Napoleon was an audacious general in the french military and an aggressive political leader who took colossal risks to conquer his advisories that were standing in his way. Born in 1769 in an underprivileged home in Corsica, he went from being clothed in rags to being clothed in lavish garments due to his sharp skills in warfare. He faced many obstacles physically and emotionally as his popularity rate went up because of his numerous victories in battles. He fought for the equality and freedom of France because he wanted citizens in his empire to be considered citizens instead of subjects.The modifications Napoleon made for France were advantageous and many of his laws are still in use today’s courts. Napoleon Bonaparte soon became France’s …show more content…
“His spies searched out the weakest point of his opponent’s line. Bonaparte would attack that point with overwhelming force and split the enemy’s line into two parts...while they held off one half of the opposing army, Bonaparte destroyed the other half. Then he’d turn his whole army on what was left of the army.” (Heuston 46-47) This was Napoleon’s famous plan how to win every battle. In a matter of fact, he used strategic emotional planning to get his army to fight. He told them how worthless they were and how they wouldn’t be able to defeat the Austrians stationed on a bridge. The troops were enraged and stormed the bridge defeating the Austrians. Napoleon was a great strategic planner and had many positive conclusions to the wars he fought. Napoleon was not always a harsh leader. He was compassionate towards his soldiers and wanted the best for his army. “Appalled by the conditions faced by his soldiers, he pressed supply officers for boots, guns, and blankets. He wheeled loans out of local banks to pay the troops. In a matter of weeks he had respect of his soldiers…” (Heuston 46) He talked to his soldiers and shared their hardships and cleaned out cannons. Napoleon was a great military general who knew wars inside and
Napoleon Bonaparte is one of history’s most known figures. Napoleon Bonaparte was a hero to all people of France. Napoleon did a lot to help the people of France out with keeping the country safe. He also agreed with the French Revolution. Before Napoleon it was chaotic, and terrible.
During the Napoleonic Era, from 1799 to 1815, France became a military power gaining and controlling land throughout Europe. While some historians believe Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless dictator, his military accomplishments far outweigh any atrocities he committed. He helped France gain stability after the French Revolution and he also abolished the Feudal contract. Napoleon was a brilliant strategist using military tactics to cause fear and to defeat whatever enemies stood in his way. Throughout his rule, Napoleon continually gained ground, and by the end of his reign, his empire encompassed all of Spain, Italy, and a small portion of land by Russia and Austria. (see map) He is one of
After the French monarchy was overthrown on August 10, 1792, Napoleon decided to make his move up in the ranks. After this, Napoleon started becoming a recognized officer. In 1792, Napoleon was prompted to the rank of captain. In 1793, he was chosen to direct the artillery against the siege in Toulon. He seized ground where he could get his guns in range of the British ships. Soon after Toulon fell, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In 1795, he saved the revolutionary government by controlling a group of rioting citizens by using a famous technique of his. He loaded a bunch of pellets into a cannon and fired it at the crowd. Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals in succession, and each army he fought got bigger and bigger. This forced Austria and its allies to make peace with France. But after this, Napoleon was relieved of his command. He was poor and was suspected of treason. Napoleon had no friends. No one would have suspected what Napoleon would do next. In 1796, Napoleon was appointed to put down a revolt in Paris. He calmly took complete control of the situation. He had his men shoot all the rebels in the streets. The French government was saved, but they decided to form a new government called the Directory. Under the new government, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. During this campaign, the French realized how smart Napoleon was. He developed a tactic
During the French Revolution Napoleon Bonaparte was the leader of the French Republic. Napoleon crowned himself as emperor, and worked to take over all of Europe. He served his area for sixteen years. Napoleon was a dictator that held power over the french people because he was in love with power, liked people seeing him in charge, and he wants to be considered the perfect image to everyone.
Napoleon Bonaparte will remain in the heart of many French nationals as one of the greatest military leaders that the nation has had when it comes to warfare history. In 1799, Napoleon launched a series of wars, which historian call, “Napoleonic wars” in a bid to extend the territory of France in Europe. Many historians argue that the Napoleonic wars were a continuation of the earlier war under the tag, French revolution in 1789. The French revolution in itself had so many influences in Europe, especially with the armies who felt the greatest impact of the revolution. The revolution brought with it many changes, especially in the production of modern mass weapons with the conscription in place. The new improvements in weaponry made Napoleon seek hegemony in the entire Europe sparking his quest to expand and increase the revolutionary and territorial borders of France. Napoleon, Corsican aristocrat, who was a minor, rose to the position of emperor in France because of the revolution and his idea was to sweep the entire Europe with the reforms brought about by the revolution (Dwyer 32). The idea was to liberate the continent so that all citizens had a chance to take the helm of leadership and do away with the issue of kinship rule. Napoleon was a symbol of change, and although at some point, he comes out as a dictator, he was progressive and created rationalization of governance and all the social
Napoleon Bonaparte was an undeniably strong leader of France, however he was not truthful to his inferiors who gave him his power. Napoleon believed he was the master of France and that he had complete power of the country. He looked down upon his peers and the other citizens of France. Bonaparte gained his popularity by standing with the common people during the revolutionary period of France but did not continue with the views he expressed during this period when he became Emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte had many views and beliefs that made him an absolute dictator of France including, making every decision himself, being above everyone in the class systems, and manipulating the citizens of France.
