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Napoleon Bonaparte[a] (/nəˈpoʊliən ˈboʊnəpɑːrt/,[1] French: [napɔleɔ̃ bɔnɑpaʁt]; Italian: Napoleone di Buonaparte, pronounced [napoleˈone di bwɔnaˈparte]; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French statesman and military leader of Italian descent who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was Emperor of the French as Napoleon I from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over much of continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. He is considered one of the greatest commanders in history, and his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. Napoleon's political and cultural legacy has endured as one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in human history.[2][3]
Napoleon was born in Corsica to a relatively modest family originating from minor Italian nobility. He was serving as an artillery officer in the French army when the French Revolution erupted in 1789. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the military, seizing the new opportunities presented by the Revolution and becoming a general at age 24. The French Directory eventually gave him command of the Army of Italy after he suppressed the 13 Vendémiaire revolt against the government from royalist insurgents. At age 26, he began his first military campaign against the Austrians and the Italian monarchs aligned with the Habsburgs—winning virtually every battle, conquering the Italian Peninsula in a year while establishing "sister republics" with local support, and becoming a war hero in France. In 1798, he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He orchestrated a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. He also formed a Franco-Persian alliance and one of the Franco-Indian alliances with Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and provided them French-trained army during the Napoleonic and Anglo-Mysore Wars, with the continuous aim of having an eventual open way to attack the British in India.[4][5]
Napoleon's ambition and public approval inspired him to go further, and he became the first Emperor of the French in 1804. Intractable differences with the British meant that the French were facing a Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with decisive victories in the Ulm Campaign and a historic triumph over the Russian Empire and Austrian Empire at the Battle of Austerlitz which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him because Prussia became worried about growing French influence on the continent. Napoleon quickly defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, then marched his Grande Armée deep into Eastern Europe and annihilated the Russians in June 1807 at the Battle of Friedland. France then forced the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to sign the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, bringing an uneasy peace to the continent. Tilsit signified the high-water mark of the French Empire. In 1809, the Austrians and the British challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram in July.
Napoleon then invaded the Iberian Peninsula, hoping to extend the Continental System and choke off British trade with the European mainland, and declared his brother Joseph Bonaparte the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted with British support. The Peninsular War lasted six years, featured extensive guerrilla warfare, and ended in victory for the Allies against Napoleon. The Continental System caused recurring diplomatic conflicts between France and its client states, especially Russia. The Russians were unwilling to bear the economic consequences of reduced trade and routinely violated the Continental System, enticing Napoleon into another war. The French launched a major invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The campaign destroyed Russian cities, but did not yield the decisive victory Napoleon wanted. It resulted in the collapse of the Grande Armée and inspired a renewed push against Napoleon by his enemies. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in the War of the Sixth Coalition against France. A lengthy military campaign culminated in a large Allied army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, but his tactical victory at the minor Battle of Hanau allowed retreat onto French soil. The Allies then invaded France and captured Paris in the spring of 1814, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany, and the Bourbon dynasty was restored to power. Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and took control of France once again. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition which defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in June. The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later at the age of 51.
Napoleon's influence on the modern world brought liberal reforms to the numerous territories that he conquered and controlled, such as the Low Countries, Switzerland, and large parts of modern Italy and Germany. He implemented fundamental liberal policies in France and throughout Western Europe. His Napoleonic Code has influenced the legal systems of more than 70 nations around the world. British historian Andrew Roberts states: "The ideas that underpin our modern world—meritocracy, equality before the law, property rights, religious toleration, modern secular education, sound finances, and so on—were championed, consolidated, codified and geographically extended by Napoleon. To them he added a rational and efficient local administration, an end to rural banditry, the encouragement of science and the arts, the abolition of feudalism and the greatest codification of laws since the fall of the Roman Empire".[6]
Napoleon was born in Corsica to a relatively modest family originating from minor Italian nobility. He was serving as an artillery officer in the French army when the French Revolution erupted in 1789. He rapidly rose through the ranks of the military, seizing the new opportunities presented by the Revolution and becoming a general at age 24. The French Directory eventually gave him command of the Army of Italy after he suppressed the 13 Vendémiaire revolt against the government from royalist insurgents. At age 26, he began his first military campaign against the Austrians and the Italian monarchs aligned with the Habsburgs—winning virtually every battle, conquering the Italian Peninsula in a year while establishing "sister republics" with local support, and becoming a war hero in France. In 1798, he led a military expedition to Egypt that served as a springboard to political power. He orchestrated a coup in November 1799 and became First Consul of the Republic. He also formed a Franco-Persian alliance and one of the Franco-Indian alliances with Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan and provided them French-trained army during the Napoleonic and Anglo-Mysore Wars, with the continuous aim of having an eventual open way to attack the British in India.[4][5]
Napoleon's ambition and public approval inspired him to go further, and he became the first Emperor of the French in 1804. Intractable differences with the British meant that the French were facing a Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with decisive victories in the Ulm Campaign and a historic triumph over the Russian Empire and Austrian Empire at the Battle of Austerlitz which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806, the Fourth Coalition took up arms against him because Prussia became worried about growing French influence on the continent. Napoleon quickly defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt, then marched his Grande Armée deep into Eastern Europe and annihilated the Russians in June 1807 at the Battle of Friedland. France then forced the defeated nations of the Fourth Coalition to sign the Treaties of Tilsit in July 1807, bringing an uneasy peace to the continent. Tilsit signified the high-water mark of the French Empire. In 1809, the Austrians and the British challenged the French again during the War of the Fifth Coalition, but Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after triumphing at the Battle of Wagram in July.
