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Birth of Napoleon
Napoleon Buonaparte is the son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolinio. He was born in Ajaccio, France. He was the fourth child to be born and the second to die. His years in military school as a child paved the way for his skills and how he became a military genius. -
Becomes a General in the French Army
In 1796 the Directory agreed on Napoleon leading a French army against Austria and the Kingdom of Sardina. Napoleon was skilled enough rule a vast empire and become a general during his highest peak from 1807 to 1812. The young general won a series of victories during his time as a general. -
Campaign in Italy
March 2, 1796 - October 17, 1797 Napoleon arrived in Italy two days after marrying his wife to find out his army did not have many weapons and was not ready for war. He thanked them for serving in his army and promised them honor, glory, and riches. Napoleon forced his enemy out of Italy. He later signed The Treaty of Campo Formio, on October 17, 1797. This gave France new and earned land which made Napoleon's citizens like him much more. It also made peace with Italy. -
Campaign in Egypt
July 1 1798 - October 9, 1799 In Egypt, Napoleon battled, the Mamluks, the Turks, and the British. He arrived in Egypt in July 1798. During the Battle of the Nile on August 1, the British Navy wiped out the people who supported the French army with supplies and other goods which left the French not being able to do anything. After finding out other problems in France, Napoleon returned on October 9, 1799. Napoleon failed in Egypt but still showed he could support other problems within France. -
Concordat
The concordat was a treaty that Napoleon signed with the church. It was the reconciliation between the church and the state. This agreement with the pope, brought back banned churches and gave them the power that they lost during the French Revolution. -
First Consul for Life
Napoleon was part of the group of the three consuls. He took the power of the first consul as a dictator. Since the French people voted for a constitutional leadership due to its strong power, it helped to give Napoleon power as first consul over the two other consuls. -
Napoleonic Code
Napoleon wrote a set of laws called the Napoleonic Code. It gave the same rights to all the citizens who lived inside French borders. It also took some rights away that the French earned during the revolution. It helped Napoleon gain control of France in an orderly way. -
"Emperor of the French"
December 2, 1804 - June 22, 1815 Napoleon crowned himself emperor after taking the crown out of the Pope's hands. This showed Napoleon's independence as he physically crowned himself emperor. Napoleon's time as emperor was successful and unsuccessful in many ways which eventually led to him being exiled to an island named St. Helena and later dying there. -
Battle of Trafalgar
This battle took place off the southwest coast of Spain in which Napoleon was defeated. Horatio Nelson who was a British commander and military genius at sea, captured many French ships. After Napoleon's defeat he stopped trying to invade the British and realized he had to think of more clever ways to defeat the British. Napoleon started to collapse after this battle. -
Continental System
The Continental System was a blockade to try and stop trade between Britain and other countries in Europe. Napoleon wanted to take over Britain and damage their economy. In return the British put up their own blockade which led to the failure of Napoleon's Continental System. Because of Napoleon's lack of success, the French's economy started to weaken. -
Campaign in Russia
July 24, 1812 - December 12, 1812 Napoleon attempted to conquer Russia which resulted in his biggest failure. As the French entered Russia, the Russians burned their own fields and crops so that Napoleon's army could not feed on it. As the French grew closer to Moscow, winter started to approach which made Napoleon go back to France. Not far from the Russia border, the Russians attacked which killed much of Napoleons army leaving just 10,000 of his original 400,000 able to fight in future wars. -
Defeat at Battle of Leipzig
Napoleon quickly brought together another army after he came back from his defeat in Russia. His new army was not very experienced and was badly defeated at the Battle of Leipzig in October, 1813. The French were forced out of Leipzig and were then defeated outside of Paris. This defeat caused Napoleon to leave his throne which led to his first exile in Elba. -
Elba
April 11, 1814 - March 1, 1815 Napoleon was sent to a small island of the coast of Italy which represented his first exile. King Louis XVIII took power after Napoleon was exiled but not many people liked him as a leader. Napoleon knew he had to do something about it and escaped Elba. When he arrived back in France, all the people welcomed him back. -
Waterloo
During this battle at Waterloo Napoleon attempted another attack on the British as well as Prussia. The British and Prussians joined each other to attack Napoleon and later defeated him. This led to Napoleon's loss of power before he was sent to St. Helena. -
St. Helena
June 22, 1815 - May 5, 1821 Napoleon was exiled for the second time after he lost the battle which took place in Waterloo. He was sent to St. Helena which was an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. This island was very far from any mainland. Napoleon lived there for the rest of his life and later died on the same island May 5, 1821. -
Death of Napoleon
Napoleon died in St. Helena after being exiled for the second time. He became lonely after being on an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for about six years. His body was returned to France in 1840 and buried there. Napoleon's death marked a period in history. Although he was a military genius he made heavy mistakes which in the end hurt France.
