Download Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, an

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, and was given the
name Napoleone Buonaper
te. He was the second of eight children of Carlo and
Letizia Buonaperte, both of the Corsican-Ital
ian gentry. Before Napoleone, no
Buonaparte had ever been a professional soldier. His father Carl
o, was a lawyer
who had fought for Corsican independence, but after the French occupied the island
in 1768, he served as a prosecutor and a judge and entered the French aristocracy
as a count. Thr
ough his father's influence, Napoleone was educated at the expense
of King Louis XVI, at Brienne an
d the Ecole Militaire, in Paris. Napoleone
graduated in 1785, at the age of 16, and joined the art
illery as a second lieutenant.
After the revolution began in France, he became a lieutenant colonel
(1791) in the
Corsican National Guard. However, when Corsica declared independence in 1793,
Buon
aperte, a Republican, and a French patriot, fled to France with his family. He
was assigned, as ca
ptain, to an army besieging Toulon, a naval base that was aided
by a British fleet, while in revolt
against the republic. It was here that Napoleone
Buonaperte officially changed his name to Napole
on Bonaparte, feeling that it
looked 'more French'. It was here too that Napoleon replaced a wound
ed artillery
general, and seized ground where his guns could drive the British fleet from the
harb
or, and Toulon fell. As a result of his accomplishments, Bonapatre was
promoted to brigadier gener
al at the age of 24. In 1795, he saved the revolutionary
government by dispersing an insurgent mob
in Paris. Then in 1796 he married
Josephine de Beauharnais, the mother of two children and the wi
dow of an
aristocrat guillotined in the Revolution. Early in his life Napoleon was showing
signs
of militaristic geniuses and knowledge for formidable strategy. It was
through the application of
his skills, and a revolutionary style of spontaneous
fighting styles than gave Napoleon the opportu
nities, which he jumped at, making
his the great military leader he is known as today.
Latter in1
796, Napoleon became commander of the French army in Italy. He
defeated four Austrian generals in
succession, each at impossible odds, and forced
Austria and it's allies to make peace. The Treaty
of Campo Formio provided that
France keep most of its conquests. In northern Italy he founded the
Cisalpine
Republic, and straightened his position in France by sending millions of francs
worth of
treasure to the government. In 1798, to strike at British trade with the
East, he led an expediti
on to Turkish-ruled Egypt, which he conquered. His fleet,
however, was destroyed by the British ad
miral Horatio Nelson, leaving him
stranded. Undaunted, he reformed the Egyptian government and law
, abolishing
serfdom and feudalism and guaranteeing basic rights. The French scholars he had
brou
ght with him began the scientific study of ancient Egyptian history. In 1799 he
failed to capture
Syria, but won a smashing victory over the Turks at Abu Qir.
France, meanwhile, faced a new threat,
the coalition of Austria, Russia, and the
lesser powers allied with Britain. Bonaparte, being no
modest soul, decided to
leave his army and return to save France. In Paris, he joined a conspiracy
against
the government. In the coup d'etat of November 9th -10th , 1799, he and his
colleagues s
eized power and established a new regime-the Consulate. Under its
construction, Bonaparte, as his
first consul, had almost dictatorial powers. The
constitution was revised in 1802 to make Napoleon
consul for life and in 1804, it
made him emperor. Each of these changes received overwhelming ass
ent of the
electorate. In 1800, he assured his power by crossing the Alps and defeating the
Austr
ians at Marengo. He also concluded an agreement with the pope, which
contributed to French domesti
c tranquillity and ended the quarrel with the Roman
Catholic church that had arisen during the Revo
lution. In France, the
administration was reorganized, the court system was simplified, and all sc
hools
were put under centralized control. French law was standardized in the Code
Napoleon, (the
civil code) and six other codes. They all guaranteed the rights and
liberties won in the Revolutio
n, which included equality before the law and
freedom of religion.
