Napoleon Bonaparte died on the 5th May 1821  in St. Helena.

In his will, Napoleon had asked to be buried in Paris on the banks of the Seine “ in the midst of the French people [whom I] loved so much “. However, the British governor insisted that he should be buried on the island, in a place called the Valley of the Willows.

Placed in a solitary spot, the tomb of Napoleon was covered by three bare slabs placed level with the soil. These slabs can still be seen today in the garden of Les Invalides .

The ‘retour des cendres’ in 1840

Then in 1840, King Louis-Philippe was granted from the British the agreement to repatriate Napoleon’s remains to France. The ‘ retour des cendres ‘ (returning of the ashes) is an episode that relates the return of the mortal remains of Napoleon in the Hôtel des Invalides , Paris.

When the mortal remains of Napoleon was transferred from St. Helena Island to France, the tomb was set up in the St. Jérôme chapel, a side-chapel of the Dome church of Les Invalides.

Architect Louis Visconti had a circular hollow cut beneath the dome to create a sort of an open crypt. In its centre would be placed a large sarcophagus containing the remains of the emperor.

Napoleon’s coffin was moved to the dedicated crypt in 1861 during a ceremony presided by his nephew, Napoleon III.

>> Get your Tickets for Les Invalides: the Army Museum [Priority Entrance], Napoleon’s tomb and see war memorabilia! <<

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Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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This is very nice bio on Napoleon Bonaparte….. ❤❤😇😇

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This was a great biography of Napoleon Bonaparte which helped me to do my history holiday homework…

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Napoleon Bonaparte

• Occupation: Emperor of France
• Born: August 15, 1769 at Ajaccio, Corsica, France
• Died: May 5, 1821 at St. Helena, United Kingdom
• Best known for: A brilliant military commander, conquered much of Europe
• Nickname: Little Corporal

• Napoleon is famous for being fairly short, probably 5 feet 6 inches tall. However, he would have been average height during the time period that he lived.
• Today, when someone seems to be overcompensating for being short they are said to have a "Napoleon complex."
• His birth name was Napoleone di Buonaparte. He changed the name to be more French when he moved to mainland France.
• He married his first wife, Josephine, in 1796. She became the first Empress of France, but he divorced her in 1810 and married Marie-Louise of Austria.
• The famous composer Beethoven was going to dedicate his 3rd Symphony to Napoleon, but changed his mind after Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
• He wrote a romance novel called Clisson et Eugenie.
• Listen to a recorded reading of this page:

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Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, Great Military Commander

At its height, his empire covered much of Europe

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Napoleon Bonaparte (August 15, 1769–May 5, 1821), one of the greatest military commanders in history, was the twice- emperor of France whose military endeavors and sheer personality dominated Europe for a decade.

In military affairs, legal issues, economics, politics, technology, culture, and society in general, his actions influenced the course of European history for over a century, and some argue, to this very day.

Fast Facts: Napoleon Bonaparte

• Known For : Emperor of France, conqueror of much of Europe
• Also Known As : Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon 1st of France, The Little Corporal , The Corsican
• Born : August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica
• Parents : Carlo Buonaparte, Letizia Ramolino
• Died : May 5, 1821 on Saint Helena, United Kingdom
• Published Works : Le souper de Beaucaire (Supper at Beaucaire), a pro-republican pamphlet (1793); the Napoleonic Code , the French civil code (1804); authorized the publication of Description de l'Égypte , a multivolume work authored by dozens of scholars detailing Egypt's archeology, topography, and natural history (1809-1821)
• Awards and Honors : Founder and grand master of the Legion of Honor (1802), the Order of the Iron Crown (1805), the Order of the Reunion (1811)
• Spouse(s) : Josephine de Beauharnais (m. March 8, 1796–Jan. 10, 1810), Marie-Louise (m. April 2, 1810–May 5, 1821)
• Children : Napoleon II
• Notable Quote : "Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them."

Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769, to Carlo Buonaparte , a lawyer and political opportunist, and his wife Marie-Letizia . The Buonapartes were a wealthy family from the Corsican nobility, although when compared to the great aristocracies of France, Napoleon's kin were poor.

Napoleon entered the military academy at Brienne in 1779. He moved to the Parisian École Royale Militaire in 1784 and graduated a year later as a second lieutenant in the artillery. Spurred on by his father's death in February 1785, the future emperor had completed in one year a course that often took three.

Early Career

Despite being posted on the French mainland, Napoleon was able to spend much of the next eight years in Corsica thanks to his ferocious letter writing and rule-bending, as well as the effects of the French Revolution (which led to the French Revolutionary Wars ) and sheer good luck. There he played an active part in political and military matters, initially supporting the Corsican rebel Pasquale Paoli, a former patron of Carlo Buonaparte.

Military promotion also followed, but Napoleon became opposed to Paoli and when civil war erupted in 1793 the Buonapartes fled to France, where they adopted the French version of their name: Bonaparte.

The French Revolution had decimated the republic's officer class and favored individuals could achieve swift promotion, but Napoleon's fortunes rose and fell as one set of patrons came and went. By December 1793, Napoleon was the hero of Toulon , a general and favorite of Augustin Robespierre; shortly after the wheel of revolution turned and Napoleon was arrested for treason. Tremendous political flexibility saved him and the patronage of Vicomte Paul de Barras, soon to be one of France's three "Directors," followed.

Napoleon became a hero again in 1795, defending the government from angry counter-revolutionary forces; Baras rewarded Napoleon by promoting him to high military office, a position with access to the political spine of France. Napoleon swiftly grew into one of the country's most respected military authorities, largely by never keeping his opinions to himself, and he married Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796.

Rise to Power

In 1796, France attacked Austria. Napoleon was given command of the Army of Italy , whereupon he welded a young, starving and disgruntled army into a force which won victory after victory against theoretically stronger Austrian opponents.

Napoleon returned to France in 1797 as the nation's brightest star, having fully emerged from the need for a patron. Ever a great self-publicist, he maintained the profile of a political independent, thanks partly to the newspapers he now ran.

In May 1798, Napoleon left for a campaign in Egypt and Syria, prompted by his desire for fresh victories, the French need to threaten Britain's empire in India and the Directory's concerns that their famous general might seize power.

The Egyptian campaign was a military failure (although it had a great cultural impact) and a change of government in France caused Bonaparte to leave—some might say abandon—his army and return in the August 1799. Shortly after he took part in the Brumaire coup of November 1799, finishing as a member of the Consulate, France's new ruling triumvirate.

First Consul

The transfer of power might not have been smooth, owing much to luck and apathy, but Napoleon's great political skill was clear; by February 1800, he was established as the First Consul, a practical dictatorship with a constitution wrapped firmly around him. However, France was still at war with her fellows in Europe and Napoleon set out to beat them. He did so within a year, although the key triumph, the Battle of Marengo, fought in June 1800, was won by the French General Desaix.

From Reformer to Emperor

Having concluded treaties that left Europe at peace, Bonaparte began working on France, reforming the economy, legal system (the famous and enduring Code Napoleon), church, military, education, and government. He studied and commented on minute details, often while traveling with the army, and the reforms continued for most of his rule. Bonaparte exhibited skill as both legislator and statesmen.

Napoleon's popularity remained high, helped by his mastery of propaganda but also genuine national support, and he was elected Consulate for life by the French people in 1802 and Emperor of France in 1804, a title which he worked hard to maintain and glorify. Initiatives like the Concordat with the Church and the Code helped secure his status.

Return to War

Europe was not at peace for long. Napoleon's fame, ambitions, and character were based on conquest, making it almost inevitable that his reorganized Grande Armée would fight further wars. However, other European countries also sought conflict, for not only did they distrust and fear Napoleon, but they also retained their hostility toward revolutionary France.

For the next eight years, Napoleon dominated Europe, fighting and defeating a range of alliances involving combinations of Austria, Britain, Russia, and Prussia. Sometimes his victories were crushing—such as Austerlitz in 1805, often cited as the greatest military victory ever—and at other times, he was either very lucky, fought almost to a standstill, or both.

Napoleon forged new states in Europe, including the German Confederation—built from the ruins of the Holy Roman Empire —and the Duchy of Warsaw, while also installing his family and favorites in positions of great power. The reforms continued and Napoleon had an ever-increasing effect on culture and technology, becoming a patron of both the arts and sciences while stimulating creative responses across Europe.