Napoleon then invaded the Iberian Peninsula, hoping to extend the Continental System and choke off British trade with the European mainland, and declared his brother Joseph Bonaparte the King of Spain in 1808. The Spanish and the Portuguese revolted with British support. The Peninsular War lasted six years, featured extensive guerrilla warfare, and ended in victory for the Allies against Napoleon. The Continental System caused recurring diplomatic conflicts between France and its client states, especially Russia. The Russians were unwilling to bear the economic consequences of reduced trade and routinely violated the Continental System, enticing Napoleon into another war. The French launched a major invasion of Russia in the summer of 1812. The campaign destroyed Russian cities, but did not yield the decisive victory Napoleon wanted. It resulted in the collapse of the Grande Armée and inspired a renewed push against Napoleon by his enemies. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russian forces in the War of the Sixth Coalition against France. A lengthy military campaign culminated in a large Allied army defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, but his tactical victory at the minor Battle of Hanau allowed retreat onto French soil. The Allies then invaded France and captured Paris in the spring of 1814, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April. He was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Tuscany, and the Bourbon dynasty was restored to power. Napoleon escaped from Elba in February 1815 and took control of France once again. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition which defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in June. The British exiled him to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died six years later at the age of 51.
Napoleon's influence on the modern world brought liberal reforms to the numerous territories that he conquered and controlled, such as the Low Countries, Switzerland, and large parts of modern Italy and Germany. He implemented fundamental liberal policies in France and throughout Western Europe. His Napoleonic Code has influenced the legal systems of more than 70 nations around the world. British historian Andrew Roberts states: "The ideas that underpin our modern world—meritocracy, equality before the law, property rights, religious toleration, modern secular education, sound finances, and so on—were championed, consolidated, codified and geographically extended by Napoleon. To them he added a rational and efficient local administration, an end to rural banditry, the encouragement of science and the arts, the abolition of feudalism and the greatest codification of laws since the fall of the Roman Empire".[6]
Napoleon - Wikipedia
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Napoleon Bonaparte - The First Emperor of France. Full Documentary
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Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that August 15 is the anniversary of the birth of French statesman and military leader Napoléon Bonaparte who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Images:
1. As first consul, Napoleon instituted a series of far-reaching reforms;
2. 1812 Napoleon retreats from Moscow. The Grand Army suffered catastrophic losses in the invasion of Russia.
3. 1814 When Napoleon arrived in France, troops sent to arrest him defected and joined him.
Background from bbc.com/timelines/zg9kwmn
"The Napoleon complex
Diminutive in stature but towering in influence – few figures in history stand taller than Napoleon Bonaparte. Loved by his men, feared by his foes, the Duke of Wellington claimed he was worth 40,000 men on the battlefield.
From outsider to emperor, trace Napoleon's meteoric rise to greatness – and find out how he was brought crashing back down to earth.
1769 Birth and early life
Napoleon's father, Carlo Buonaparte, had been active in Paoli's resistance army but made terms with the French.
Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on 15 August. The occupying French forces who ran the island had acquired it from Genoa the year before.
Though well off by local standards, Napoleon's parents were not rich, and their vigorous claims of noble descent fail to stand up to scrutiny. His mother Letizia and father Carlo were part of Corsica's bourgeoisie. Once involved in the Corsican resistance to French occupation, Carlo had made personal peace with the French when leader Pasquale Paoli was forced to flee and became assessor to the royal court. Little in the context of Napoleon's birth hinted at his remarkable future.
