Napoleon

I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte  was born on 15 August 1769 in Corsica (one year after the island was transferred to France) to parents of noble ancestry and trained as an artillery officer in mainland France. Napoleon’s father Carlo Buonaparte was Corsica’s representative to the court of Louis XVI of France. The dominant influence of Napoleon’s childhood was his mother, whose firm discipline restrained a rambunctious child.

Napoleon’s skillful leadership helped to crush rebellions within France during the latter stages of the French Revolution. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815. He also rewrote the old French feudal laws, which were confusing, creating a new Napoleonic Code of laws that were much clearer. Many of these laws remain in France to this day.

Napoleon in Berlin

Napoleon in Berlin

But he is best remembered for his role in the wars led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars, during which he established hegemony over much of Europe and sought to spread revolutionary ideals. It was as a result of these wars, and his success in them, that he is generally regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time.

In 1798, Napoleon conquered Ottoman-ruled Egypt in an attempt to strike at British trade routes with India. He was stranded when his fleet was destroyed by the British at the Battle of the Nile.

In October of 1799 Napoleon returned to Paris and managed to overthrow the government. In 1804 Napoleon named himself as emperor of France, and had himself anointed as such by the Pope.  After bringing economic prosperity and peace to France, Napoleon set out to conquer the remainder of Europe.

In 1810, he had his childless marriage to Josephine de Beauharnais annulled and married the daughter of the Austrian emperor in the hope of having an heir. A son, Napoleon, was born a year later.
Napoleon in Russia

Napoleon in Russia

By 1812 Napoleon controlled most of Europe, either directly, or indirectly. He held the titles such us His Imperial and Royal Majesty the Emperor of the French, King of Italy,  Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine and Mediator of the Helvetic Confederation. The nations that had been conquered by Napoleon resented being ruled by France. They did not like paying taxes to France, nor did they appreciate having to send their sons to fight as soldiers in the conquests that Napoleon was pursuing. One by one, these nations rebelled, beginning with Spain. Costly French drained French military resources. Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 resulted in a disastrous retreat. The tide started to turn in favour of the allies.

By March of 1814, Napoleon had been defeated, and forced to step down as the emperor of France. A member of the royal family, and brother of King Louis XVI was placed on the throne of France.
Napoleon's Tomb, Les Invalides

Napoleon's Tomb, Les Invalides

A year later in 1815 Napoleon escaped, returned to Paris, and called for his soldiers to return to him. He was still popular among the people who had enjoyed their quick rise to power under his rule. For 100 days, Napoleon again ruled France. Monarchs in other European nations feared that Napoleon would again seek to control them. In a decisive battle at Waterloo (present-day Belgium), France, Napoleon was defeated in June of 1815, and was forced into exile on the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. He was 52.

He had asked in his will to be buried on the banks of the river Seine, but when he died in 1821 he was buried on Saint Helena. In 1840 his remains were taken to France and entombed in Les Invalides, Paris.