3+Napoleon+Bonaparte

Period 3 = NAPOLEON ** BONAPARTE ** =

Napoleon I standing only 5 feet 2 inches (1769-1821) was the greastest military leader of his time, perhaps the greatest in the world some might say. Lets`s take a look at this man`s fasinating life.

Napoleon was born August. 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, on the island of corsrica in the Mediterranean Sea. Napolean was the forth child and son of Carlo and Letizia Buonaparte. His parents were children of noble Italian Families.



In 1779 at the age of 9, napolean entered a French military school at Bienne in Framce near Troyes. He was an average student in his subjects but excelled in mathematics. In 1784 he was chosen for thhe elite military academy Ecole Militaire in Paris. He graduated from it a year later.

Napoeon started his mlitary carrer in 1779 at the young age of 16. He served in the French army as a secound lieutenant of artillery. In 1791 he was promoted the first lieutenant and in to captian in 1792.

The French Revolution broke out in 1789. Dring the early 1790`s Napolean spent many months on leave in is home town of Corsrica. while there in Corsrica he served in the Corsrican National Guard. Napoleon also joined the jacobins, a radical political society in France. Napoleon's membership in the Jacobins brought him into conflict with the govenor of Corsica, Pasquale Paoli, who was also a royalist. Paoli declared the Bonapartes outlaws in January 1793. The family had fled to France, where Napoleon went to the french army.

In June 1793, commander at Toulon was wounded, so Napoleon was sent to replace him. In December 1793 Napoleon positioned the artillery overlooking Toulon`s harbor and fired at British ships. The attacks were succesful. Napoleon was named brigadier general at age 24.

1795, Napoleon was in Paris when angry mobs tried to attack the ruling National convention at the royal place called the Tuleries. Napoleon deffened the palace with cannon fire that killed or wounded hundreds of people and quickly cleared the streets. This cannon frie later bacame known the "whiff of grapeshot". hailed as a hero Napoleon was promoted to major general.

In 1796 Napoleon married Josephine de beauharnais from Martinique in the West Indies. she was a leader of a fasionable French society. she was six years older than he was and had two children from a previous marriage.

Josephine De Beauharnais, Napoleon's first wife.

From 1792 to 1795 France had been at war with much of Europe. by 1796 Austria had become France`s chief enemy. Just days after marrying Josephine Napolien left tp Paris to take command of an underfed, ill- equiped force of about 38,000 soldiers on the Italian-French border. Larger French armies won the was by marching through Germany and attacking Vienna Austria`s capital. Napoleon won the war and defeated four armies each larger than his own in less than a year. He took victory by marching over the Alps and threatening vienna in early 1797.

When napoleon returned to Paris, where onced again he was hailed as a hero. concentrateing on strengthing his army, in late 1797, the Directory offered to put Napoleon at the head of the invasion of England. He declined the offer and insted proposed to attack Egypt to destroy British trade with the middle east. In May 1798, Napoleon sailed for Egypt with about 38,000 troops. Napoleon reached Egypt in July. He defeated Mamluks, Egypt`s military rulers in the Battle of the Pyrimids near Cario. On August first the French fleet that anchored in Abu Qir Bay was destroyied under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson. This left Napoleon`s army stranded in Egypt. The attoman Empire then formed an alliance with the United Kingdom and Russia an declared war on France. Napoleon`s troops invaded Ottoman Syria and advanced as far as the fortress Acre, which Napoleon failed to capture. Napoleon learned learned that an Ottoman army was preparing to invade Egypt. He retreated to Egypt, where he met and defened the Ottomans at Abu Qir, near Abu Qir Bay. Napoleon learned that Austria, the United Kingdom, and Russia had formed a coalition against France and had defened the Frence Army in Italy. He left his army in the command of General jean kleber and sailed for France.

When news hit of Napoleon`s victory arrivied with him in Paris, with this he formed key political alliances seized control of the French goverment on November, 9, 1799 in a bold move known as the Coup d` Etat of Eighteenth Brumaire. A new constitution, approved by the French people, replaced the Directory with a three-member conculate. Napoleon became first consul.

Napoleon proved to be a sperb civil administrator. One of his greatestachievements was his supervision of the revision of French law into codes.the seven law codes granted freedoms such as religious toleration and the abolition of serfdom.

