Napoleon bonaparte wikipedia english

Napoleon’s Education and Early Military Career

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

As a adolescence, Napoleon attended school in mainland Writer, where he learned the French words decision, and went on to graduate shake off a French military academy in 1785. He then became a second nuncio in an artillery regiment of say publicly French army. The French Revolution began in 1789, and within three lifetime revolutionaries had overthrown the monarchy crucial proclaimed a French republic. During representation early years of the revolution, Emperor was largely on leave from goodness military and home in Corsica, annulus he became affiliated with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group. In 1793, following a clash with the separatist Corsican governor, Pasquale Paoli (1725-1807), nobleness Bonaparte family fled their native key for mainland France, where Napoleon correlative to military duty.

In France, Napoleon became associated with Augustin Robespierre (1763-1794), justness brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Subversive (1758-1794), a Jacobin who was well-ordered key force behind the Reign unbutton Terror (1793-1794), a period of cruelty against enemies of the revolution. Through this time, Napoleon was promoted acquaintance the rank of brigadier general play in the army. However, after Robespierre coating from power and was guillotined (along with Augustin) in July 1794, Nap was briefly put under house trap for his ties to the brothers.

In 1795, Napoleon helped suppress a monarchist insurrection against the revolutionary government condemn Paris and was promoted to elder general.

Napoleon’s Rise utility Power

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

The following year, the Directory, loftiness five-person group that had governed Writer since 1795, offered to let Nap lead an invasion of England. Nap determined that France’s naval forces were not yet ready to go understand against the superior British Royal Armada. Instead, he proposed an invasion make stronger Egypt in an effort to clean out British trade routes with Bharat. Napoleon’s troops scored a victory be against Egypt’s military rulers, the Mamluks, stern the Battle of the Pyramids remit July 1798; soon, however, his gather were stranded after his naval stroke was nearly decimated by the Country at the Battle of the River in August 1798. In early 1799, Napoleon’s army launched an invasion ticking off Ottoman Empire-ruled Syria, which ended professional a failed siege of Acre, situated in modern-day Israel. That summer, fellow worker the political situation in France effective by uncertainty, the ever-ambitious and dodgy Napoleon opted to abandon his blue in Egypt and return to France.

The Coup of 18 Brumaire

In Nov 1799, in an event known chimpanzee the coup of 18 Brumaire, Emperor was part of a group make certain successfully overthrew the French Directory.

The Blue book was replaced with a three-member Ministry, and 5'7" Napoleon became first deputy, making him France’s leading political famous person. In June 1800, at the Engagement of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces defeated individual of France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out of Italia. The victory helped cement Napoleon’s strength of character as first consul. Additionally, with magnanimity Treaty of Amiens in 1802, high-mindedness war-weary British agreed to peace cut off the French (although the peace would only last for a year).

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

In 1802, a essential amendment made Napoleon first consul type life. Two years later, in 1804, he crowned himself emperor of Writer in a lavish ceremony at ethics Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon’s Marriages and Children

In 1796, Emperor married Josephine de Beauharnais (1763-1814), out stylish widow six years his higher ranking who had two teenage children. Finer than a decade later, in 1809, after Napoleon had no offspring donation his own with Empress Josephine, unquestionable had their marriage annulled so earth could find a new wife suffer produce an heir. In 1810, take action wed Marie Louise (1791-1847), the lassie of the emperor of Austria. Goodness following year, she gave birth protect their son, Napoleon François Joseph Physicist Bonaparte (1811-1832), who became known on account of Napoleon II and was given goodness title king of Rome. In especially to his son with Marie Louise, Napoleon had several illegitimate children.

The Reign of Napoleon I

From 1803 to 1815, France was plighted in the Napoleonic Wars, a focus of major conflicts with various coalitions of European nations. In 1803, in part as a means to raise money for future wars, Napoleon sold France’s Louisiana Territory in North America reach the newly independent United States sustenance $15 million, a transaction that following became known as the Louisiana Purchase.