7. In my opinion, Napoleon's most important force he had to deal with was his outside forces. Napoleon was a very respected in the world of military. His moves on the battlefield were nearly impossible to predict. Napoleon had many successes and very little losses.
Napoleon was a man who had reformed france into something that it wouldn’t have wanted to happen 10 years before he took over in a military coup and ruled by dictatorship. In the eyes of many of the French he was a hero, he
Napoleon was born in Corsica, Italy and was entered directly into the Military, at age ten. Napoleon's leadership, and role as emperor, was heavily based around the fact that all of his childhood was being trained in the military! Some people view this in a negative light (seeing other people just as a target, and appreciating human life.) Some people on the other hand, view this in a positive light (Being a good instructor, and knowing how to make the right moves with politics.) During the French revolution the citizens of France tried to create a republic, and when they failed continuously, Napoleon Bonaparte stepped up and became a strong leader in France. In 1799, the government started to grow more and more corrupt, and that's when Napoleon came into play. Napoleon was an
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who conquered most of Europe in the early nineteenth century. After a coup in 1799 he crowned himself emperor in 1804. He abdicated the throne after the French attempted to invade Russia in 1812 and exiled, but he returned to power a few years alter only to resign once again after a crushing defeat at the battle of Waterloo and exiled to the island of Saint Helena and died at age 51. Bonaparte was known as an astute, ambitious, and extremely skilled military strategist as he waged war and expanded his empire.
Trail blazers, goal setters, pathfinders: all of which are great men and women who have cut a path of innovation and information. Napoleon Bonaparte set the trail for militaristic improvement, and refinement, whether the prey or the predator Bonaparte’s quick ability to adapt, lead, convince, and his insatiable charisma has contributed to his success in each and every one of his campaigns.
In 1796 as a young officer of 27 years old, Napoleon was given command of the French army in Italy. In his proclamation to his troops, Napoleon said, 'The two armies which but recently attacked you with audacity are fleeing before you in terror; the wicked men who laughed at your misery and rejoiced at the thought of the triumphs of your enemies are confounded and trembling.' Acts like this display the strong personality that Napoleon possessed and how his endearing nature captivated his troops. The control and support of the army was effective in enabling Bonaparte to eventually seize power.
Napoleon seemed to have been seen as a man chosen and destined by god to find victory, though in reality he was a workaholic, and spent long nights carefully drafting his plans for battle. He was careful to maximize his manpower where it counted most. That said, Napoleon saw a value in remaining unpredictable, always maintaining an aggressive stance to force his opponent to respond to his moves. He often determined that the “moment” was more important than manpower. Often, after maneuvering for some time, Napoleon would order his men to charge towards the enemy’s approximate location. Sometimes he himself recalls that the approximation was weak, but it was more important to move quickly and definitely, than to wait for complete intelligence to reveal the true nature of the enemy’s whereabouts. Napoleon did not hold many rules on his troops when on the march, only that they move at a steady pace and stay close together so that they could get into formation quickly. Ultimately, it is clear that Napoleon had a natural gift for choosing the right moves, and furthermore seemed to be at his best when under the pressure of an intense battle, while the commanders of other armies tended to mishap.
He depended on speed, mass, and maneuverability in his battles and it served him well, during the course of his career these tactics were used to form a great empire lead by a genius leader. Napoleon studied the strategies of past great generals and read the campaigns of Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavus, Turenne, and Fredrick the Great, each assessing the mistakes they did and the disadvantages and advantages of their position in each hour of war, from then he went on and created strategies that militaries learnt from. The majority of Napoleon’s campaigns began, not on the battlefield but first, he collected all the information he could on his potential enemy and studied every aspect of his opponent’s country, history, and military forces. His tactics came from a shotgun mirage of revolutionary
Napoleon’s political ideas were efficient and worked well to rule a country; he even adapted his ideas to help France run more efficiently. The Napoleonic Code gave equality to all male citizens and he rehabilitated the Catholic Church for his people, despite his belief in religious freedom. He created a bureaucracy with subprefects, prefects, and mayors that ran France. All of these ideas helped France run smoothly.