Napoleon was not content simply to govern France. He soon turned to conquest. In 1800, Napoleon forced spain to cede to France the Louisiana Territory in North America. The army that he sent to take possesion of the territory was destroyed trying to restore French rule over the former colony of Saint-Domingue9present day Haiti). Fustrated Napoleon abandoned his plans for the Western Hemisphere and turned his attentioned to Europe. Napoleon had tried to stop British trade with the rest of Europe . He anticipated war with the United Kindom and in 1803 sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States to raise money for the war. War with the United Kingdom Began later that year.

In 1802 the French people had approved a constitutional amendment that made Napoleon First consul for life. In may 1804, the French Senate and people voted him thier emperor. Napoleon crowned himself emporor on December 2 in ceremonies at the Cathedral of Norte Dame in Paris.

Napoleaon being crowned emperor of France.

By 1805, Austria, Russia, and Sweden had joined the United Kingdom in a new coalition against France. In September 1805, Napoleon led his tropps into Germany.In October, he captured an Austrian army at Ulm. In December, he demolished the Austrian and Russian armies at Austerlitz. With each win he gained a larger empire. He gave princialities an dukedoms to his friends an relatives. In 1806 he made his brother Joseph king of Naples and his brother Louis king of Holland. In 1807 Napoleon made his brother Jerome king of Westphalia and added to France the Grand duchy of Warsaw. In 1809, he gave his sister Elisa the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and annexed to France the llyrian Provinces which covered musch of what are now Slovenia and Croatia. In 1810.

By 1809 Napoleon becam concerned about what would become of his vast empire after his death. His wife Josephine wasw now 46 years old with no children to become heirs. He devorced her for 18-year-old Archduchess Marie Loise. They had a son and named him Napoleon.

Marie Loise and his son Napoleon (Napoleon`s second wife).

Napoleon`s fall from power started when he issued the Berlin Decree. with the treats of war in Russia, In June 1812, Napoleon`s army crossed the Niemen River into Russia. The russians retreated denying Npoleon a battle. Later in september Napoleon fought the russians in a bloody battle at Borodino which resulted in a narrow French victory.Napoleon left Moscow desrted. Napoleon waited for alexander to offer peace, the offer never came. With theb harsh Russian winter his soldiers and horses struggled against the harsh elements. About 500,000 of Napoleon`s troops died, deserted, or were captured during the campaign and the retreat from russia.

Upon his return from Russia he faced a hostile alliance of Austria the United Kingdom, russia, Prussia an Sweden. In April 1813 Napoleon arrived in Germany. he won victories at Lutzen, bautzen, and dresden, but his forces were vastly outnumbered. Napoleon was defeated at Leipzig in the Battle of the Nations. He retreated to France an his allies pursued him and captured paris in March 1814.

On April 6, 1814 Napoleon abicated (gave up) the imperial throne. King Louis XVII the brother of Louis XVI took the French Throne. Napolien was exiled from France and made ruler of the tiny island of Elba off the northwest coast of Italy. His wife and son were sent to his Wife`s father, the emperor of Austria. Napoleon never saw them again.

With his disire to head back to France, he set sail to Paris in 1815 with 1,100 followers who had shared his exile. He landed at cannes on March 1st and bugun marching to Paris. Louis XVIII fled to Apris just as Napoleon apporached on the soldiers of crowds. Napoleon immediately proclaimed a new constitutined that limited his powers. His Allies did not trust his promise of no war and called him an "enemy and diturber of the peace of the world". Both sides prepared for battle once again. Napoleon gathered an army of 125,000 thousand troops and defeated Blucher at Lingy.

__Battle of waterloo- To find out more click on the image above.__
Napoleon fled to Paris on June 22. The period from Napoleon`s return to paris from Elba to his secound abdication is known as the Hundred Days. Napoleon surrrendered at Rochefort to Fredrick Lewis Maitland, the captian of the British battleship Bellerophon. Napoleon was sent to the barren British island of St. Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean.

On St.Helena, Napoleon spent much of his remaining years dictating to his friends. He died on May, 5 ,1821 and was buried on the island. In his will napoleon asked to be buried " on the banks of the Seine, among the French people I have loved so much". His remains were later brought to Paris to Eglise du Dome( Church of the Dome) which is part of the Hotel des Invalides ( Home for Disabled Soldiers), the body of Napoleon was laid to rest there.

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