Disaster in Russia

The Napoleonic Empire may have shown signs of decline by 1811, including a downturn in diplomatic fortunes and continuing failure in Spain, but such matters were overshadowed by what happened next. In  1812 Napoleon went to war with Russia , assembling a force of over 400,000 soldiers, accompanied by the same number of followers and support. Such an army was almost impossible to feed or adequately control and the Russians repeatedly retreated, destroying the local resources and separating Napoleon's army from its supplies.

Napoleon continually dithered, eventually reaching Moscow on Sept. 8, 1812, after the Battle of Borodino, a bludgeoning conflict where over 80,000 soldiers died. However, the Russians refused to surrender, instead torching Moscow and forcing Napoleon into a long retreat back to friendly territory. The Grande Armée was assailed by starvation, extremes of weather and terrifying Russian partisans throughout, and by the end of 1812 only 10,000 soldiers were able to fight. Many of the rest had died in horrible conditions, with the camp's followers faring even worse.

A coup had been attempted in Napoleon's absence from France and his enemies in Europe were reinvigorated, forming a grand alliance intent on removing him. Vast numbers of enemy soldiers advanced across Europe toward France, overturning the states Bonaparte had created. The combined forces of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and others just used a simple plan, retreating from the emperor himself and advancing again when he moved to face the next threat.

Throughout 1813 and into 1814 the pressure grew on Napoleon; not only were his enemies grinding his forces down and approaching Paris, but the British had fought out of Spain and into France, the Grande Armée's Marshalls were underperforming and Bonaparte had lost the French public's support.

Nevertheless, for the first half of 1814 Napoleon exhibited the military genius of his youth, but it was a war he couldn't win alone. On March 30, 1814, Paris surrendered to allied forces without a fight and, facing massive betrayal and impossible military odds, Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of France; he was exiled to the Island of Elba.

Second Exile and Death

Napoleon made a sensational  return to power in 1815 . Traveling to France in secret, he attracted vast support and reclaimed his imperial throne, as well as reorganizing the army and government. After a series of initial engagements, Napoleon was narrowly defeated in one of history's greatest battles: Waterloo.

This final adventure had occurred in less than 100 days, closing with Napoleon's second abdication on June 25, 1815, whereupon British forces forced him into further exile. Housed on St. Helena, a small rocky island well away from Europe in the South Atlantic Ocean, Napoleon's health and character fluctuated; he died within six years, on May 5, 1821, at age 51.

Napoleon helped perpetuate a state of European-wide warfare that lasted for 20 years. Few individuals have ever had such a huge effect on the world, on economics, politics, technology, culture, and society.

Napoleon may not have been a general of utter genius, but he was very good; he may not have been the best politician of his age, but he was often superb; he may not have been a perfect legislator, but his contributions were hugely important. Napoleon used his talents—through luck, talent, or force of will—to rise from chaos and then build, lead, and spectacularly destroy an empire before doing it all again in a tiny microcosm one year later. Whether a hero or tyrant, the reverberations were felt across Europe for a century.

• I, Napoleon. “ Description of Egypt. Second Edition. Antiquities, Volume One (Plates). ”  WDL RSS , Detroit Publishing Company, 1 Jan. 1970.
• “ 16 Most Remarkable Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes. ”  Goalcast , Goalcast, 6 Dec. 2018.
• Editors, History.com. “ Napoleon Bonaparte. ”  History.com , A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009.
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A Short History of Napoleon, the Ambitious, Charismatic Emperor of France

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Key Takeaways

• Napoleon Bonaparte, born in Corsica in 1769, rose through the ranks of the French army and became a wildly ambitious military leader known for his speed and cunning on the battlefield.
• Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804 after a series of political maneuvers, implementing reforms that brought financial security and stability to post-Revolution France.
• Napoleon's reign was marked by nonstop fighting with European rivals, culminating in his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and subsequent exile to the remote island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

More words have been written about Napoleon Bonaparte than almost any other historical figure. But for those with limited time resources, here's a short primer on the wildly ambitious French military leader with help from Peter Hicks, historian and manager of international affairs for the napoleon.org/en/">Fondation Napoléon in Paris.

Born in Corsica, Arrives in France

Marriage to josephine, hero of the italian campaign, visions of empire in the exotic east, from first consul to emperor, napoleon helped make modern france, france versus the world, in russia, napoleon was beaten by retreat, exile to elba, triumphant return and final defeat at waterloo, death on st. helena, an island prison.

Napoleon was born Napoleone di Buonaparte Aug. 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica, only recently bought by France from the Italian city-state of Genoa. Young Napoleon, the son of a prominent Corsican family, was sent to mainland France for school, where his Parisian classmates made fun of his provincial accent.

"Instead of calling him Napoleon, they called him 'straw on the nose,'" says Hicks, "mispronouncing his name in French with a Corsican accent."

After graduating from the French military academy and becoming part of the French Revolution , Napoleon dropped the extra vowels in his Italian-sounding name.

Napoleon was six years her junior when he met 32-year-old Paris socialite Marie-Josephe-Rose de Beauharnais , who already had two children : Eugène, born in 1781 and Hortense, born in 1783. Their father, Alexandre de Beauharnais, had been executed in 1794 during France's Reign of Terror. Napoleon and Josephine married in 1796 and Napoleon became stepfather to her children.

In the course of time, it was discovered that Josephine was incapable of having more children. Napoleon would divorce her in 1809 to marry Austrian Archduchess Maria-Louise, banking on her to produce him an heir, which she did with the birth of a son, Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte, later Napoleon II, in 1811. Napoleon was said to have loved Josephine for the rest of his life and her name was reportedly the last word on his lips when he died in 1821.

But back to the battlefield.

Napoleon rose through the ranks of the French army and was promoted to major general after helping to quash a royalist coup in Paris. In 1796, at just 26 years old, he was sent to Italy to mount a last-ditch campaign against France's bitter rival Austria. He found the French troops exhausted and unpaid but whipped them into excitement with promises of glory and riches to be won.

Despite being outnumbered almost two-to-one by Austrian and Italian Piedmontese fighters, Napoleon used speed and cunning to separate the enemy forces and ruthlessly attack their weak points. Napoleon's armies could cover up to 30 miles (48 kilometers) a day compared to just 6 or 7 (10 or 11 kilometers) for the Austrians and Italians.

"They sent a young madman who attacks right, left and from the rear," complained a Piedmontese officer. "It's an intolerable way of making war."

When the Austrians and Italians surrendered, Napoleon demanded payment in gold, which he gave to his fighting men, sealing their loyalty. Word of his exploits spread far and wide.

"Napoleon really burst onto the scene with the staggering success of the first Italian campaign, which put him on the radar with the rest of Europe," says Hicks. "Everybody wanted to know, 'Who is this guy?'"

It didn't take long for Napoleon to begin seeing himself as the French incarnation of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great . He could have made a play for emperor in 1797, but felt the moment wasn't quite right in Paris. So he rallied his armies and set off for Egypt, where he hoped to cut off British trade with India.

Napoleon scholar Jean Tulard called the Egyptian campaign, "probably the craziest expedition in the history of France." Napoleon marched 35,000 troops across the desert from the port city of Alexandria toward Cairo. At the Battle of the Pyramids, he faced a wall of 10,000 fearless Mameluke fighters on horseback.

"Soldiers," Napoleon shouted to his troops, "from the height of these pyramids, 40 centuries look down upon you."

The French, following Napoleon's ingenious battlefield strategies, crushed the saber-wielding Mamelukes and took Cairo. But while Napoleon was daydreaming of conquest — "I saw myself founding a new religion," he later wrote , "marching into Asia riding an elephant, a turban on my head, and in my hand the new Koran" — the British struck back, destroying the French fleet docked in the Mediterranean.

Stranded in Egypt, Napoleon decided to pick more fights with the locals. He took on the Turks in Syria and bombarded the centuries-old walls at the ancient city of Acre. But by 1798, morale was low and a civil war was raging back home. Napoleon saw an opening for his triumphant return, so he abandoned his troops in Egypt and secretly made for France.

The Egyptian campaign wasn't a total wash, though. Napoleon's soldiers, while digging to reinforce a fortress wall in 1799, made an accidental discovery in the Nile Delta — the Rosetta Stone .

When Napoleon arrived in France in October 1798, he found his country in chaos. The state coffers were empty, a coalition of enemies was on the attack, and the French central government lead by a five-man Directory was divided and crumbling. France needed a strong, authoritarian leader and Napoleon knew just the right guy for the job.