1778-1785 Outsider
Napoleon attended the military school at Brienne for five years.
Aged nine, Napoleon left for school in France. He was an outsider, unversed in the customs and traditions of his new home.
Always destined for the military, Napoleon was educated first, briefly, at Autun, then five years in Brienne before a final year at the military academy in Paris. He graduated in September 1785 – ranked 42nd in a class of 58. It was while he was in Paris that Napoleon's father died, leaving the family facing financial hardship. Not yet 16, nor even the eldest son, it was nonetheless Napoleon who assumed responsibility as head of the family.
1786-1788 Vive la Corse
Napoleon took his first commission, as a 2nd lieutenant of artillery. He read voraciously – on military strategy and tactics – determined to succeed.
But his native land still had his heart. In his book Lettres sur la Corse he set out his vision for an independent Corsica, free of French control. In September he returned to the island of his birth, not rejoining his regiment until June 1788. Above all else, Napoleon felt, he was a Corsican.
I was born when [Corsica] was perishing. Thirty thousand Frenchmen spewed onto our shores, drowning the throne of liberty in waves of blood…
Napoleon Bonaparte, writing to Pasquale Paoli
1793 Vive la France
Revolution changed France forever. When the crowds stormed the Bastille in 1789 they heralded a new era. Napoleon's personal revolution came later.
France’s new National Assembly allowed the old resistance leader Pasquale Paoli to return to Corsica. Napoleon left France again to join him. Despite his father’s earlier defection, Napoleon was initially welcomed back. But when his younger brother Lucien denounced Paoli as a traitor for suspected ties to the British, the Bonapartes were no longer welcome in Corsica. Stung by the rejection, and struck by the spirit of the revolution in France, Napoleon was a Frenchman now.
December 1793
Siege of Toulon
Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images
Napoleon succeeded in driving the British from Toulon.
It wasn't long before Napoleon had the opportunity to demonstrate his new loyalty. At Toulon he won the first major military victory of his career.
French anti-government forces had handed the port over to British troops. It was essential that the town be recaptured. Strategically important, the damage suffered to the prestige of the Revolution was just as significant. Napoleon was entrusted with breaking the resistance and by mid-December his tactics had forced the British to evacuate. Days later, Napoleon was promoted to brigadier general – he was just 24 years old.
1794 French connections
Napoleon was associated with Maximilien Robespierre, chief orchestrator of the Reign of Terror.
Napoleon's exploits won the attention of friends in high places. The commissioner to the army wrote a letter praising his young general.
The recipient of that letter was the commissioner's brother, Maximilien Robespierre, the man now in effective control of France and orchestrating the terror which had gripped the country. As tens of thousands died at the guillotine, Napoleon's career went from strength to strength. In February he was appointed inspector of artillery in the Army of the Alps. Robespierre's downfall halted Napoleon's upward climb, but it wouldn't be long before he again proved his services invaluable.
1795 Saviour of the Republic
Napoleon's defeat of the royalist forces threatening the National Convention built his prestige to new heights.
When a royalist revolt in Paris threatened to overthrow the government, it fell to Napoleon – the liberator of Toulon – to save the Republic.
Facing a force of more than 20,000 men, Napoleon was massively outnumbered. But when the royalists descended on the National Convention in Paris on 5 October, Napoleon's troops forced them back. In less than an hour, 300 royalists lay dead. Not only had Napoleon saved the republic, but his exploits won him ever greater standing among the politicians running the new regime – the Directory. His upward trajectory was increasing.
1796 Josephine
Napoleon loved Josephine passionately, marrying her in 1796.
Napoleon's growing status was opening other doors too. After a brief engagement, in March he married.
He met Josephine in 1795, a widow who had lost her first husband to Robespierre’s guillotine. She was the mistress of the most powerful man in France, Paul Barras. Barras, though, wanted rid and encouraged her into Napoleon's arms. Though she was a few years older than Napoleon, he was happy to oblige. He loved her, passionately, but for Josephine it was a marriage of convenience. Discarded by Barras, she wanted security for herself and for her children.
Great Lives: Josephine Bonaparte
1796-1797 Commander in Italy
Two days after his marriage, Napoleon left. His loyalty to the Directory had been rewarded with a new post as commander in chief of the Army of Italy.
