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Napoleon is born in Ajaccio, Corsica, France.
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Napoleon earned the rank of brigadier general after the Battle of Toulon. At the battle, a group of rebel loyalists marched on the National Assembly. Napoleon defended the National Assembly by commanding a bombardment of the rebels. This is significant because it marks the beginning of Napoleon's career as a military leader.
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The French government wanted holdings in Northern Italy, because it was a very wealthy area. They needed the money to help pay for their war against the Rhine. Napoleon captured the city of Venice and a puppet state was established. This puppet state was known as Cisalpine Republic.
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Napoleon led his army into Egypt in hopes of ending English trade routes to India. Instead, his army was defeated by the English at the battle of the Nile. His reputation as a military leader was blemished after this loss.
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Napoleon led his soldiers into the Legislative Assembly and took control of the French government. He then drafted a constitution which declared Bonaparte First Consul for Life. The constitution passed very easily, with virtually no one opposing. The position of First Consul made Bonaparte no less of a dictator.
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Napoleon signed a treaty with the Roman Catholic church. This treaty was known as the Concordat of 1801 and it healed previously damaged relations with the church.
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Napoleon passed the a bill of rights known as the Napoleonic code. It allowed freedom of religion, declared everyone of equal social status and stated that government jobs are only given to the most competent.
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Napoleon declared himself emperor of France two years after becoming First Consul. This is significant because this marked the beginning of the First French Empire and the Napoleonic wars.
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Napoleon convinced the Spanish to declare war on Great Britain, hoping the combination of their navies could defeat the British. Napoleon was doing this in hopes of invading the island of Britain. But, British admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the French and Spanish navy and prevented any sort of invasion.
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Napoleon organized a blockade to prevent any trade with Britain to damage their economy. This undermined Britain's economic status as more and more people became unemployed.
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Napoleon's downfall began with the failed invasion of Russia. He marched in with 650,000 men in the summer of 1812 but left after a harsh, Russian winter with only 10,000 men able-fighters left. This is significant because it marks Napoleon's first great failure, which leads to several others.
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A coalition of nations saw Napoleon's grand army weak after his military campaign in Russia and declared war. His soldiers returned to France and he faced a devastating defeat. Napoleon was helpless and was forced to be exiled to the island of Elba.
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Napoleon was exiled to Elba following his loss at the Battle of Leipzig. While Napoleon received a 2 million franc allowance from the French government, he got bored and decided to risk it all. He returned to France in a final attempt to regain control in 1815.
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Upon returning to France, he quickly regained power over the government as well as support from French military. He met with British forces and caused them to flee until the Prussians arrived on the battlefield and Napoleon faced defeat.
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Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena, far away from Europe following the Battle of Waterloo. He spent the last six years of his life there. This is significant because it marks the end of Napoleon's struggle to ever regain control over France again.
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Napoleon passes away at 52 on the island of St. Helena. It is uncertain what killed him, but it was most likely cancer.