In a matter of weeks, he plotted with two of the Directors and some wealthy backers to hatch a coup d'etat. They convinced the legislature that another royalist coup was imminent, pretense for relocating the government to a country palace and sending in troops to "protect" them.

First, Napoleon made a ham-handed speech presenting himself as France's savior, which the constitutional body violently rejected, crying "down with the dictator!" and "death to the tyrant!" He returned the next day with more troops, and in a complicated series of political maneuvers , convinced the deputies to dissolve the Directory and create a new three-person consul with Napoleon at its head.

After rallying the army to defeat the Austrians, Napoleon earned the title of "First Consul for Life" and decided it was time to bring monarchy back to post-Revolution France. On Dec. 2, 1804, after literally snatching the crown from the hand of Pope Pius VII, Napoleon named himself Emperor of France.

While still First Consul, Napoleon created several new state institutions and spearheaded reforms that pulled the country out of chaos by consolidating power in a strong central government.

Among the big changes were to bring religion back to France through a pact with the Pope. Not only did Napoleonic France recognize Catholics, but welcomed Protestants and Jews on equal footing.

Under Napoleon, France created its first central bank, the franc was introduced, and taxes were collected in a fair and timely manner. The messy post-Revolution legal system was codified under what's known as the Civil Code or the Napoleonic Code . On the flip side, women lost almost all legal rights and slavery was reintroduced in French colonies.

"Government was settled along a top-down structure — and it was very much one man at the top," says Hicks, "but Napoleon's reforms brought financial security, and also political and social stability."

Napoleon's rule of France was dominated by nonstop fighting with European rivals, chiefly Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia. The Napoleonic Wars spanned from 1796 to 1815 and were bankrolled by Britain, the major economic and military power of the day.

"Britain was happy to have Europe fighting itself so it could run the rest of the world," says Hicks. "Britain paid other countries to do the fighting against France, but the other guys didn't need much encouraging. They found Napoelonic France quite challenging."

The British formed coalition after coalition against the French Empire, but Napoleon managed to keep the upper hand and even win more territory until 1812, when he made a fateful and failed gamble in Russia.

When the Russian czar Alexander I backed out of Napoleon's blockade of British goods in 1811, Napoleon was livid. Against the advice of his generals, Napoleon chose to invade Russia with one of the largest European armies ever assembled, an estimated 600,000 soldiers from France, Italy, Germany and Poland.

Napoleon's army charged into Russia in the blazing heat of the summer. The Russians, overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemy fighters, fell back in retreat, burning the towns and countryside behind them. Exhausted and without towns to raid for supplies, the French forces suffered from disease and desertion.

Finally, the two armies met at the Battle of Borodino, where Napoleon threw his men into a brutal, all-day assault that cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides. The Russians finally relented and Napoleon marched triumphantly into Moscow, only to find the city in flames.

The Russian winter arrived early and with a vengeance. Napoleon's army, fully unprepared for temperatures as low as -22 degrees F (-30 degrees C), froze to death by the thousands. Starving soldiers killed each other over horsemeat. And throughout the ordeal, Cossacks raided the retreating French army, dealing devastating blows to its flanks and rear.

Of Napoleon's invading army of 600,000, only 100,000 made it out of Russia alive.

After barely escaping total disaster in Russia, Napoleon came home to fight off another coalition of European foes: Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden and Austria. With diminished forces, he held off the coalition for a year before the enemy marched on Paris itself and Napoleon's generals refused to follow him into a final battle.

On April 12, 1814, Napoleon abdicated his throne and was exiled to the tiny island of Elba between Italy and Corsica. Hicks says that Napoleon's expulsion to Elba was "kind of a joke," less of a punishment for Napoleon than a strategy engineered by the Russians to destabilize Austrian-controlled Italy.

"Cartoons at the time compared Napoleon on Elba to Vesuvius next to Naples," says Hicks. "It's going to blow up, and it did."

After less than a year in exile, Napoleon sailed from Elba with 1,000 supporters and landed on the French mainland, where he was met by exultant crowds. King Louis XVIII, who had been installed by the coalition allies in Napoleon's place, skipped town without a fight. The Emperor was back, but not for long.

What followed is known as the Hundred Days Campaign, Napoleon's last desperate grasp at power. With coalition forces amassing against him, Napoleon decided to strike first by invading Belgium. He had some luck against the Prussians in a preliminary battle, but then he came up against the British outside the Belgian town of Waterloo.

The British army, under the command of the formidable Duke of Wellington, numbered 68,000 troops at Waterloo, roughly the same size as Napoleon's force. But Napoleon didn't know that the Prussians were waiting in the wings with 72,000 more enemy troops. Napoleon might have won if he had ordered the attack on the British line sooner, but he opted to wait and let the muddy ground dry. Those extra hours gave the Prussians time to join the fight and rout the French.

On June 22, 1815, Napoleon abdicated the throne for the second and final time.

The British weren't going to take any chances with Napoleon's second exile. They chose the remote tropical island of St. Helena, thousands of miles from France off the coast of Africa. There, in a ramshackle estate called Longwood, a single prisoner was guarded by 2,800 men and a Royal Navy squadron of 11 ships.

Napoleon died May 5, 1821, likely from stomach cancer. He was 51 years old. He was buried on St. Helena, but his remains were eventually returned to France where he was entombed at Les Invalides among the great French leaders of all time.

Napoleon wasn't nearly as short as his enemies made him out to be. Historians believe he stood 5 feet, 6.5 inches (169 centimeters), which was average for his day.

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Napoleon Bonaparte Biography

“France has more need of me than I have need of France. “

Born in Corsica and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France, he rose to prominence under the First French Republic. He distinguished himself as a military commander fighting in Italy. In 1799, Bonaparte staged a coup d’état and installed himself as First Consul; five years later he crowned himself Emperor of the French. In the first decade of the Nineteenth Century, he turned the armies of the French Empire against every major European power and dominated continental Europe, through a series of military victories epitomised in battles such as Austerlitz. He maintained France’s sphere of influence by the formation of extensive alliances and the appointment of friends and family members to rule other European countries as French client states. It appeared that through Napoleon’s tactical genius, nothing could stop the French as they won a series of military victories.

“Circumstances–what are circumstances? I make circumstances.”

However, in 1812, the French invasion of Russia led to a reversal of fortunes. His army succeeded in advancing to the outskirts of Moscow, but it was a hollow victory. The Russians had retreated into the interior, leaving a desolate and empty city. Cold and worn down with illness, his Grande Armée was forced into a long and painful retreat through the deep freeze of the Russian winter.

In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated his forces at Leipzig, and the following year the Coalition invaded France, forcing Napoleon to abdicate and making him an exile in the island of Elba. However, less than a year later, Napoleon escaped Elba. After his escape, an army was sent by Louis XVIII to arrest Napoleon, but Napoleon was able to sway his former army and they dramatically joined up with Napoleon. On returning to Paris, Louis XVIII fled and Napoleon regained power. Almost straight away, eight European countries joined forces against him to make a coalition army led by the Duke of Wellington .  It was at Waterloo, in June 1815, that the Duke of Wellington decided to turn and fight Napoleon. The Battle of Waterloo was a close-run affair, with the outcome uncertain at one stage. But, the arrival of the Prussian army helped to swing the battle against the French, and Napoleon was eventually decisively beaten and ousted from power.

Napoleon spent the last six years of his life under British supervision on the island of Saint Helena, where he died. His autopsy concluded he died of stomach cancer, though Sten Forshufvud and other scientists have since conjectured that he had been poisoned with arsenic.

Despite his military prowess and empire building, he was also conscious of a more spiritual perspective on life.

“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for him. ”

Napoleon scored major victories with a modernised French army and drew his tactics from different sources. His campaigns are studied at military academies the world over, and he is regarded as one of history’s great commanders. While considered a tyrant by his opponents, he is also remembered for the establishment of the Napoleonic code, which laid the administrative and judicial foundations for much of Western Europe.

Commentary on Life of Napoleon

Napoleon was a colossal figure of nineteenth-century Europe. He had an unfettered conviction in his own destiny and that of Europe. He paved the way for a very impressive modern European Empire. In doing so, he swept away much of the old feudal systems and customs of Europe. Napoleon helped to usher in a new era of European politics. He established a Napoleonic code of religious tolerance, rational values and a degree of liberalism. Yet, he was a man of paradoxes: his naked ambition led to costly wars with 6 million dead across Europe. His liberalism and tolerance were imposed with ruthless efficiency and conquest of foreign lands. Sri Aurobindo later summed up the paradox of Napoleon by saying, “Napoleon was the despotic defender of democracy.”