When he inspected the forces under his command he found a motley ill-equipped crew vastly smaller than the 43,000 men he’d been promised. Regardless, he won a series of impressive victories. After years of conflict on the continent, Napoleon won peace. Now de-facto ruler of northern Italy, Napoleon learnt how to be a head of state – how to create a constitution, how to get people to work together, how to rule. By the end of 1797, Napoleon's prestige was greater than ever.
Soldiers, you are naked, badly fed.…Rich provinces and great towns will be in your power, and in them you will find honour, glory, wealth.
Napoleon Bonaparte, addressing his new Italian troops in 1796
1798 Land of the pharaohs
Napoleon won the Battle of the Pyramids but Nelson's destruction of the French fleet trapped his men in Egypt.
Britain alone now stood against France. Napoleon's next move took him to Egypt.
He hoped to force a peace with Britain by striking at the source of her wealth. By disrupting trade routes to India, Napoleon thought he could build a French empire in the east. But at the Battle of the Nile, a young British admiral, Horatio Nelson, ensured this dream would not become a reality. With the French fleet destroyed, 35,000 men under Napoleon’s command were trapped, unable to travel back to France.
1799 Coup d'etat
A new coalition, including Britain and Russia, was formed to continue fighting the French. The turning tide led to disturbances in France itself.
One of France's new directors, Emmanuel Sieyes, was convinced that only a stronger executive with military presence could prevent a reinstatement of the monarchy. Seeing an opportunity, Napoleon left his men behind in Egypt and returned to France. By the time he arrived in Paris, victories in Switzerland and Holland had averted immediate danger of a restoration but Sieyes and Napoleon launched their coup anyway. Named as first consul, Napoleon was now leading the greatest power in Europe.
1799-1804 First consul
As first consul, Napoleon instituted a series of far-reaching reforms.
Napoleon quickly made his mark. His military victories made him a legend and his civic reforms changed France forever.
By 1802 Napoleon had succeeded in winning peace. The Austrians had been defeated again in Italy and Germany and Britain quickly tired of standing alone against him. At home, the Napoleonic Code enshrined the gains of the Revolution in law – individual liberty, freedom of conscience and equality before the law, all the while creating the greatest army ever seen. Napoleon was rewarded with a new title – consul for life.
1804 Emperor
In the presence of the Pope, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.
Napoleon's hard-won but short-lived peace had made him consul for life. Conflict at home and abroad now put a crown on his head.
Georges Cadoudal and Charles Pichegru, opponents of the regime hiding in England, were smuggled back to France. They hoped to assassinate Napoleon and restore the monarchy. When the plot was uncovered, Napoleon was convinced only a hereditary empire would both discourage similar assassination attempts and raise his status in the eyes of foreign powers. He even persuaded the Pope to attend his coronation and witness the moment when Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
1805 The Battle of the Three Emperors
Napoleon visits his soldiers on the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz.
At Austerlitz, in the modern day Czech Republic, Napoleon won the greatest victory of his career.
Facing a force of Austrian and Russian troops that heavily outnumbered his own, Napoleon laid a trap for his enemies. When all was said and done, 26,000 of the enemy troops had been killed, wounded or captured. By contrast, Napoleon lost only 9,000 men. His resounding success not only forced Austria to make peace again, it also cemented his reputation as the greatest military leader of the age. The upstart emperor had defeated two of the most established imperial dynasties of Europe.
1806-1809 The blockade and the peninsula
From 1809, British forces in the Iberian Peninsula were led by Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington
After the Battle of Trafalgar, any hopes Napoleon had harboured of launching a full-scale invasion and forcing peace with Britain were extinguished.
Again, he tried to strangle Britain's economy. Trade with Britain was forbidden, and every ship bound to or from there declared a fair prize. He hoped the blockade would spark unrest in Britain and force her to sue for peace. The Portuguese could not comply – it would have meant economic ruin. Napoleon forced the point and occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Spain and Portugal revolted, enabling British troops led by Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, to gain a foothold in Europe.
Arthur Wellesley: The 'Iron Duke' of WellingtonFind out more on the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
1811 Charlemagne's heir
New wife Marie-Louise gave Napoleon what Josephine could not, a son to inherit the empire he'd built.
Despite failures in Spain and Portugal, Napoleon was at his zenith – his empire swelled to include Holland, parts of Germany and almost all of Italy.
Napoleon considered himself Charlemagne's heir, but it was an heir of his own he needed most, a son to inherit his empire. He reluctantly divorced Josephine in 1810 and married Marie-Louise, daughter of the Austrian emperor, Francis I, recently defeated once more at Napoleon's hands. In March, he had a son. His legacy appeared to have been secured. The 'King of Rome', as his son was titled, was named after his father.
