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Napoleon's Birth
Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica. -
Finished School
As he had always seemed right for the military, Napoleon was educated first but only for a little while at Autun, then five years at Brienne before his last year at the military academy in Paris. He graduated in September 1785, he was 42nd in a class of 58. While he was in Paris that Napoleon's father died, and he, not yet 16 or even the eldest son assumed responsibility as head of the family. -
Napoleon in the Military
Napoleon took his first commission, as a 2nd lieutenant of artillery. He read a lot on military strategy and tactics, desperate to succeed. His native land still had his heart, though, and in his book "Lettres sur la Corse" he set out his vision for an independent Corsica. He wanted it free of French control. In September he returned to his home island, not rejoining his regiment until June 1788. Above all else, Napoleon was a Corsican. -
Napoleon's Big Win
Napoleon's first chance to demonstrate his new loyalty to France was at Toulon, where he won the first major military victory of his career. French anti-government forces had given the port to British troops, the town needed to be recaptured. 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 while he was just 24 years old. -
French Revolution
The revolution had changed France forever. When the Bastille was stormed in 1789 they heralded a new era. Napoleon's personal revolution came later. France’s new National Assembly allowed the old resistance leader to return to Corsica, and Napoleon left France again to join him. When his younger brother, Lucien, denounced Paoli as a traitor for the British, the Bonapartes were no longer welcome in Corsica. Stung by the rejection, and excited by the revolution, Napoleon was a Frenchman now. -
Marriage
After a brief engagement, he got married in March. He met Josephine in 1795, a widow who had lost her first husband. 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 loved her, but for Josephine, it was a marriage of convenience. Discarded by Barras, she wanted security for herself and for her children. -
Napoleon is 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. -
Battles in Egypt
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. -
First Ever Consul
Napoleon had succeeded in winning peace. 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 biggest army ever seen. Napoleon was rewarded with a title, consul for life. -
Napoleon Becomes Emperor
Georges Cadoudal and Charles Pichegru, who were opponents of the regime hiding in England, were smuggled back to France. They tried to assassinate Napoleon and restore the monarchy. The plot was uncovered, though and it convinced Napoleon that only a hereditary empire would discourage similar assassination attempts and raise his status in the eyes of foreign powers. He even persuaded the Pope to attend his coronation. -
Battle of Three Kings
Facing a force of Austrian and Russian troops that outnumbered his own, Napoleon laid a trap for his enemies. When it was over, 26,000 of the enemy troops had been killed, wounded or captured, while Napoleon lost only 9,000 men. The emperor had defeated two of the most established imperial dynasties of Europe. -
Napoleon's Son
While recently divorcing Josephine, he married a new wife (Marie-Louise) who, in March, gave him a son to inherit the throne. The boy was, of course, named after his father. -
Napoleon's Falling
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. Winter was coming, and supplies were running out. Napoleon had to retreat. By November, less than 10,000 of his men were fit for combat. Austrian and Prussian's re-entry into the war drove Napoleon from central Europe. His empire was falling around him. Allied armies advanced on Paris, Napoleon had to leave. Napoleon was forced to the island of Elba. -
Napoleon's End
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. He was exiled again and lived out his days on the small British territory of St Helena in the South Atlantic, banished from the continent he had once ruled.