Eventually, his ambition outreached his ability, leading to his humiliation in the severe Russian winter and later against the British at Waterloo.

The Duke of Wellington , the British Commander at Waterloo was asked who he thought was the best General of all time. Wellington’s reply was revealing in its unmitigated praise for Napoleon.

“In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon!

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Napoleon”, Oxford, UK. www.biographyonline.net, 01/10/2013 updated 22 September 2017

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Napoleon Bonaparte Biography

Born: August 15, 1769 Ajaccio, Corsica Died: May 5, 1821 Island of St. Helena French dictator

Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor, was one of the greatest military leaders in history. He helped remake the map of Europe and established many government and legal reforms, but constant battles eventually led to his downfall.

Early years

Napoleon Bonaparte was born Napoleon Buonaparte on August 15, 1769, in the Corsican city of Ajaccio. He was the fourth of eleven children of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Romolino. His father, a member of a noble Italian family, remained on good terms with the French when they took over control of Corsica.

Napoleon began his education at a boys' school in Ajaccio. Then, at age ten, he was allowed to enter French military schools for aristocrats and was sent in 1779, with his older brother Joseph, to the College of Autun in Burgundy, France. Napoleon later transferred to the College of Brienne, another French military school. While at school in France, he was made fun of by the other students for his lower social standing and because he spoke Spanish and did not know French well. His small size earned him the nickname of the "Little Corporal." Despite this teasing, Napoleon received an excellent education. When his father died, Napoleon led his household.

By 1785 Napoleon was a second lieutenant in the French army, but he often returned to Corsica. In 1792 he took part in a power struggle between forces supporting Pasquale Paoli (1725–1807), a leader in the fight for Corsican independence, and those supporting the French. After Paoli was victorious, he turned against Napoleon and the Bonaparte family, forcing them to flee back to France. Napoleon then turned his attention to a career in the army there. The French Revolution (1789–93), a movement to overthrow King Louis XVI (1754–1793) and establish a republic, had begun. Upon his return from Corsica in 1793, Napoleon made a name for himself and won a promotion by helping to defeat the British at Toulon and regain that territory for France.

Military successes

Napoleon returned to Paris a hero, and he soon decided to invade Egypt. He sailed from Toulon, France, in May 1798 with an army of thirty-five thousand men. With only a few losses, all of lower Egypt came under Napoleon's control. He set about reorganizing the government, the postal service, and the system for collecting taxes. He also helped build new hospitals for the poor. However, at this time a group of countries had banded together to oppose France. Austrian and Russian forces had regained control of almost all of Italy. Then, in August 1798, the British destroyed French ships in the Battle of the Nile, leaving the French army cut off from its homeland. Napoleon left the army under the command of General Jean Kléber and returned to France with a handful of officers.

Leadership of France

Landing at Fréjus, France, in October 1799, Napoleon went directly to Paris, where he helped overthrow the Directory, a five-man executive body that had replaced the king. Napoleon was named first consul, or head of the government, and he received almost unlimited powers. After Austria and England ignored his calls for peace, he led an army into Italy and defeated the Austrians in the Battle of Marengo (1800). This brought Italy back under French control. The Treaty of Amiens in March 1802 ended the war with England for the time being. Napoleon also restored harmony between the Roman Catholic Church and the French government. He improved conditions within France as well by, among other things, establishing the Bank of France, reorganizing education, and reforming France's legal system with a new set of laws known as the Code Napoleon.

By 1802 the popular Napoleon was given the position of first consul for life, with the right to name his replacement. In 1804 he had his title changed to emperor. War resumed after a new coalition was formed against France. In 1805 the British destroyed French naval power in the Battle of Trafalgar. Napoleon, however, was able to defeat Russia and Austria in the Battle of Austerlitz. In 1806 Napoleon's forces destroyed the Prussian army; after the Russians came to the aid of Prussia and were defeated themselves, Alexander I (1777–1825) of Russia made peace at Tilsit in June 1807. Napoleon was now free to reorganize western and central Europe as he pleased. After Sweden was defeated in 1808 with Russia's help, only England remained to oppose Napoleon.

Napoleon was unable to invade England because of its superior naval forces. He decided to introduce the Continental System, a blockade designed to close all the ports of Europe to British trade. He hoped this would force the British to make peace on French terms. In Spain in 1808 the Peninsular War broke out over Spanish opposition to the placement of Napoleon's brother Joseph on the throne. The English helped Spain in this battle, which kept French troops occupied until 1814. In addition, Alexander I's decision to end Russia's cooperation with the Continental System led Napoleon to launch an invasion of that country in 1812. Lack of supplies, cold weather, and disease led to the deaths of five hundred thousand of Napoleon's troops.

Fall from glory

Napoleon had his marriage to Josephine dissolved and then, in March 1810, he married Marie Louise, the daughter of Emperor Francis II of Austria. Despite this union, Austria declared war on him in 1813. In March 1814 Paris fell to a coalition made up of Britain, Prussia, Sweden, and Austria. Napoleon stepped down in April. Louis XVIII (1755–1824), the brother of Louis XVI, was placed on the French throne. Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, but after ten months he made plans to return to power. He landed in southern France in February 1815 with 1,050 soldiers and marched to Paris, where he reinstated himself to power. Louis XVIII fled, and Napoleon's new reign began. The other European powers gathered to oppose him, and Napoleon was forced to return to war.

The Battle of Waterloo was over within a week. On June 18, 1815, the combined British and Prussian armies defeated Napoleon. He returned to Paris and stepped down for a second time on June 22. He had held power for exactly one hundred days. Napoleon at first planned to go to America, but he surrendered to the British on July 3. He was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. There he spent his remaining years until he died of cancer on May 5, 1821.

For More Information

Asprey, Robert B. The Reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Basic Books, 2001.

Asprey, Robert B. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Basic Books, 2000.

Castelot, André. Napoleon. Paris: Rombaldi, 1974.

Markham, Felix. Napoleon. New York: New American Library, 1964.

Thompson, J. M. Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Oxford University Press, 1952. Reprint, New York: Blackwell, 1988.

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Historia Mundum

Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

Napoleon Bonaparte, born in Corsica in 1769, rose from modest origins to become a celebrated French general and the Emperor of the French. His rule from 1804 to 1814, and briefly in 1815, was marked by the creation of a vast European empire and significant reforms in the conquered territories, although these were overshadowed by the destructive Napoleonic Wars.

His military career took off during the French Revolutionary Wars , leading successful campaigns in Italy and Egypt. In 1799, Napoleon seized control of the French Republic in a coup and later crowned himself Emperor in 1804. He led the Grande Armée against various European coalitions, expanding his influence across Western and Central Europe by 1807 through the Treaties of Tilsit.

However, his failed invasion of Russia in 1812 marked the beginning of his downfall, with his eventual defeat and exile to Elba in April 1814. Returning to France in 1815, he briefly reclaimed power during the Hundred Days, but was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

Napoleon’s military achievements are notable, with only seven losses in 60 battles. He revolutionized European warfare with his strategies, the use of conscription, and the army corps system. His methods and leadership are still studied and revered today. Additionally, the Napoleonic Code, a set of civil laws he established, had a lasting impact on European judicial systems. Napoleon’s complex legacy, as a reformer and autocrat, warmonger and liberty defender, secures his place as a pivotal figure in Western history.

Formative Years

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica, into a family of minor Italian nobility that had settled in Corsica in the 16th century. His father, Carlo Buonaparte, was a lawyer with a substantial estate. Napoleon was the second of eight children, raised alongside his older brother Joseph and younger siblings.

Corsica, under Genoese control but largely self-governing, was sold to France in 1768, sparking local resistance. Initially, Carlo supported the resistance leader, Pasquale Paoli, but after the French quelled the uprising in 1769, he aligned with the French, gaining new titles and honors for his family.

In 1779, Napoleon and Joseph were sent to study in France, thanks to Carlo’s French connections. Nine-year-old Napoleon, feeling like an outsider at the Royal Military School of Brienne-le-Château due to his Corsican roots, turned to books for comfort, even writing essays and a history of Corsica. He showed a particular talent in mathematics and was skeptical of religious doctrines, viewing religion as a tool for political purposes.