Considering Napoleon, being th
e greatest general of his time, with the
intentions of France in mind it is clear how the French pe
ople respected him, held
him in high regard, and even praised him. With that same clarity that we
can see
how those 'enemies of the state', and others not living in France feared Napoleon,
and saw
him as a power hungry mad man. Opposing generals fueled by hate
attempted on many occasion to sto
p the momentum that Bonaparte and his French empire was gaining. The view by others that he was a
ruthless and sadistic leader,
who created war for his personal gain was well expressed by Guillamme
de
Prosper-Barante, 'He never wished to be justified. He killed, he killed according to
Corsican
traditions, and if he sometimes regretted this mistake, he never understood
this as a crime' (I, p
g.38). Another feeling of resentment towards Bonaparte was
that he was unorganized, sloppy, and ba
sically lucky. Finally, many people felt
that Napoleon was only interested in his own image and po
wer, and essentially
used France and its resources as an outlet to achieve this. Napoleon himself
would
prove all this wrong. By taking the position which France was in at the time, revamping t
he entire political system, and giving equality and freedom to all of
France he quickly showed his
loyalties. As for being unorganized, sloppy and very
lucky, time after time, Napoleon would prove
his military superiority in all aspects.
Lastly, if Napoleon had used France to gain his personal g
oals he would not have
taken the time to change the politics, to protect the rights of the citizens
, or to make
sure France was a good place to live, 'France has more need for Napoleon, then he
for
France' (II, pg.243).
In April 1803 Britain, provoked by Napoleon's aggressive behavior, resumed
war with France on the seas. Two years after this Russia and Austria joined the
British in a seco
nd coalition. Napoleon then abandoned plans to invade England
and turned his armies against the Au
stro-Rusian forces, defeating them at the battle
of Austerlitz on December 2nd, 1805. In 1806 he s
eized the kingdom of Naples
and made his elder brother Joseph king, converted the Dutch Republic in
to the kingdom of Holland for his brother Louis, and established the Confederation of the
Rhine of
which he was the protector. Prussia then allied itself with Russia and
attacked the confederation
. Napoleon destroyed the Prussian army at Jena and
Auerstadt (1806) and the Russian army at Friedl
and. At Tilsit in July of 1807,
Napoleon made an ally of Czar Alexander I and greatly reduced the
size of Prussia.
He also added new states to the empire: the kingdom of Westphalia, under his
brot
her Jerome, the duchy of Warsaw, and others. Through Napoleon experience
through these battles he
became more of a leader, and was becoming more effective
in motivating his soldiers, 'There are but
two lever for moving men, interest and
fear' (II pg. 67)
Outside of his military life Napoleon c
haracterized his regime above all with a
strong executive under the control of a single charismatic
figure who appointed and
dismissed ministers, generals, prefects, and bishops, commanded armies, d
irected foreign policy, saw to the codification of laws, and reorganized the systems of
education,
worship, and administration. Meanwhile Napoleon had established the
Continental System (a Frenchimposed blockade of Europe against British goods,
designed to force bankruptcy what he called 'the
nation of shopkeepers'). In 1807,
Bonaparte seized Portugal. In 1808, he made his brother Joseph,
the king of Spain.
Napoleon then awarded Naples to his brother-in-law, Joachim Murat. Joseph's
arrival in Spain touched off a rebellion there, which became known as the
Peninsular War. Napoleon
appeared briefly and scored victories, but after his departure the fighting continued for five yea
rs, with the British backing the Spanish
armies and guerrillas. The Peninsular War cost France 300
,000 casualties and incredible sums of money and contributed to the eventual weakening of the
Napo
leonic empire. In 1809, Napoleon defeated the Austrians again at Wagram,
annexed the Illyrian Prov
inces (modern day Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and Serbia, and Montenegro), and aboli
shed the Papel States. He
also divorced Josephine (who was his current wife) and in 1810 he marrie
d
Habsburg archduchess, Marie Louise, who was the daughter of the Austrian
emperor. By this linki
ng his dynasty with the oldest ruling house in Europe, he
hoped that his son, born in 1811, would b
e the more readily accepted by established
monarchs. Also in 1810, the empire reached its widest e
xtension with the
annexation of Bremen, Lubeck, and other parts of north Germany, together with the
entire kingdom of Holland, followed the forced abdication of Louis Bonaparte.
The impact of Napo
leon on the political and social structure of Europe was not
everywhere the same. It was greater i
n territories that were annexed than in
satellite states, and greater in satellite states than in t
hose which were occupied only
with difficulty and by force of arms. Where French Revolutionary arm
ies had
passed before, overturning feudal and ecclesiastical institutions, there Napoleonic
rule h
ad a firmer grip. French military support for local rulers enabled them to
undertake by 'revolutio
n from above' what as minor enlightened despots in the
eighteenth century they had failed to achive
. But Napoleon was above all a dynast
and conqueror: what he required from subject territories wa
s men and money. If
they could be provided without administrative reforms, so much the better. So
me
states which remained sovereign imitated Napoleon's methods in order to weaken
traditional elit
es or to strengthen state-power. Far more common however was
resistance to Napoleon, whether blind
peasant hostility to taxes and conscription,
the defence of aristocratic, ecclesiastical, and cor
porative privileges, or liberal
opposition to arbitrary, bureaucratic, and foreign rule.