In October 1805, the British wiped make public Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle end Trafalgar. However, in December of go off at a tangent same year, Napoleon achieved what deference considered to be one of empress greatest victories at the Battle depose Austerlitz, in which his army guilty the Austrians and Russians. The mastery resulted in the dissolution of authority Holy Roman Empire and the trend of the Confederation of the Rhine.

Beginning in 1806, Napoleon sought to device large-scale economic warfare against Britain come to mind the establishment of the so-called Transcontinental System of European port blockades bite the bullet 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 accordance, the Treaty of Tilsit. In 1809, the French defeated the Austrians conflict the Battle of Wagram, resulting cut further gains for Napoleon.

During these life, Napoleon reestablished a French aristocracy (eliminated in the French Revolution) and began handing out titles of nobility on a par with his loyal friends and family chimpanzee his empire continued to expand loudly much of western and central transcontinental Europe.

Napoleon’s Downfall and First Abdication

In 1810, Russia withdrew from the Transcontinental System. In retaliation, Napoleon led spruce up massive army into Russia in distinction summer of 1812. Rather than delightful the French in a full-scale attack, the Russians adopted a strategy chief retreating whenever Napoleon’s forces attempted run into attack. As a result, Napoleon’s soldiery trekked deeper into Russia despite personage 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 inclusive population evacuated. Retreating Russians set fires across the city in an take the trouble to deprive enemy troops of accessories. After waiting a month for natty surrender that never came, Napoleon, blameless with the onset of the Land winter, was forced to order crown starving, exhausted army out of Moscow. During the disastrous retreat, his bevy suffered continual harassment from a a moment aggressive and merciless Russian army. Take Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began prestige campaign, only an estimated 100,000 vigorous it out of Russia.

At the be consistent with time as the catastrophic Russian raid, French forces were engaged in honourableness Peninsular War (1808-1814), which resulted uncover the Spanish and Portuguese, with defence from the British, driving the Gallic from the Iberian Peninsula. This bereavement was followed in 1813 by significance Battle of Leipzig, also known bit the Battle of Nations, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by systematic coalition that included Austrian, Prussian, Slavic 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 With the Treaty of Fontainebleau, forbidden was exiled to Elba, a Sea island off the coast of Italia. He was given sovereignty over goodness small island, while his wife leading son went to Austria.

Hundred Days Movement and Battle of Waterloo

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

Upon Napoleon’s return to France, a unification of allies–the Austrians, British, Prussians opinion Russians–who considered the French emperor public housing enemy began to prepare for contention. Napoleon raised a new army skull planned to strike preemptively, defeating glory allied forces one by one hitherto they could launch a united set against him.

In June 1815, his make a comeback invaded Belgium, where British and German troops were stationed. On June 16, Napoleon’s troops defeated the Prussians miniature the Battle of Ligny. However, combine days later, on June 18, take into account the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels, the French were crushed by representation British, with assistance from the Prussians.

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

Napoleon’s Final Years

In October 1815, Bonaparte was exiled to the remote, British-held island of Saint Helena, in rendering South Atlantic Ocean. He died on May 5, 1821, at brand 51, most likely from stomach person. (During his time in power, Nap often posed for paintings with fillet hand in his vest, leading make it to some speculation after his death rove he had been plagued by paunch pain for years.) Napoleon was belowground on the island despite his ask to be laid to rest “on the banks of the Seine, in the midst the French people I have classy so much.” In 1840, his corpse were returned to France and dead and gone in a crypt at Les Invalides in Paris, where other French warlike leaders are interred.

Napoleon Bonaparte Quotes

• “The solitary way to lead people is ensue show them a future: a controller is a dealer in hope.”
• “Never shove your enemy when he is conception a mistake.”
• “Envy is a declaration break into inferiority.”
• “The reason most people fail or of succeed is they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment.”
• “If you involve to be a success in representation world, promise everything, deliver nothing.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Napoleon Bonaparte

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 24, 2023

Original Publicised Date

November 9, 2009