Napoleon Bonaparte

Military Commander

1769 – 1821

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Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars in Europe.

As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815, the first monarch of France bearing the title emperor since the reign of Charles the Fat. His legal reform, the Napoleonic Code, has been a major influence on many civil law jurisdictions worldwide, but he is best remembered for his role in the wars led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars. He established hegemony over most of continental Europe and sought to spread the ideals of the French Revolution, while consolidating an imperial monarchy which restored aspects of the deposed Ancien Régime. Due to his success in these wars, often against numerically superior enemies, he is generally regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, and his campaigns are studied at military academies worldwide.

Napoleon was born at Ajaccio in Corsica in a family of noble Italian ancestry which had settled Corsica in the 16th century. He trained as an artillery officer in mainland France. He rose to prominence under the French First Republic and led successful campaigns against the First and Second Coalitions arrayed against France. He led a successful invasion of the Italian peninsula.

Famous Quotes:

  • I made all my generals out of mud.
  • There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.
  • Incidents should not govern policy; but, policy incidents.
  • I tell you Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad soldiers; we will settle this matter by lunch time.
  • Do you know what amazes me more than anything else? The impotence of force to organize anything.
  • He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.
  • The conscience is the sacred haven of the liberty of man.
  • The extent of your consciousness is limited only by your ability to love and to embrace with your love the space around you, and all it contains
  • A people which is able to say everything becomes able to do everything.
  • Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.

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Born
Aug 15, 1769
Ajaccio
Also known as
  • Napoleon I of France
  • Napoléon Bonaparte
  • Napoleone di Buonaparte
  • Napoleon
  • Napoleon I
  • His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French
  • His Imperial and Royal Majesty the Emperor of the French
  • King of Italy
Parents
Siblings
Spouses
Children
Religion
  • Catholicism
  • Deism
Ethnicity
  • French people
  • Corsican people
Nationality
  • France
Profession
Education
  • École Militaire
    (1784 - 1785/09)
Lived in
  • Saint Helena
    (1816 - 1821)
Died
May 5, 1821
Longwood
Resting place
Les Invalides

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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