Napoleon Biography- Corsican-born military genius, French Emperor, conquering Europe, ultimate exile.
One of the most controversial yet outstanding figures of the highest level of the European historical meaning, Napoleon Bonaparte was born with nothing and evolved, reaching the status of a great leader of people since the times of his being a mere baby.
Napoleon Biography: Rise, Reign, and Fall of a Military Genius
One of the most controversial yet outstanding figures of the highest level of the European historical meaning, Napoleon Bonaparte was born with nothing and evolved, reaching the status of a great leader of people since the times of his being a mere baby. Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica, in a fairly modest family of Italian origin, which gave no idea of the brilliant career that he would make. His father Carlo Buonaparte, was a lawyer and diplomat, whereas the mother Letizia Ramolino was a woman of strong character who instilled discipline and desire to succeed in her children.
When Napoleon was nine he was enrolled at the military academy in Brienne-le-Chateau in mainland France and then later on at the Ecole Militaire in Paris. Originally an outsider with a Corsican accent and modest background, it did not take long before his mathematical and tactical genius would impress everyone, however. In 1785, at the eve of his sixteenth birthday, he graduated as an artillery officer.
The French Revolution that broke out in 1789 gave the raucous background on which the star of Napoleon would shine. He followed ideals of revolution and his military skills did not take long to be noticed. His recapture of Toulon during the Siege of Toulon in 1793 displaying more skill with the artillery to dislodge the British troops, made him a brigadier general at the amazing age of 24. Successive actions in Italy (1796-1797) also made him look like a great military strategist. He continually defeated superior Austrian forces one after another and he showed a new way of war strategy that focused on speed, surprise, and concentration of force.
With France politically in shambles by 1799, Napoleon, drawing on his immense popularity and storied military reputation, staged a coup d’état of the Directory to establish the Consulate with himself as First Consul, thus beginning his rule. He wasted no time restructuring France; he created the Bank of France, solidified the administration, and, most importantly, created the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code is a full code of laws that impacts today, redefined civil law, encouraged equality before the law for private citizens, limited private citizens from infringing on property rights, and unified various procedures.
In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French, which established his absolute rule over France and resoundingly signified his own ambition over Europe. For the subsequent decade, Napoleon exercised political power over Europe while engaging in a series of “Napoleonic Wars,” in which Napoleon’s armies, the “Grande Armée,” waged war against various coalition across Europe. His armies achieved legendary victories at Austerlitz (1805), Jena (1806), and Wagram (1809)—with the various victories allowing him to control much of continental Europe from Spain to Poland through direct annexation, proposed sovereign, and alliances. His empire maintained not just military power but instituted French institutions, however with mixed results, the various institutions were/to consolidate power and spread French influence.
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