Napoleon Biography and Works.

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1760 in Corsica to parents of noble Genoese ancestry and 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. In 1799, he staged a coup d’état and installed himself as the First Consul; five years later the French Senate proclaimed him Emperor.

In the first decade of the 19th century, the French Empire under Napoleon engaged in a series of conflicts – the Napoleonic Wars – involving every major European power. After a streak of victories, France secured a dominant position in continental Europe, and Napoleon maintained the French sphere of influence through the formation of extensive alliances and the appointment of friends and family members to rule other European countries as French client states. Napoleon’s campaigns are studied at military academies throughout the world.

The fight against the guerrilla in Spain and 1812 French invasion of Russia marked turning points in Napoleon’s fortunes. His Grande Armée was badly damaged in the campaign and never fully recovered. Napoleon spent the last six years of his life in confinement by the British on the island of Saint Helena. An autopsy concluded that he died of stomach cancer, although this claim has sparked significant debate, and some scholars have held that he was a victim of arsenic poisoning.

His end came on May 5, 1821 is Longwood, St. Helena.

Trivia

He is famed for his great military successes.

Quote

“A leader is a dealer in hope.”