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Born
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio. -
Military Academy
He went to a military academy in France and trained to become an officer in the army. -
Father Dies
His father died in 1785, Napoleon returned to Corsica to help handle the family's affairs. -
Commander
Upon Napoleon's return, he allied himself with a radical group of the revolutionaries called the Jacobins. He received a position as the artillery commander at the Siege of Toulon in 1793. -
Commanded
In 1796, Napoleon was given command of the French army in Italy. -
Returns
After leading a military expedition in Egypt, Napoleon returned to Paris in 1799. The political climate in France was changing. -
Napoleonic Code
On March 21, 1804, Napoleon instituted the Napoleonic Code, otherwise known as the French Civil Code, parts of which are still in use around the world today. -
Emperor
Napoleon's power and control continued to grow with his reforms. In 1804, he was crowned the first Emperor France. -
Russia
In 1812, Napoleon made his first major mistake. He decided to invade Russia. Napoleon marched a huge army to Russia. -
Exile
With much of Napoleon's army decimated from the invasion in Russia, the rest of Europe now turned on France. Despite winning a few victories, Napoleon had too small an army and soon was forced into exile on the island of Elba in 1814. -
Dies
Napoleon died after six years of exile on Saint Helena on May 5, 1821. It is likely that he died from stomach cancer. -
Remains
His remains were moved to France in 1840 to Les Invalides in Paris.