Carlo’s death in 1784 marked a challenging period for Napoleon, who graduated from the École Militaire as an artillery lieutenant two years later. Back in Corsica, he and his siblings supported the French Revolution , leading to a rise in his military career. However, their support for France put them at odds with Corsican nationalists, including Paoli. The mounting conflict forced the Bonaparte family to leave Corsica for mainland France in 1793, a significant moment for Napoleon as he transitioned from a Corsican nationalist to a staunch supporter of France.

Napoleon during the French Revolution

In the spring of 1792, France declared war on Austria and Prussia, initiating the Revolutionary Wars. The victory at the Battle of Valmy led to the founding of the First French Republic and the execution of King Louis XVI. As the Republic’s radical policies intensified, Britain, Spain, and the Dutch Republic joined the war. A significant development occurred when a British and Spanish fleet captured the harbor of Toulon, housing the French Mediterranean Fleet.

Napoleon Bonaparte, a young and ambitious officer, wrote a pro-Jacobin pamphlet during this time, leading to his appointment as the artillery commander at the Siege of Toulon. His leadership was crucial in recapturing Toulon, earning him a promotion to brigadier general. However, after the Reign of Terror and the fall of the Jacobins, his career seemed to be at risk. This changed when he successfully defended Paris against a royalist insurrection, gaining the attention of government leader Paul Barras. Barras introduced him to Joséphine de Beauharnais, whom he married shortly before taking command of the French Army of Italy.

In Italy, Napoleon quickly demonstrated his military prowess, reorganizing the Army of Italy and swiftly defeating the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. He then focused on the Austrians, capturing Milan and setting up French client states in northern Italy. His victories led to the signing of the Treaty of Campo Formio, ending the War of the First Coalition. His success in Italy earned him the affectionate nickname ‘the Little Corporal’ and increased his fame in France.

In 1798, Napoleon embarked on a military expedition to Egypt, aiming to undermine British influence. Despite initial successes, the campaign ultimately faltered, but it contributed significantly to Egyptology, notably with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. He returned to France in 1799 and was approached by political figures planning a coup. Napoleon led the Coup of 18 Brumaire, overthrowing the government and establishing the French Consulate. This marked the end of the French Revolution and the start of the Napoleonic era , with Napoleon as a central figure.

The Napoleonic Era

During Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule in the early 1800s, he achieved significant political and military successes. He reconciled France with the Catholic Church through the Concordat of 1801 and established the Napoleonic Code, reflecting revolutionary principles. However, his efforts to regain control of Haiti failed, leading to its independence in 1804. A major decision of his was the sale of the Louisiana territory to the United States. Militarily, he triumphed over Austria at the Battle of Marengo and temporarily ended the Revolutionary Wars with the Treaty of Amiens. By 1802, he was declared First Consul for life in France.

In 1804, Napoleon established the French Empire and crowned himself Emperor, a significant moment in European history. The Napoleonic Wars escalated with Britain declaring war in 1803, followed by the War of the Third Coalition involving several European powers in 1805. Napoleon’s military strategy was effective, notably at the Battle of Austerlitz, leading to Austria’s defeat and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. He placed his brothers on various European thrones, which drew criticism for nepotism.

The Peninsular War began in 1807 when Napoleon invaded Portugal and Spain. This conflict, marked by intense resistance and guerrilla warfare, drained French resources. In 1809, Austria initiated the War of the Fifth Coalition, where Napoleon experienced his first defeat as an emperor but eventually prevailed at the Battle of Wagram. He married Marie Louise, the daughter of the Austrian emperor, in 1810.

By 1811, tensions with Russia escalated, leading to Napoleon’s invasion in 1812 with a massive army. The campaign was disastrous, with significant losses and a retreat worsened by a harsh winter. The Sixth Coalition, including major European powers, capitalized on this weakness, leading to Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig in 1813 and his subsequent abdication in 1814.

Napoleon returned from exile in 1815, marking the Hundred Days of his renewed reign. However, his comeback was short-lived, ending with a defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, another abdication, and another exile.

Final Exile and Death

Napoleon Bonaparte was taken into British custody and exiled to the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, arriving in October 1815 with 27 followers. He was heavily guarded to prevent any escape attempts. While there, he first lived in the Briars pavilion and then moved to Longwood House, which was damp and uncomfortable, sparking rumors that the British were trying to hasten his death.

Despite being a prisoner, Napoleon tried to maintain his dignity, hosting formal events and working on his memoirs. He struggled with learning English and eventually gave up. He complained about his treatment, hoping to sway public opinion and end his exile, but the British government, led by Hudson Lowe, restricted his budget and downplayed his former status, insisting his supporters stay with him.

Napoleon’s health started to decline in 1817, suffering from chronic hepatitis. The British dismissed his physician in 1818 despite the doctor’s warnings about the island’s detrimental effects on Napoleon’s health. In 1819, his condition worsened, and by 1821 he was bedridden. He wrote two wills in April, asserting he was killed by the British and expressing hopes for his son. Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, with his final words reportedly about France and Joséphine.

Autopsy reports concluded that he died of stomach cancer, a finding supported by recent studies, despite previous theories of arsenic poisoning. After his death, Napoleon was buried on Saint Helena, but in 1840, his remains were returned to France. He received a grand state funeral in Paris and was eventually entombed in Les Invalides, where he remains to this day.

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Napoleon's biography 1. The Youth of Napoleone

Napoleon was born on August 15th, 1769 in Ajaccio   , Corsica, the younger son of Carlo Bonaparte , a lawyer of the Supreme Council of Corsica, and Letizia Ramolino . He was baptized in    the cathedral    of the city on July 21st, 1771, the year the Bonaparte family was given its noble status by the Board of Corsica.

The young Napoleon made his first trip to France in December 1778. He was admitted the following January 1st to the college of Autun, Burgundy, where his father had registered him after having obtained a scholarship. In May 1779, Napoleon joined the military school of Brienne    , which prepared children of the nobility for a military career. He demonstrated a remarkable aptitude for mathematics.

He left this institution in October 1784 to enter the Royal Military School    of Champ-de-Mars in Paris in the Company of gentlemen cadets.

The year 1785 was a sad one for Napoleon, as he mourned the death of his father Charles, probably of stomach cancer, leaving a widow with eight children and little income. In the fall, Napoleon received his wings of second Lieutenant and was assigned to the artillery regiment of La Fere, stationed at Valence, Rhone Valley.

In 1786, his first leave saw him off to Corsica, which he had left nearly eight years ago. He returned to Paris the following year.

In June 1788, Lieutenant Bonaparte rejoined his regiment, stationed at Auxonne, a small town in Burgundy. In 1789, troubled year, he was responsible for suppressing riots in the region, and then returned to Corsica, where he participated in the political turmoil that was stiring the island. He demonstrated at the time an insular nationalism, supporting the action of Pasquale Paoli , with whom he had an inconclusive interview in July 1790.

Back in Auxonne, Napoleon was promoted to first Lieutenant in June 1791 and transferred to the 4th Artillery Regiment in Valence. On the occasion of a new leave, he joined a battalion of National Guard of Ajaccio, with which he took part in the clashes, which forced him to return to Paris in May 1792 to defend himself. He was reinstated in the army in July 1792 with the rank of Captain and sent to Ajaccio.

His break with Pasquale Paoli, whose supporters had ransacked Bonaparte's house, forced him to flee the island with his family in June 1793. While his family was moving towards Toulon, he joined his regiment in Nice. After a mission in Avignon, he was appointed by the National Convention in command of artillery in Toulon, Provence, with the rank of Battalion chief. Under the command of General Jacques Dugommier , Napoleon took a decisive part in the expulsion of the English fleet with his talent as a gunner. He fought alongside future marshals and generals of the Empire, as Auguste Viesse de Marmont , Jean-Andoche Junot , André Masséna , Louis-Gabriel Suchet and Claude-Victor Perrin . He was rewarded for his great deeds with the rank of Brigadier general.

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Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte, also known as Napoleon I, was a French general and emperor who conquered large parts of Europe in the 19th century. 

Famed for his tactical brilliance and quick thinking in desperate situations, he went down in European history as one of the foremost military strategists of the time.

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Early Life of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica, an island located on the Mediterranean Coast, on August 15, 1768,  to Carlo Bonaparte and Letizia Romalino Bonaparte. Despite being part of the Corsican nobility, Napoleon’s family were of modest means. 