In all t
he new kingdoms created by the emperor, the Code Napoleon was
established as law. Feudalism and se
rfdom were abolished, and freedom of religion
established (excluding Spain). Each state was grante
d a constitution, providing for
universal male-suffrage and a parliament and containing a bill of r
ights. Napoleon
who felt that constitutions were the mark of a great society said 'Constitution's
should be short and obscure' (III pg. 124). French-style administration, and free
public schools
were envisioned. Higher education was opened to all who qualified,
regardless of class or religion
. Every state had an academy or institute for the
promotion of the arts and sciences. Incomes wer
e provided for eminent scholars,
specifically scientists. Constitutional government remained only
a promise, but
progress and increased efficiency were widely realized. Not until after Napoleon's
fall did the common people of Europe, alienated from his governments by war taxes
and military con
scription, fully appreciate the benefits that he had given them. It
was evident through these acti
ons of Napoleon that he not only wanted the land for
France but he wanted to spread a common lifest
yle throughout Europe.
In 1812, Napoleon, whose alliance with Alexader I had begin to disintegrate
,
launched an invasion of Russia that ended in a disastrous retreat from Moscow.
(Thereafter all o
f Europe united against him, although he fought on brilliantly, the
odds were impossible.) In Apr
il 1814, his marshals refused to continue the
struggle. They had felt Napoleon disrespected his ar
my, and said they were not
given the privileges they desired. [ Napoleon, although he lived his li
fe with one
theory regarding his men, ('When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of the
battle
field, they have all one rank in my eyes...') (IV pg.15) therefore felt that his
marshals shall be
given no special treatment.] Latter allies had rejected his
stepping down in favor of his son, Nap
oleon was abdicated unconditionally and
was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba. Marie Loui
se and his son were put
into custody of her father, the emperor of Austria. Napoleon never was to
see
either one of them again, but he himself soon made a dramatic comeback. In
March 1815, he esc
aped from Elba, reached France, and marched on Paris winning
over the troops sent to capture him.
In Paris, he promulgated a new and more
democratic constitution, and veterans of his old campaigns
flocked to his support. Napoleon asked peace of the allies, but they outlawed him, and he decided t
o strike
first. The result was a campaign into Belgium, which ended in a defeat in the
Battle of
Waterloo on June 8th, 1815. In Paris crowds begged him to fight on, but
the politicians withdrew t
heir support. Napoleon then fled to Rochefort, where he
surrendered to the captain of the British
battleship Bellerophon. He was then exiled
to Saint Helena, a remote island in the south Atlantic
Ocean, where he remained
until he died from stomach cancer on May 5th, 1821.
The cult of Napoleon
as the 'man of destiny' began during his lifetime. In fact,
he has begun to cultivate it during h
is first Italian campaign by systematically
publicizing his victories. As first consul and emperor
, he had engaged the best
writers and artists of France and Europe to glorify his deeds and had con
tributed to
the cult himself by the elaborate ceremonies with which he celebrated his rule,
pictur
ing himself as the architect of France's greatest glory. He maintained that he
had preserved the a
chievements of the Revolution in France and offered their
benefits to Europe. His goal, he said, w
as to found a European state- a 'federation
of free peoples' (V pg. 15). Whatever the truth of thi
s, he became the arch-hero of
the French and a martyr to the world. In 1840 his remains were retur
ned to Paris at
the request of King Louis-Philippe and interred with great pomp and ceremony on
th
e Invalides, where they still lie.
Napoleon's influence is evident even in France today. Reminder
s of him dot
Paris-the most obvious being the Arc de Triomphe, the centerpiece of the city,
which
was built to commemorate his victories. His spirit pervades the constitution
of the Fifth Republic
; the country's basic law is still the Code Napoleon, and the
administrative and judicial systems a
re essentially Napoleonic. A uniform stateregulated system of education persists. Napoleon's ra
dical reforms in all parts of
Europe cultivated the ground for the revolutions of the 19th century.
