Napoleon Bonaparte's Biography Essay

Napoleon was the son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Buonaparte, born in Corsica. He started off as a rather disliked man by his fellow officers, although his stunning military victories allowed him to quickly rise through the military rankings. At the young age of twenty-five, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Shortly after the coup d’etat of 1799, when Napoleon overthrew the Directory, he became the young emperor of France-- determined to strengthen and expand his empire.

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

     In Napoleon’s first battle as leader of an army, he became famous. By pointing artillery at the British, Napoleon drove them out of Toulon. The Directory then sent him to Italy to attack an army of Austrians. After this victory, Napoleon gained more fame and was known as a hero.

Many years later, in a galaxy far far away, on the date of August 15, 1769 another war hero and emperor was born, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon reigned over the French from May 18, 1804 to April 11, 1814 and ruled Italy over the years from March 17, 1805 to April 11, 1814. Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, set up Napoleonic Code; it was a major influence in civil law jurisdictions. Napoleon is best recognized for his role in the wars against France, known as the Napoleonic Wars. His success in these multiple battles led Napoleon to be known as one of the best military leaders of all time. His strategies and campaigns are studied at military schools around the world.

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

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

There have been multiple great war heroes throughout the course of history. Most fall short of the reign of power of Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon’s reign began just years after he was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15th, 1769. The story of Napoleon could be one compared to a super hero. His lack of fear and death led to a lifetime of success in the world of war. He had one goal throughout the course of his life: conquer all land, and bring France to the very top of the war chain.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and eventual political leader in France who was able to seize power during the end of the French Revolution of the late 1790's and early 1800's. Napoleon was the leader of France from 1804 to 1815 and mostly remembered as a leader in a cycle of European battles. He institutionalized the changes brought about by the French Revolution and sought to spread them throughout Europe. It has been long debated the factors that allowed Napoleon to seize power and eventually crown himself emperor. Such factors that have been considered have been Napoleon's personality, his military exploits, the failings of the Directory, support of the people and army and even sheer luck.

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 strengthened France’s position in Europe by seizing every military opportunity that he had the chance to. Before he took charge in around 1792 to 1794, The French Republic had a lot of trouble fending off enemies. Napoleon altered this by helping France to become a more offensive army. He stood out from the rest of the army generals, and took 40,000 soldiers to fight against the Austrian soldiers, stripping them of their belongings in Italy. He confidently lead his troops to invade Egypt, and fought for his position in First Consul. His love for power, glory, and being viewed as a hero, helped fuel his ideas for the future, and inspire his people.

Napoleon was a clever man that was not born into control or influence. He builds his way up the chain of command. Recently released from prison in 1795, at the age of 26 he soon is named commander of the French army in Italy. With fewer than 50,000 troops, and keen preparation he defeated the Piedmont and Austrian armies. The Directory presented him many important tasks throughout the years. Napoleon went on to become First Consul. (Session 7, Mr. Rozenman). He ended the French Revolution. In 1801, he made an arrangement with Pope Pius VII. This agreement would advantage him more in the long run. After this deal, Napoleon was quickly on his way to becoming emperor. In 1802, Napoleon named himself First Consul for life and by 1804 he crowned himself emperor and the pope approved this.

Because of the win and the way he strategized and handled himself got him into a position to get recognized by the French Council "aka" The Directory. They appointed Napoleon the second in command of the army in Italy in the artillery unit. In 1795 at 26 years of age his job was to defeat the royalist and stopped the royalist mobs on the streets of Paris. He killed 1,400 of the Royalists in the street and sent the others running. From that point on then he started to win the love of the French people. Because of the win over the Royalists and the fact that he took the enemy that was ravaged, hungry and not paid their wages, and he paid the army with money taken for the territories they occupied without the approval of the directors. This action and the win over the royalist cemented the love towards Bonaparte for the French people. At that point the Directors had to honer that the French people had embraced his success and what he had done for them and there was very little the directors could do at that point to control Bonaparte. They were compelled to celebrate his success as a war

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French, and the next year, he was crowned the King of Italy. His reigns as leader of Italy and France overlapped each other. After the military victories and

Napoleon reached power through rising during a wartime because of his military successes. During a time of war promotions are made frequently and Napoleon became a general at a young age. Napoleon was able to move his troops much faster than any other country was able to move their troops. Napoleon’s troops were also much larger than any of the others. These advantages led to Napoleon becoming one of the greatest military leaders ever.

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