Who was Napoleon Essay

Napoleons’ rise to emperor in France was indisputable mostly because of his overthrow of the Directory. His success’s as commander of the French army in Italy, only led to his aspiring status change to “Emperor” of France after overthrowing the Directory in November of 1799. His undying ambition for expansion of the empire he was creating however would be his undoing. Napoleons rule as emperor of France was quit spectacular actually and many admired and adored him as ruler. His ways were very appealing, and as a speaker he was very persuasive and admired by most of his people until his later years in his fall and demise. However, Napoleon did not seriously adhere to the ideals of the French Revolution, he did that of the Enlightenment but his undying ambition and character as “Emperor” undermined the true need of the French Revolution.

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

Napoleon Bonaparte was the first French Military leader to become an Emperor. Napoleon was born on 1769, Corsica, France. He is one of the most celebrated leaders in the history of the West, he revolutionized military organization and training, created Napoleonic Code, promoted and encouraged education and established the long-lived peace treaty with the church. Napoleon died on May 5th, 1821, on his death bed of an island, St. Helena, which was located in the South Atlantic Ocean. In his life, Napoleon showed that if you had great knowledge you had power, that he used his power responsibly and irresponsibly from different point of views of people, and he affected the economic standing all over Europe.

The Republic was in danger. France was at war with Austria, Prussia, England, Holland, and Spain. There was a revolt in western France, and there was a great need for good officers. At the age of 25, only one year after becoming captain, Napoleon performed so well that he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He was given command of the artillery at Toulon, and in December of that same year, the French forced the English out of Toulon. " The commander in chief wrote: "I have no words to describe the merit of Bonaparte. Much science, as much intelligence, and too much bravery." (Britannica Junior Encyclopedia, #11 N-O 7 ). In August of 1794 Napoleon was arrested because he had been a supporter of Maximilien Rosbespierre. He was accused of treason. Although he was released his career seemed to be over. Then in October of 1795, the government was threatened with a revolt in Paris. Paul Barras, commander of the home forces, appointed Napoleon to defend the capital. "With amazing swiftness Napoleon massed men and artillery at important places in Paris the attack of 30,000 national guards was driven back by his men. About 200 men were killed on each side, but he had saved France from civil war." (Britannica Junior Encyclopedia, #11 N-O 7 ). Napoleon saved the national convention from the Parisian mob and one year later at the age of 26, was rewarded with the position of commander in chief of the interior French army in Italy. When Napoleon accepted the

First, Napoleon centralized the government so he would have the right to do as he pleased. Then, he brought order to the chaos the French Revolution had wrought on the country. He created a new legal code based on that of the Roman Empire's. He insured religious freedom for all, and instituted anti-discriminatory laws for the Jewish people. He even made sure that France had one of the first public education systems in the

Napoleon was religiously tolerant, influenced by the philosophe Voltaire. He signed an agreement with the Catholic Church in 1801, entitled “The Concordat.” Within this agreement, the Church would be reinstated in France. Napoleon was still able to depose bishops; but he had little control over the Church as the Church was able to elect bishops. Additionally, Napoleon recognized Catholicism as the major faith among the French. However, it was not recognized as a state religion. Napoleon himself was not religious; he was more of a

By that time, Napoleon had ruled France and surrounding countries for twenty years. Originally an officer in the French Army, he had risen to become Emperor among the political chaos following the French Revolution in which the old ruling French kings and nobility had been destroyed.

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.

The peace between France and Russia in 1807 lasted for five years but was not satisfactory to either side. The Tilsit settlement was thought of by Napoleon as no more than a convenient truce. In 1807 he had been in no position to invade Russia but there was no way that he could tolerate another European power for very long. Napoleon felt that a war with Russia was necessary ‘for crushing England by crushing the only power still strong enough him any trouble by joining her.’ Napoleon began preparing for the war. He secured the support of Austria and Prussia since even though neither was in any position to refuse. Emperor Francis of Austria provided 34,000 men to cover the French but sent secret messages to

Napoléon is considered one of the best military generals of all time. One of Napoléons greatest military achievement was the battle of the three emperors. The result of this battle was forcing Austria to make peace with France (Treaty of Pressburg) and keeping Prussia temporarily out of the anti-French alliance.The battle took place near Austerlitz in Moravia after the French had entered Vienna on November 13. The allies decided to fight Napoleon west of Austerlitz and occupied the Pratzen Plateau, where Napoleon had created a trap for them (an example of his excellence at strategy).The allies then launched their main attack against the French.The allies were soon split up and attacked both north and south of the plateau. The battle brought

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.

In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte became first consul after overthrowing the Directory and establishing the Consultate. He had many achievements for France under educational, financial, administrative, legal and religious reforms. However, these achievements are often exaggerated. Napoleon was indeed the ‘heir’ of the revolution as he completed much of the work that the revolution had started, such as the creation of a Civil Code and the reforming of the education system. Despite this, he also destroyed much of the revolution’s work. He ignored and betrayed some of the revolution’s beliefs and much of his achievements were incomplete. Napoleon’s achievements in Europe were mainly for his own

In 1821 the Russians denied their support for Napoleon’s Continental System that he had put in place as a means to block British trade in Europe. Napoleon immediately penetrated Russia, but quickly learned that defeating them would be much more laborious than he had initially anticipated (History.com Staff, 2009). The Russians had developed a clever tactic, where they would retreat and sabotage everything along their path whenever Napoleon’s army would advance. As a result, Napoleon and his men were led deeper into Russia, but found themselves with few supplies. Winter was rapidly approaching, which contributed to the heavy casualties that were experienced on both battlefronts (Dugdale, P.T., 2006). Shortly after Napoleon’s retreat, he was defeated and sent into exile by European powers. Elba, an island just off of the British coast was where he would stay until his escape back to France. Once back in France, he ruled once again for 100 days, but with each passing day Europe forced Napoleon further away from his glory and prestige (McLynn, F., 1997). Napoleon continued to put up a fight, but eventually at the Battle of Waterloo he was finally defeated and sent into exile once again. He was no longer sent to Elba but instead to Saint Helen where he would later take his last breathe. He died in 1821 at the age of just 51, and was believed to have died from stomach

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.

The Napoleonic Era can be said to have begun with the Coup of 18 Brumaire, which overthrew the Directory (and is often believed to have brought the French Revolution to a close), and established the French Consulate, along with the appointment of Napoleon as First Consul in the winter of 1779. Preceding this time, the French were fighting a loosing battle against the Ottomans throughout Egypt, Greater Syria, and the Levant. Once Napoleon became the de facto ruler of France, he began massive reforms. The spread of citizens’ rights into law began, representative assembly took hold, religious toleration became the norm, the country was re-organized into departments, and the metric system was invented. Upon becoming First Consul, Napoleon established