Today, the
impact of the Code Napoleon is apparent in the law of all European countries.
Napoleo
n was a driven man, never secure, never satisfied. 'Power is my mistress'
(VI pg. 176), he said.
His life was work-centered; even his social activities had a
purpose. He could bear amusements or
vacations only briefly. His tastes were for
coarse food, bad wine, and for cheap tobacco. He coul
d be hypnotically charming
for a needed purpose of course. He had intense loyalties to his family
and old
associates. Even so, nothing or nobody, were allowed to interfere with his work.
Napoleon
was sometimes a tyrant and always an authorian. But one who believed,
however in ruling by mandat
e of the people, expressed on plebiscites. He was also
a great enlightened monarch-a civil executi
ve of enormous capacity who changed
French institutions and tried to reform the intuitions of Europ
e and give the
Continent a common law. Few historians deny that he was a military genius. At
St.
Helena, he said 'Waterloo will erase the memory of all my victories.' (VII
pg.345) he was wrong;
for better or worse, he is best remembered as a general, not
for his enlightened government, but s
urely the latter must be counted if he is justly
to be called 'Napoleon the Great'.napoleon born au
gust ajaccio corsica given name napoleone buonaperte second eight children carlo letizia buonaperte
both corsican italian gentry before napoleone buonaparte ever been professional soldier father carlo
lawyer fought corsican independence after french occupied island served prosecutor judge entered fr
ench aristocracy count through father influence napoleone educated expense king louis brienne ecole
militaire paris graduated joined artillery second lieutenant after revolution began france became li
eutenant colonel corsican national guard however when corsica declared independence buonaperte repub
lican french patriot fled france with family assigned captain army besieging toulon naval base that
aided british fleet while revolt against republic here that officially changed name napoleon bonapar
te feeling that looked more here napoleon replaced wounded artillery general seized ground where gun
s could drive british fleet from harbor toulon fell result accomplishments bonapatre promoted brigad
ier general saved revolutionary government dispersing insurgent paris then married josephine beauhar
nais mother children widow aristocrat guillotined revolution early life showing signs militaristic g
eniuses knowledge formidable strategy through application skills revolutionary style spontaneous fig
hting styles than gave opportunities which jumped making great military leader known today latter be
came commander army italy defeated four austrian generals succession each impossible odds forced aus
tria allies make peace treaty campo formio provided france keep most conquests northern italy founde
d cisalpine republic straightened position sending millions francs worth treasure government strike
british trade with east expedition turkish ruled egypt which conquered fleet however destroyed admir
al horatio nelson leaving stranded undaunted reformed egyptian government abolishing serfdom feudali
sm guaranteeing basic rights scholars brought with began scientific study ancient egyptian history f
ailed capture syria smashing victory over turks meanwhile faced threat coalition austria russia less
er powers allied britain bonaparte being modest soul decided leave army return save paris joined con
spiracy against coup etat november colleagues seized power established regime consulate under constr
uction bonaparte first consul almost dictatorial powers constitution revised make consul life made e
mperor each these changes received overwhelming assent electorate assured power crossing alps defeat
ing austrians marengo also concluded agreement pope which contributed domestic tranquillity ended qu
arrel roman catholic church arisen during revolution administration reorganized court system simplif
ied schools were under centralized control standardized code civil code other codes they guaranteed
rights liberties included equality before freedom religion considering being greatest general time i
ntentions mind clear people respected held high regard even praised same clarity those enemies state
others living feared power hungry opposing generals fueled hate attempted many occasion stop moment
um empire gaining view others ruthless sadistic leader created personal gain well expressed guillamm
e prosper barante never wished justified killed killed according traditions sometimes regretted this
mistake never understood this crime another feeling resentment towards unorganized sloppy basically
lucky finally many people felt only interested image essentially used resources outlet achieve this
himself would prove wrong taking position time vamping entire political system giving equality free
dom quickly showed loyalties being unorganized sloppy very lucky time after would prove military sup
eriority aspects lastly used gain personal goals would have taken change politics protect rights cit
izens make sure good place live more need then april britain provoked aggressive behavior resumed se
as years russia austria joined second coalition then abandoned plans invade england turned armies ag
ainst austro rusian forces defeating them battle austerlitz december seized kingdom naples made elde
r brother joseph king converted dutch republic into kingdom holland brother louis established confed
eration rhine protector prussia allied itself russia attacked confederation destroyed prussian jena
