Famous European Rulers
Early Years
He was born Napoleone Buonaparte on August 15, 1769, to minor Italian nobility in the city of Ajaccio, Corsica. His father, Carlo, was an attorney and Corsica's representative to the court of Louis XVI of France. As a child, Napoleon Bonaparte was most influenced by his mother, Maria Letizia Ramolino. A strict disciplinarian, she directed Napoleon's rambunctious nature into study at a French military school. Napoleon Bonaparte had to learn French before entering the school and earned high marks in mathematics and geography. In January of 1786 at the age of sixteen, after completing a course of study at various military schools, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery. Napoleon Bonaparte soon rose through the ranks to artillery commander, serving in the siege of Toulon during the
Reign of Terror. Napoleon Bonaparte's successful assault against the British earned him a promotion to brigadier general.
The Victorious General
In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte organized an armed protest against the National Convention and repelled the royalist and counter-revolutionary attackers. This triumph soared him to fame and earned Napoleon Bonaparte the patronage of the new "Directory" and its leader, Barras. He soon became involved with and married Barras' former mistress,
Josephine de Beauharnais, on March 9, 1796. Days after, Napoleon Bonaparte assumed command of the French "Army of Italy" and at Lodi earned the nickname of "The Little Corporal." He drove the Austrians out of Lombardy and defeated the army of the Papal States. Napoleon Bonaparte's military triumphs resulted from his brilliant capacity to apply military knowledge to actual situations, as demonstrated by his use of artillery tactics as a mobile force to support his infantry. Naploeon Bonaparte instituted the very first telecommunications system, The Chappe semaphore line, implemented in 1792.
In March of 1798, in an effort to undermine British access to India, Napoleon Bonaparte proposed an expedition to seize Egypt, which was then a province of the Ottoman Empire. There were some victories, but eventually, he was forced to retreat in 1799, leaving his troops vulnerable to British and Ottoman attacks. Napoleon Bonaparte returned to a bankrupt France, overthrew the existing government and established himself as First Consul, which made him the most powerful person in France. In 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor and his wife, Josephine, Empress at Notre Dame Cathedral. On May 26, 1805, he was crowned King of Italy, but the destiny of Naploeon Bonaparte was far from complete.
His Later Years