Napoleon did his schooling in mainland France, graduating from the military academy in 1785. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant of an artillery detachment in the French Army. He was on leave when the French Revolution broke out in 1789, during which he became involved with the Corsican branch  of the Jacobins , one of many pro-democratic parties in France at the time. At the time, the Bonaparte family had gotten into a dispute for their pro-democratic leanings with the monarchy supporting the governor of Corsica. The result was them fleeing Corsica for mainland France in 1793, where Napoleon returned to active military duty

Napoleon came into contact with Augustine Robespierre, the brother of the infamous Maximilien Robespierre. Maximilien Robespierre would herald the Reign of Terror, a period of anarchy marked by violence against and execution of those considered the enemies of the French revolution .

But when the Robespierre brothers fell from power and were guillotined in July 1794, Napoleon was placed under house arrest for a brief period of time due to his association with them. In 1795, he suppressed a monarchy-backed uprising against the revolutionary government, being promoted to a major general as a result.

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

The French government was fighting against other European monarchies since 1792. In a series of battles taking place in Italy during 1796, Napoleon led a French army to victory over the much better equipped and larger armies of Austria. The Treaty of Campo Formio signed between France and Austria led to territorial gains for France.

The Directory, a five-member group that governed France since the Reign of Terror ended in 1795, directed Napoleon to lead an invasion of Great Britain. Knowing the French Navy was inadequate to deal with the far more superior British Royal Navy, Napoleon instead proposed an expedition to Egypt, then a British Protectorate. Taking Egypt from the British would effectively cut them off from their vital trade with India, causing widespread economic hardship on the British Isle. Landing in Egypt in 1798, the French army won the Battle of the Pyramids in June of that year.

But during the Battle of the Nile in August, the French Navy was nearly wiped out following the engagement with the British Navy. Later, Napoleon would launch an invasion of Syria in 1798. Syria was then a province of the Ottoman Empire. This campaign would be a failure as well.

With the political situation in France deteriorating, Napoleon decided to return to France. He then became part of the group that overthrew the Directory in 1799.

Now a three-member group called the Consulate ruled France with Napoleon becoming first consul, a position consolidated by his victory over Austria at the Battle of Marengo in June 1800.

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Napoleon I, Emperor of France

A constitutional amendment made in 1802 made Napoleon first consul for life. In 1804, he crowned himself, emperor of France, during a lavish ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame

Seeking to restore stability in post-revolutionary France, he centralized the government by introducing reforms in banking and education, supporting science and art. His most significant accomplishment was the creation of the Napoleonic Code, which transformed the French legal system and continues to be the be basis of the legal system in France and most of Western Europe to this day.

The Napoleonic Wars broke out in 1803, lasting until 1815. It was a series of conflicts between the French Empire and a coalition of European nations.

On October 1805, the French fleet was annihilated during the battle of Trafalgar, nullifying the threat of invasion of the British Isles. The Battle of Austerlitz in December of that year, however, solidified his reputation as one of the greatest generals in European History.  A combined army of Austrians and Russians was defeated by the French and the termination of the Holy  Roman Empire that resulted would be a catalyst for the unification of Germany in 1871

Seeking to defeat his British rivals through economic means, Napoleon devised the Continental System in 1806, which blockaded Europeans ports from British Trade. Subsequent victories in 1807 and 1809 against the Russians and Austrians resulted in French territorial gains in central and Eastern Europe

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Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte

The Russian withdrawal from the continental system gave Napoleon  casus belli for Napoleon to launch an invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. It proved to be a costly mistake as the Russians switched to scorched-earth tactics to deny the French army any hope of preparing for the brutal winter that would follow. By September of that year, both sides had suffered enormous casualties.

The French Army did eventually take Moscow but all they found was an empty city, with its population having evacuated further east. Seeing little point in residing in Moscow, Napoleon retreated back towards the west under constant attack by the Russians. Only 100,000 of the original 600,000 managed to reach the safety of the empire.

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Further setbacks for Napoleon awaited him with the defeat of his armies in Spain. Napoleon’s forces were again defeated in 1813 during the Battle of Leipzig by a coalition force of Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish troops. He was forced to abdicate his throne when the coalition forces captured Paris. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy while his wife and son were sent to Austria

On February 26, 1815, Napoleon escaped to mainland France, where he was welcomed to Paris by cheering crowds. He began a campaign to reconquer lost French possessions in Europe shortly after. 

The French Army invaded Belgium in 1815 in order to defeat a combined British and Prussian army. In the engagement that followed the Prussians were defeated at Ligny but on June 18, at the Battle of Waterloo, the  French were crushed by the British through Prussian support. The battle permanently ended Napoleon’s threat to Europe.

In June 1815, Napoleon was dethroned once again.

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Final years of Napoleon Bonaparte

In October 1815, Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean. He passed away while there on May 5, 1821. He was 51 at the time. The likely cause of his demise is said to be stomach cancer, although it was speculated with no sufficient evidence that he was poisoned. Although his last wish was to be buried on the banks of the Seine, he was buried on the island. In 1840 his remains were returned to France and given a state funeral. 

Frequently Asked Questions  about Napoleon Bonaparte

Why is napoleon famous, who defeated napoleon.

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Napoleon Bonaparte, His Rise and Fall Essay (Biography)

This paper explores how Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power. It further explores that factors that enabled Napoleon to control Europe and later remain a great influence on European politics in the 19 th century. Finally, this paper considers the factors that contributed to the demise of the France Empire under Napoleon. Napoleon’s legacy is entrenched in the reforms he instituted in France that helped streamline governance.

In this paper, it is illustrated that Napoleon’s family background was instrumental towards his getting the best education possible. This later contributed to his becoming a Great War tactician and a consolidator of power. War tactics and consolidation of empire are important factors that necessitated his success. However, treachery against allies, betrayal by allies and formation of coalitions against France led to its demise.

Napoleon Bonaparte ruled Europe as Napoleon I. He was a very influential leader whose exploits and endeavors have shaped happenings in Europe for the larger part of the 19th century. Napoleon was born at a place called Corsica in the year 1769 (Asprey 2000, 6). Napoleon’s rise to power was not by accident.

He was the second born son of a prominent man in Corsica; he represented Corsica at the court of the then king of France Luis XVI (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 14). The Bonaparte’s were a nobility of Italian origin (Schom 1998, 2). His father was a well read, affluent lawyer of his time. Like most people of that time, Napoleon was baptized into Catholicism at the age of twelve years.

Napoleon’s family background (nobility and affluence) enabled him to access better education opportunities than other people of his town (Asprey 2000, 13). He was able to study French at a religious school in mainland France by 1779. Later in the year, Napoleon gained admission into a military academy.

After completing studies at the military academy that was situated at Brienne-le-château, Napoleon gained admission into a prestigious elite military school in Paris. While at the military school, Napoleon trained and qualified as an artillery officer (Schom 1998, 9). He was immediately commissioned in the artillery regiment as a second lieutenant. He dutifully engaged in his garrison duties until in 1789, which marked the beginning of the French revolution.

Napoleon is described as having been a fervent “Corsican nationalist” (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 26). He did not like the fact that France had taken over Corsica through blood shed. He believed in liberty and desired national freedom for Corsicans. When the French revolution broke out, he went back to Corsica for leave. Although he believed in the vision of the Corsican nationalists, he was also torn apart by attraction from the revolutionaries and the royalties.

He joined the Jacobin faction of the revolutionaries and quickly grew in rank as to command a battalion consisting of volunteers (Asprey 2000, 29). His engagement with the revolutionaries and absconding of duty lured the French army into giving him a promotion.

As a captain of the French army, napoleon conflicted with Paoli, a Corsican nationalist who had rebelled against France (Schom 1998, 18). This conflict forced Napoleon to evacuate his family from Corsica. They settled on France main land in 1793. In the same year, 1973, he wrote a pamphlet that favored the republicans.

This pamphlet earned him favor with the revolutionary leadership which promoted him by making him commander of artillery (Schom 1998, 24). He was posited as artillery commander for republican forces at siege Toulon. In his capacity as commander, he devised a plan that enabled the republican army to capture the city. This exploit resulted in his being promoted to the post of Brigadier general in the republican army.

Later, in 1794, Bonaparte fell out of favor with the army leadership for he was suspected of supporting renegade brothers. He was placed under house arrest and later demoted from artillery general to infantry commander. He tactically turned down the posting and offered to go and be of service to the Sultan of Istanbul. By September 1795, Napoleon was officially removed from the list of general in the French army. This meant no earnings as per that post.