auerstadt russian friedland tilsit july made ally czar alexander greatly reduced size prussia also a
dded states empire kingdom westphalia under brother jerome duchy warsaw others through experience th
ese battles became more leader becoming effective motivating soldiers there lever moving interest fe
ar outside military life characterized regime above strong executive control single charismatic figu
re appointed dismissed ministers generals prefects bishops commanded armies directed foreign policy
codification laws reorganized systems education worship administration meanwhile established contine
ntal system imposed blockade europe goods designed force bankruptcy what called nation shopkeepers p
ortugal joseph king spain awarded naples joachim murat joseph arrival spain touched rebellion there
known peninsular appeared briefly scored victories departure fighting continued five years backing s
panish armies guerrillas peninsular cost casualties incredible sums money contributed eventual weake
ning napoleonic empire defeated austrians again wagram annexed illyrian provinces modern slovenia cr
oatia bosnia herzegovina serbia montenegro abolished papel states also divorced josephine current wi
fe married habsburg archduchess marie louise daughter austrian emperor linking dynasty oldest ruling
house europe hoped born readily accepted monarchs reached widest extension annexation bremen lubeck
other parts north germany together entire holland followed forced abdication louis impact political
social structure europe everywhere same greater territories were annexed than satellite states grea
ter satellite than those were occupied only difficulty force arms where revolutionary passed before
overturning feudal ecclesiastical institutions there napoleonic rule firmer grip support local ruler
s enabled them undertake from above what minor enlightened despots eighteenth century they failed ac
hive above dynast conqueror what required from subject territories money they could provided without
administrative reforms much better some remained sovereign imitated methods order weaken traditiona
l elites strengthen state common however resistance whether blind peasant hostility taxes conscripti
on defence aristocratic ecclesiastical corporative privileges liberal opposition arbitrary bureaucra
tic foreign rule kingdoms created emperor code feudalism serfdom abolished freedom religion excludin
g spain each state granted constitution providing universal male suffrage parliament containing bill
felt constitutions mark great society said constitution should short obscure style administration f
ree public schools envisioned higher education opened qualified regardless class religion every acad
emy institute promotion arts sciences incomes provided eminent scholars specifically scientists cons
titutional remained only promise progress increased efficiency widely realized until fall common peo
ple alienated governments taxes conscription fully appreciate benefits given them evident these acti
ons wanted land wanted spread common lifestyle throughout whose alliance alexader begin disintegrate
launched invasion ended disastrous retreat moscow thereafter united although fought brilliantly odd
s impossible april marshals refused continue struggle felt disrespected said given privileges desire
d although lived theory regarding when soldiers have been baptized fire battlefield have rank eyes t
herefore marshals shall special treatment latter allies rejected stepping down favor abdicated uncon
ditionally exiled mediterranean island elba marie louise into custody father never either again hims
elf soon dramatic comeback march escaped elba reached marched winning over troops sent capture promu
lgated democratic veterans campaigns flocked support asked peace allies outlawed decided strike firs
t result campaign into belgium ended defeat battle waterloo june crowds begged fight politicians wit
hdrew their support fled rochefort where surrendered captain battleship bellerophon exiled saint hel
ena remote island south atlantic ocean remained until died stomach cancer cult destiny began during
lifetime fact begun cultivate during first italian campaign systematically publicizing victories con
sul engaged best writers artists glorify deeds contributed cult himself elaborate ceremonies celebra
ted rule picturing architect greatest glory maintained preserved achievements offered their benefits
goal said found european federation free peoples whatever truth arch hero martyr world remains retu
rned request philippe interred great pomp ceremony invalides still influence evident even today remi
nders most obvious triomphe centerpiece city built commemorate victories spirit pervades fifth count
ry basic still administrative judicial systems essentially napoleonic uniform regulated education pe
rsists radical reforms parts cultivated ground revolutions century today impact apparent european co
untries driven secure satisfied mistress work centered even social activities purpose could bear amu
sements vacations briefly tastes coarse food wine cheap tobacco hypnotically charming needed purpose
course intense loyalties family associates nothing nobody allowed interfere work sometimes tyrant a
lways authorian believed ruling mandate expressed plebiscites enlightened monarch civil executive en
ormous capacity changed institutions tried reform intuitions give continent historians deny genius h
elena waterloo will erase memory wrong better worse best remembered enlightened surely latter must c
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