1812 Winter is coming
Napoleon retreats from Moscow. The Grand Army suffered catastrophic losses in the invasion of Russia.
In an effort to force Russia to comply with the blockade, Napoleon massed the Grand Army of 600,000 men on the Russian border. In June he invaded.
Meanwhile, French troops were routed by Wellington at Salamanca in July. Back in Russia, his army was making slow progress. Two engagements with the Russians failed to produce a clear winner, the Russians retreating into the interior to minimise casualties. In September, Napoleon's troops took Moscow. Yet Alexander refused to make peace. Winter was coming, and supplies were running out. It was Napoleon's turn to retreat. By November, fewer than 10,000 of his men remained fit for combat.
Slate: Did typhus defeat Napoleon's army in Russia?
1814-1815 Prison break
When Napeolon arrived in France, troops sent to arrest him defected and joined him.
Broken in the east, Austrian and Prussian re-entry into the war drove Napoleon from central Europe. His empire was crumbling around him.
On 30 March, allied armies advanced on Paris. Napoleon abdicated a week later. Once sovereign of a continent, Napoleon was confined to the island of Elba. Louis XVIII was placed on the French throne. All seemed lost. Yet Napoleon observed with interest the growing discontent in France restoration had prompted. Less than a year after his exile, Napoleon launched a daring bid for escape. By 20 March 1815 he was back in Paris once again.
1815 The 100 days
At Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by Wellington and his allies.
Napoleon moved quickly to broaden his support. Liberal changes to the constitution brought a number of former opponents to his side.
By 25 March, the European powers had allied against Napoleon again. In June, he invaded Belgium, hoping to capture Brussels and drive a wedge between the advancing British and Prussian forces gathering on his borders. On 18 June, Napoleon was defeated in the field by Wellington and his allies at Waterloo. It was the end for him. Three days later he abdicated for a second time. There would be no second great escape.
Battle of Waterloo: The day that decided Europe's fateIn Our Time: Napoleon and Wellington
1821 Death in exile
Napoleon on his deathbed in exile on St Helena.
Napoleon lived out his days on the small British territory of St Helena in the South Atlantic, banished from the continent he had once ruled.
News of his family was scarce. Of his son, now living in Vienna, he heard nothing. His life was now one of monotonous tedium. He ate, he played cards, he wrote. He also dictated the memoirs that would help re-forge his legacy after his death from suspected stomach cancer in 1821. He was 51. Few men change the world, but the little corporal from Corsica left an indelible stamp on the future of Europe.
Napoleon Bonaparte - The First Emperor of France. Full Documentary
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Images:
1. As first consul, Napoleon instituted a series of far-reaching reforms;
2. 1812 Napoleon retreats from Moscow. The Grand Army suffered catastrophic losses in the invasion of Russia.
3. 1814 When Napoleon arrived in France, troops sent to arrest him defected and joined him.
Background from bbc.com/timelines/zg9kwmn
"The Napoleon complex
Diminutive in stature but towering in influence – few figures in history stand taller than Napoleon Bonaparte. Loved by his men, feared by his foes, the Duke of Wellington claimed he was worth 40,000 men on the battlefield.
From outsider to emperor, trace Napoleon's meteoric rise to greatness – and find out how he was brought crashing back down to earth.
1769 Birth and early life
Napoleon's father, Carlo Buonaparte, had been active in Paoli's resistance army but made terms with the French.
Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on 15 August. The occupying French forces who ran the island had acquired it from Genoa the year before.
Though well off by local standards, Napoleon's parents were not rich, and their vigorous claims of noble descent fail to stand up to scrutiny. His mother Letizia and father Carlo were part of Corsica's bourgeoisie. Once involved in the Corsican resistance to French occupation, Carlo had made personal peace with the French when leader Pasquale Paoli was forced to flee and became assessor to the royal court. Little in the context of Napoleon's birth hinted at his remarkable future.
1778-1785 Outsider
Napoleon attended the military school at Brienne for five years.
Aged nine, Napoleon left for school in France. He was an outsider, unversed in the customs and traditions of his new home.
Always destined for the military, Napoleon was educated first, briefly, at Autun, then five years in Brienne before a final year at the military academy in Paris. He graduated in September 1785 – ranked 42nd in a class of 58. It was while he was in Paris that Napoleon's father died, leaving the family facing financial hardship. Not yet 16, nor even the eldest son, it was nonetheless Napoleon who assumed responsibility as head of the family.