Luck smiled on napoleon because by October of 1995, royalists rebelled against the new government from which they had been excluded by the national convention (Schom 1998, 37). Napoleon, benefiting from one of the leader’s memory of his Toulon prowess, was put in command of a force put together to defend the convention (Schom 1998, 46). Again having learnt from a past experience, having witnessed the King’s Swiss Guard massacre, he devised a plan that led to the royalists suffering many losses; a total defeat.

The defeat of the royalists earned Napoleon the admiration of both the mighty and the lowly (Asprey 2000, 56). He was compensated handsomely and within a week, he was basking in glory as a commander of the interior. He was put in charge of the army of Italy. As the commander of the army of Italy, Napoleon led a successful invasion of Italy by end of October 1795.

He went on to defeat the Austrian forces in the battle of Lodi and later was able to capture all the Papal States. The army of Italy under Napoleon’s command subdued many states such as Austria and Venice.

What put Napoleon in a vantage position was his application of military precision or ideas in dealing with real world scenarios or situations (Bell 2007, 468). His war tactics were so refined that he won most of his battles. His army was better placed because of the advanced artillery technology they used (Bell 2007, 274).

They captured prisoners and took away weaponry from subdued states thus improving their artillery from battle to battle. Napoleon’s exploits in war earned him a privileged position in French politics. Napoleon sponsored the publication of two newspapers meant for his soldiers at war. However, the newspapers were widely circulated in France, becoming a conduit for his ideas and endearing him to the citizens.

The royalists gained prominence in France after an election in 1797 and started attacking Napoleon’s dealings. This prompted Napoleon to sponsor a coup against the royalists (Schom 1998, 75). The coup left the republicans in control but they were totally dependent on Bonaparte. When he later returned back to Paris in December of 1797, he was the hero everyone wanted to associate with.

In 1798, napoleon conjectured, schemed and executed an invasion against Egypt. This invasion was aimed at cutting off England from accessing the Middle East (Schom 1998, 83). Despite the Royal Navy’s pursuit of Napoleon’s expedition, they managed to land in Alexandria. However, the Mamluks who were occupying Egypt proved too many for Napoleon’s small army. To add injury to injury, the French vessels were destroyed by the Royal navy on the Nile River (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 35).

From the newspapers and other dispatches, Napoleon received while in Egypt, he learnt of how France was fairing poorly against its enemies. A window of opportunity came in the form of English ships temporarily departing from France’s coastline. He immediately set off for France even without seeking consent from the Directory in Paris.

He got to Paris to find the republic in bad shape financially. With prompting from one of the Directors, Napoleon led a coup against the constitutional government (Schom 1998, 122). After the coup, he was elected as provincial consuls alongside Siêves and Ducos. The original intention was to have Sieves as the first Consul but Bonaparte outmaneuvered him and was elected the First Consul after drafting a constitution.

As the First Consul, in 1800, Napoleon started expeditions aimed at regaining what France had lost while he was in Egypt (Bell 2007, 321). The Austrian forces had driven French forces out of Italy. Bonaparte led a campaign against the Austrians, narrowly defeating them by 1801. By October 1801, Napoleon was set for an invasion against Britain. Britain obtained a peace treaty from napoleon by promising to withdraw its troops from the colonies it had recently acquired.

The peace was short lived due to mistrust between the two sides; by May 1803, Britain had already declared war against France. Uprisings in French colonies led to napoleon re-introducing slavery in the colonies. These led to strong uprising, with a notable one in Haiti (Schom 1998, 130).

Napoleon’s success as a leader in France was hinged on the reforms he instituted. He created a centralized administration that had well defined departments (Asprey 2000, 92). He introduced reforms in higher education, choreographed a tax code, improved the banking system, invested in infrastructure especially roads and the sewer system (Asprey 2000, 116).

He approached the Catholic Church and reached concessions with Rome that would help attract the catholic population to his rule or regime. He introduced an order of honor that encouraged military and civilian accomplishment or making of effort towards achievements (Schom 1998, 157). His greatest contribution to civil order is the laws widely known as the Napoleonic code.

The novelty of this code was its great emphasis on clearly written, understandable and accessible laws. He instituted and actively participated in processes and sessions aimed at defining due process in commerce and criminal punishment procedure (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 71).

There were numerous uprisings against Napoleon driven by the royalists and other functionaries (Asprey 2000, 145). Actually, napoleon narrowly escaped a number of assassination attempts.

To consolidate power, Napoleon reintroduced a hereditary monarchy, himself becoming an emperor in 1804. To gain unquestioned allegiance of the army, Napoleon created a position ‘the marshal of the empire’ to which he appointed eighteen of his top generals (Asprey 2000, 150). This consolidation of imperialist powers made some of Napoleon’s admirers to despise him. However, he remained strong and ruled with flair and tact.

Napoleon survived as a result of his military tactics. His greatest show of tact happened in 1805, during the war of the third coalition (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 63). The third coalition consisted of Britain which had convinced Austria and Russia to join it in a war against France. France did not have as much naval capacity as Britain but due to tactical brilliance, they fought favorably against the coalition.

The Royal navy gained control over most of the seas but Napoleon subdued Russians, Austrians. The defeat of the third coalition led to Austria conceding territory and the fall of the Holly Roman Empire. The confederation of the Rhine was created and Napoleon became its protector; Austria became an ally of France.

Alliances also played a critical role in perpetuating Napoleon’s 20 year heavy presence in Europe. Although his Egyptian campaign failed, Napoleon continued nursing aspiration of forming alliances with rulers of the Middle East against Britain and its allies. He was sure that if he established a Franco-presence in the Middle East, he would be able to take on England and defeat it (Asprey 2000, 78). This kind of alliance or presence would especially be instrumental in pressuring Russia, one of England’s key allies.

When Napoleon won the war of the third coalition, the sultan of Ottoman Empire accepted Napoleon as empire and accepted to form an alliance with him. Later in 1807, the Persian sultan also accepted a Franco Persian alliance (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 100). This alliance worked for France until in 1809 when France formed an alliance with Russia and focused its campaigns in Europe.

The alliance with Russia was a follow up on the war of the fourth coalition. In 1806, Napoleon managed to subdue Prussia and attacked the Russian armies in Poland aided by Ottoman allies. He won against Russians forcing Tsar Alexander I to sign a treaty dividing the continent between Russia and France.

Napoleon stationed nominal rulers to govern the captured territory on his behalf. Again with Spain as an ally, napoleon was able to attack Portugal which had failed to comply with his continental system directive. The continental system was an economic war strategy that napoleon tried to employ against Britain. He ordered for a boycott of Britain’s commercial products in the whole of Europe. However, Napoleon later short changed Spain by attacking it and replacing its ruler with his own brother.

One of the reasons why Napoleon fell is his treachery against allies. The break away of allies was very instrumental towards the defeat of Napoleon’s army. The short changing of Spain led to its joining hands with Britain and its allies.

Although Napoleon had great officers the Spanish guerrillas, supported by Britain and Portugal, were too strong a force to contend (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 107). This seriously led to France loosing ground in the control over the peninsula. Later on he made Russia which was number one enemy of his middle east allies his ally.

Austria broke its alliance with France In April 1809. This meant Napoleon having to take charge of fronts that were in the proximity of ally turned enemy. The fifth coalition consisting of Britain, Austria and other enemies of Napoleon waged war against France.

France suffered a big defeat at some point in the war but due to Britain and Austria’s lack of meticulous organization, France was able to defend its territory. Napoleon again broke ranks with an ally; the Catholic Church because the pope had failed to sanction the continental system. Napoleon annexed Papal States while the pope in response excommunicated the emperor.

The Russian nobility had put a lot of pressure on the Tsar to break alliance with France. In 1811, intelligence informed Napoleon that Russia was planning to wage war against France (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 138). Napoleon mobilized forces and attacked its ally about to turn enemy. He invaded interior Russia in 1812.

He created alliance with polish nobles but broke ranks with them when they demanded that Russia becomes part of an independent Poland that they wanted to see created (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 140). Napoleon was not keen on that because such a move would anger Austria. Napoleon’s army suffered greatly from this war.

The final reason why Napoleon’s empire fell was the combination of forces between former allies and all its enemies. Napoleon’s loss in Russia, led to all France’s enemies and former allies joining hands in what is called the sixth coalition (Leggiere 2007, 25).

The sixth coalition consisted of “Russia, Prussia joined with Austria, Sweden, Russia, Great Britain, Spain, and Portugal” (Leggiere 2007, 25). Initially napoleon registered some successes against the coalition. However, the numbers of enemy forces overwhelmed napoleons smaller army (Leggiere 2007, 58).