1786-1788 Vive la Corse
Napoleon took his first commission, as a 2nd lieutenant of artillery. He read voraciously – on military strategy and tactics – determined to succeed.
But his native land still had his heart. In his book Lettres sur la Corse he set out his vision for an independent Corsica, free of French control. In September he returned to the island of his birth, not rejoining his regiment until June 1788. Above all else, Napoleon felt, he was a Corsican.
I was born when [Corsica] was perishing. Thirty thousand Frenchmen spewed onto our shores, drowning the throne of liberty in waves of blood…
Napoleon Bonaparte, writing to Pasquale Paoli
1793 Vive la France
Revolution changed France forever. When the crowds stormed the Bastille in 1789 they heralded a new era. Napoleon's personal revolution came later.
France’s new National Assembly allowed the old resistance leader Pasquale Paoli to return to Corsica. Napoleon left France again to join him. Despite his father’s earlier defection, Napoleon was initially welcomed back. But when his younger brother Lucien denounced Paoli as a traitor for suspected ties to the British, the Bonapartes were no longer welcome in Corsica. Stung by the rejection, and struck by the spirit of the revolution in France, Napoleon was a Frenchman now.
December 1793
Siege of Toulon
Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images
Napoleon succeeded in driving the British from Toulon.
It wasn't long before Napoleon had the opportunity to demonstrate his new loyalty. At Toulon he won the first major military victory of his career.
French anti-government forces had handed the port over to British troops. It was essential that the town be recaptured. Strategically important, the damage suffered to the prestige of the Revolution was just as significant. Napoleon was entrusted with breaking the resistance and by mid-December his tactics had forced the British to evacuate. Days later, Napoleon was promoted to brigadier general – he was just 24 years old.
1794 French connections
Napoleon was associated with Maximilien Robespierre, chief orchestrator of the Reign of Terror.
Napoleon's exploits won the attention of friends in high places. The commissioner to the army wrote a letter praising his young general.
The recipient of that letter was the commissioner's brother, Maximilien Robespierre, the man now in effective control of France and orchestrating the terror which had gripped the country. As tens of thousands died at the guillotine, Napoleon's career went from strength to strength. In February he was appointed inspector of artillery in the Army of the Alps. Robespierre's downfall halted Napoleon's upward climb, but it wouldn't be long before he again proved his services invaluable.
1795 Saviour of the Republic
Napoleon's defeat of the royalist forces threatening the National Convention built his prestige to new heights.
When a royalist revolt in Paris threatened to overthrow the government, it fell to Napoleon – the liberator of Toulon – to save the Republic.
Facing a force of more than 20,000 men, Napoleon was massively outnumbered. But when the royalists descended on the National Convention in Paris on 5 October, Napoleon's troops forced them back. In less than an hour, 300 royalists lay dead. Not only had Napoleon saved the republic, but his exploits won him ever greater standing among the politicians running the new regime – the Directory. His upward trajectory was increasing.
1796 Josephine
Napoleon loved Josephine passionately, marrying her in 1796.
Napoleon's growing status was opening other doors too. After a brief engagement, in March he married.
He met Josephine in 1795, a widow who had lost her first husband to Robespierre’s guillotine. She was the mistress of the most powerful man in France, Paul Barras. Barras, though, wanted rid and encouraged her into Napoleon's arms. Though she was a few years older than Napoleon, he was happy to oblige. He loved her, passionately, but for Josephine it was a marriage of convenience. Discarded by Barras, she wanted security for herself and for her children.
Great Lives: Josephine Bonaparte
1796-1797 Commander in Italy
Two days after his marriage, Napoleon left. His loyalty to the Directory had been rewarded with a new post as commander in chief of the Army of Italy.
When he inspected the forces under his command he found a motley ill-equipped crew vastly smaller than the 43,000 men he’d been promised. Regardless, he won a series of impressive victories. After years of conflict on the continent, Napoleon won peace. Now de-facto ruler of northern Italy, Napoleon learnt how to be a head of state – how to create a constitution, how to get people to work together, how to rule. By the end of 1797, Napoleon's prestige was greater than ever.
Soldiers, you are naked, badly fed.…Rich provinces and great towns will be in your power, and in them you will find honour, glory, wealth.
Napoleon Bonaparte, addressing his new Italian troops in 1796
1798 Land of the pharaohs
Napoleon won the Battle of the Pyramids but Nelson's destruction of the French fleet trapped his men in Egypt.
Britain alone now stood against France. Napoleon's next move took him to Egypt.
He hoped to force a peace with Britain by striking at the source of her wealth. By disrupting trade routes to India, Napoleon thought he could build a French empire in the east. But at the Battle of the Nile, a young British admiral, Horatio Nelson, ensured this dream would not become a reality. With the French fleet destroyed, 35,000 men under Napoleon’s command were trapped, unable to travel back to France.
1799 Coup d'etat
A new coalition, including Britain and Russia, was formed to continue fighting the French. The turning tide led to disturbances in France itself.
One of France's new directors, Emmanuel Sieyes, was convinced that only a stronger executive with military presence could prevent a reinstatement of the monarchy. Seeing an opportunity, Napoleon left his men behind in Egypt and returned to France. By the time he arrived in Paris, victories in Switzerland and Holland had averted immediate danger of a restoration but Sieyes and Napoleon launched their coup anyway. Named as first consul, Napoleon was now leading the greatest power in Europe.
1799-1804 First consul
As first consul, Napoleon instituted a series of far-reaching reforms.
Napoleon quickly made his mark. His military victories made him a legend and his civic reforms changed France forever.
By 1802 Napoleon had succeeded in winning peace. The Austrians had been defeated again in Italy and Germany and Britain quickly tired of standing alone against him. At home, the Napoleonic Code enshrined the gains of the Revolution in law – individual liberty, freedom of conscience and equality before the law, all the while creating the greatest army ever seen. Napoleon was rewarded with a new title – consul for life.
1804 Emperor
In the presence of the Pope, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.
Napoleon's hard-won but short-lived peace had made him consul for life. Conflict at home and abroad now put a crown on his head.
Georges Cadoudal and Charles Pichegru, opponents of the regime hiding in England, were smuggled back to France. They hoped to assassinate Napoleon and restore the monarchy. When the plot was uncovered, Napoleon was convinced only a hereditary empire would both discourage similar assassination attempts and raise his status in the eyes of foreign powers. He even persuaded the Pope to attend his coronation and witness the moment when Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
1805 The Battle of the Three Emperors
Napoleon visits his soldiers on the eve of the Battle of Austerlitz.
At Austerlitz, in the modern day Czech Republic, Napoleon won the greatest victory of his career.
Facing a force of Austrian and Russian troops that heavily outnumbered his own, Napoleon laid a trap for his enemies. When all was said and done, 26,000 of the enemy troops had been killed, wounded or captured. By contrast, Napoleon lost only 9,000 men. His resounding success not only forced Austria to make peace again, it also cemented his reputation as the greatest military leader of the age. The upstart emperor had defeated two of the most established imperial dynasties of Europe.
1806-1809 The blockade and the peninsula
From 1809, British forces in the Iberian Peninsula were led by Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington
After the Battle of Trafalgar, any hopes Napoleon had harboured of launching a full-scale invasion and forcing peace with Britain were extinguished.
Again, he tried to strangle Britain's economy. Trade with Britain was forbidden, and every ship bound to or from there declared a fair prize. He hoped the blockade would spark unrest in Britain and force her to sue for peace. The Portuguese could not comply – it would have meant economic ruin. Napoleon forced the point and occupied the Iberian Peninsula. Spain and Portugal revolted, enabling British troops led by Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, to gain a foothold in Europe.
Arthur Wellesley: The 'Iron Duke' of WellingtonFind out more on the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805
1811 Charlemagne's heir
New wife Marie-Louise gave Napoleon what Josephine could not, a son to inherit the empire he'd built.
Despite failures in Spain and Portugal, Napoleon was at his zenith – his empire swelled to include Holland, parts of Germany and almost all of Italy.
Napoleon considered himself Charlemagne's heir, but it was an heir of his own he needed most, a son to inherit his empire. He reluctantly divorced Josephine in 1810 and married Marie-Louise, daughter of the Austrian emperor, Francis I, recently defeated once more at Napoleon's hands. In March, he had a son. His legacy appeared to have been secured. The 'King of Rome', as his son was titled, was named after his father.
1812 Winter is coming
Napoleon retreats from Moscow. The Grand Army suffered catastrophic losses in the invasion of Russia.
In an effort to force Russia to comply with the blockade, Napoleon massed the Grand Army of 600,000 men on the Russian border. In June he invaded.
Meanwhile, French troops were routed by Wellington at Salamanca in July. Back in Russia, his army was making slow progress. Two engagements with the Russians failed to produce a clear winner, the Russians retreating into the interior to minimise casualties. In September, Napoleon's troops took Moscow. Yet Alexander refused to make peace. Winter was coming, and supplies were running out. It was Napoleon's turn to retreat. By November, fewer than 10,000 of his men remained fit for combat.