Napoleon moved his armies back into France while the sixth coalition members surrounded and placed France under siege. Napoleon staged considerable resistance but the coalition managed to match over Paris in March of 1814 (Leggiere 2007, 83). The sixth coalition allies forced Napoleon to resign unconditionally, ending his 20 years of being a powerful presence in Europe.

In conclusion, Napoleon’s exploits were not by accident. Napoleon was a very learned person who had appropriated war fare tactics of such theorists like Jacques Antoine and Comte De Guibert (Bell 2007, 463). He understood the dialectic that had informed French development and was smart as to build on already established structures or things already in place. He is credited for the introduction of the metric system in Europe.

Under his guidance, the metric system was introduced in France in 1799 (Lacey, Schwatz and Wood 1998, 201). Napoleon’s reform agenda led to creation and enforcement of regulations that would institute equality and equity for all in France; this truly adhered him to many in France especially those that had formerly been sidelined. He was able to bring about order and lawfulness in a franc that had known only revolution after revolution.

Napoleon will forever be remembered for the code which was adopted throughout Europe and Napoleon’s colonies. The code recognizes personal freedoms that are worthy every consideration by any society.

Annotated Bibliography

Asprey B. Robert. 2000. The rise of Napoleon Bonaparte . Kansas: Basic Books

This book gives an elaborate biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. It follows the life of Napoleon from childhood, his days in power and final demise. The book attempts to treat Bonaparte not as a demi-god or devil as is often the case, but as a human being who struggled to the cradle but also made mistakes that warranted his down fall.

Bell A. David. 2007. The First Total War: Napoleon’s Europe and the Birth of Warfare As We Know It. New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

In this book, Historian David Bell explores the concept of Total War. He argues that this concept started in the age of Napoleon. Napoleon’s era was characterized by use of sailing vessels, muskets and cannons in waging a total war aimed at subduing or exterminating rival states or nations.

The writer narrates Napoleonic war campaigns and how they were executed to make his argument. War was blood and in many occasions unless the subdued surrendered and agreed to the terms of the conqueror, whole nations could be exterminated. The writer focuses on Napoleon to bring out the ultimate warrior of those ages, his attitudes, his thinking and his general perception and inclination in a situation of war. He parallels Napoleon’s days with our days in terms of ambitions and war execution.

Schom, Alan. 1998. Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: HarperCollins,

This book is a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. It narrates about Bonaparte’s life from childhood to emperor to exiled prisoner on the St. Helena Island. The book brings out, in a very exciting way, the exploits of Bonaparte, his personal struggles and his genius. The book is a good read that brings out both the villain and genius that Bonaparte was. It frames the kind of forces and factors that informed Bonaparte’s decisions.

Lacey Robert, Schwartz S. Rebecca, Wood A. Rue. 1998. The Rise of Napoleon.

New York: Jackdaw Publications

This book elaborately discusses napoleon Bonaparte from both biographical and analytical perspectives. It gives detailed information about Bonaparte’s childhood, life in military school, his life under the Directory, how he seized power, how he maneuvered from consul to emperor, his military prowess, and his time in exile.

This book brings out the inspiring personality of napoleon. It does not just focus on his prowess but also his personal weaknesses that led to his incessant desire to conquer and subdue. Most crucially, the book dedicates a whole section to Napoleon’s legacy and his pre and post humus image across the world.

Leggiere V. Michael. 2007. The Fall of Napoleon: The allied invasion of France, 1813- 1814. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

This book focuses on happenings in the last years of Napoleon’s reign. The book tells of how France was invaded and subdued by the sixth coalition forces. It vividly describes the advance of coalition forces across the Rhine, the battles in Germany and the drive into France. The book brings out the enormity of the army that had gathered against Napoleon.

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Napoleon Bonaparte: Biography, Famous Books and Quotes

Napoleon bonaparte was a prominent figure who played a major role in shaping modern european history. here is everything you need to know about him. .

The French Revolution in the 18th century saw the downfall of the French monarchy and the ascension of a prominent figure who played a major role in shaping modern European history.

 The abolishment of the monarchy and the subsequent execution of French King Louis XVI created a significant power vacuum in the politically and socially unstable France. During that period of time, fervent nationalism and militarism were on the rise and thus emerged Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern-day history. 

Birth and Early Life

"Napoleone Buonaparte" was born on August 15, 1769 to Carlo Maria Bonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino in Ajaccio, Corsica, France. He was a brilliant and outspoken student.

At the age of 9, he transferred to a military academy at Brienne-le-Château on a scholarship. He was enrolled at the École Militaire in Paris after finishing his studies at Brienne in 1784 and was preparing to be an artillery officer. 

However, because of unforeseen circumstances after the death of his father, he had to finish the two-year training in a single year. 

Napoleon became the first Corsican to receive a diploma from the École Militaire.

After graduating, Napoleon’s first commission was in the La Fère artillery regiment as the second lieutenant. In 1789, when the French Revolution began, he was serving at Valence and Auxonne. 

Rise to Power

France was dealing with the consequences of the revolution and ongoing conflicts with its European neighbours, leading to political insecurity and economic crises. A new constitution was adopted in 1795, establishing the Directory, a five-member as the governing body of France. 

Having been promoted to the rank of Major General, Napoleon led an army and defeated Austrian forces in 1976. The next year, he was offered by the Directory to lead an army against the British. Napoleon concluded that France's naval forces were not yet prepared to face the superior British Royal Fleet and instead suggested an invasion of Egypt to destroy British trade routes with India. At the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798, Napoleon's men defeated Egypt's military overlords.

On November 9, 1799, Napoleon overthrew the Directory by a coup d'état, popularly known as the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced it with a three-member consulate. He then became the “first consul” of France. 

After becoming the first consul, Napoleon's soldiers drove out and defeated the Austrians, at the Battle of Marengo in June 1800. As a result of this victory, his position was further solidified. Two years later, in 1802, the French signed a peace treaty with the British, putting a temporary stop to the constant warfare between the two nations. 

After instigating a period of peace in turmoiled France, Napoleon’s popularity soared and the consulate became permanent. He centralised governance, implemented reforms, encouraged education, science and the arts, and worked to make France into a stronger and better nation. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself the First Emperor of France in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris.

The Napoleonic Empire

After becoming the Emperor, Napoleon introduced the Napoleonic Code , which was an exhaustive civil law framework that overruled the Ancien Régime's legal systems. The code emphasised equality before the law, individual rights, and private property protection.

Hen then began a series of military pursuits in order to increase French territory and influence across Europe. 

In 1805, his military fleet went through a crushing defeat at the hands of the British Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar. However, he made up for the defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz by defeating the Austrians and the Russians. His triumph led to the separation of the Holy Roman Empire and the establishment of the Rhine Confederation. 

Napoleon’s downfall began soon after. His involvement in the Peninsular War, a lengthy battle against Spain and Portugal, proved to be an expensive drain on French resources. His inability to crush the Spanish resistance significantly harmed his reputation and empowered his adversaries. Furthermore, his failed invasion of Russia in 1812 was a watershed moment in his career. His failure in Russia galvanised his European rivals, resulting in the establishment of the Sixth Coalition, a powerful anti-French alliance. This alliance brought together the forces of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, and other European nations.

In 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate the throne and was exiled to Alba. He escaped from Elba and returned to France in 1815, attempting to reclaim the throne from the new king Louis XVII in an event popularly known as the Hundred Days Campaign. His attempt to reclaim power, however, was short-lived.

Famous Books by Napoleon Bonaparte

• “Military Maxims of Napoleon" (1796)
• "Notes on the Campaign of Egypt" (1798
• "Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte"
• "Mémoires de Napoléon Bonaparte" (1823-1825)
• "Aphorisms and Thoughts" (1829)

Famous Quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte

• “Put a rogue in the limelight and he will act like an honest man.”
• “The contagion of crime is like that of the plague. Criminals collected together corrupt each other. They are worse than ever when, at the termination of their punishment, they return to society.”
• “You medical people will have more lives to answer for in the other world than even we generals.”
• “The human race is governed by its imagination.”
• “Ability has nothing to do with opportunity.”

Famous director Ridley Scott has released a biography on this complex and controversial figure starring Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby in lead roles. The movie "Napoleon" has been released worldwide on November 22, 2023. You can watch the trailer here. 

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