Slate: Did typhus defeat Napoleon's army in Russia?
1814-1815 Prison break
When Napeolon arrived in France, troops sent to arrest him defected and joined him.
Broken in the east, Austrian and Prussian re-entry into the war drove Napoleon from central Europe. His empire was crumbling around him.
On 30 March, allied armies advanced on Paris. Napoleon abdicated a week later. Once sovereign of a continent, Napoleon was confined to the island of Elba. Louis XVIII was placed on the French throne. All seemed lost. Yet Napoleon observed with interest the growing discontent in France restoration had prompted. Less than a year after his exile, Napoleon launched a daring bid for escape. By 20 March 1815 he was back in Paris once again.
1815 The 100 days
At Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by Wellington and his allies.
Napoleon moved quickly to broaden his support. Liberal changes to the constitution brought a number of former opponents to his side.
By 25 March, the European powers had allied against Napoleon again. In June, he invaded Belgium, hoping to capture Brussels and drive a wedge between the advancing British and Prussian forces gathering on his borders. On 18 June, Napoleon was defeated in the field by Wellington and his allies at Waterloo. It was the end for him. Three days later he abdicated for a second time. There would be no second great escape.
Battle of Waterloo: The day that decided Europe's fateIn Our Time: Napoleon and Wellington
1821 Death in exile
Napoleon on his deathbed in exile on St Helena.
Napoleon lived out his days on the small British territory of St Helena in the South Atlantic, banished from the continent he had once ruled.
News of his family was scarce. Of his son, now living in Vienna, he heard nothing. His life was now one of monotonous tedium. He ate, he played cards, he wrote. He also dictated the memoirs that would help re-forge his legacy after his death from suspected stomach cancer in 1821. He was 51. Few men change the world, but the little corporal from Corsica left an indelible stamp on the future of Europe.
Napoleon Bonaparte - The First Emperor of France. Full Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqVn3fTYCj4
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LTC Stephen F.
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MAJ Ken Landgren
I think Waterloo was very similar to Gettysburg as both of them attacked a gradual ridgeline and had know where where the enemy was.
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LTC Stephen F.
Chance encounters were common although recon elements in both cases learned where enemy forces were to some extent.
Both were fought at or near strategic crossroads. The Battle of Quatre-Bras had many similarities to Gettysburg in that forces met "by chance" as they were searching for each other.
A significant strategic difference was the Battle of Quatre Bras which was fought on 16 June 1815 two day prior to Waterloo. Coalition warfare was waged against Napoleon since the 1790's, my friend MAJ Ken Landgren.
Waterloo ended the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Gettysburg, ended the capability and inclination of the Army of Northern Virginia to impact the northern states by cutting lines of communication east to west.
Images:
1. 1815 Quatre-Bras-Map-23.2.17.
2. Position of opposing forces at Waterloo on the night of June 17 and morning of June 18.
3. June 30, 1863 CSA and USA forces approaching Gettysburg.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon Maj William W. "Bill" Price SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SP5 Mark Kuzinski MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan SFC Jack Champion SGT Steve McFarland SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM SFC (Join to see)
Both were fought at or near strategic crossroads. The Battle of Quatre-Bras had many similarities to Gettysburg in that forces met "by chance" as they were searching for each other.
A significant strategic difference was the Battle of Quatre Bras which was fought on 16 June 1815 two day prior to Waterloo. Coalition warfare was waged against Napoleon since the 1790's, my friend MAJ Ken Landgren.
Waterloo ended the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Gettysburg, ended the capability and inclination of the Army of Northern Virginia to impact the northern states by cutting lines of communication east to west.
Images:
1. 1815 Quatre-Bras-Map-23.2.17.
2. Position of opposing forces at Waterloo on the night of June 17 and morning of June 18.
3. June 30, 1863 CSA and USA forces approaching Gettysburg.
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Wayne Brandon Maj William W. "Bill" Price SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Robert Ruck SP5 Mark Kuzinski MSG Andrew White SGT (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan SFC Jack Champion SGT Steve McFarland SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM SFC (Join to see)
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Good Morning and thank you Maj Marty Hogan for this Historical information on Napoleon Bonaparte who was a French statesman and military leader of Italian descent who rose to prominence during the French Revolution... It is also his Birthday today as you so adroitly mentioned.
I wish you a wonderful day, my friend!
I wish you a wonderful day, my friend!
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