Napoleon I

A detailed Summary of Napoleon I

Napoleon was born August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. This small, yet gallant figure was initially a fiercely independent Corsican, not a Frenchman as most would believe him to be. His areas of achievement were government, politics, and military. He was a strong leader during the French Revolution. He was very eager and determined to fight battles and win them. Sometimes, he was extremely stubborn. One of his most prestigious actions was when Napoleon crowned himself not the pope.

Napoleon was the second of eight children of Charles Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte, both of the Corsican-Italian gentry. Not one member of the family was a professional soldier. Napoleon was always a little boy and man. When he was young, he often had little "play" fights with the other Corsican boys and he would often lead his "troops" to victory.

Napoleon was educated at Brienne and the Ecole Militaire, (French for "military school") in Paris. Napoleon graduated in 1785, at the age of sixteen. Then he joined the artillery as a 2nd lieutenant. His initial goal was to help Corsica, not France.

In 1796, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals and forced Austria and

In 1807, Napoleon made an ally of Czar Alexander I and greatly reduced the size of Prussia. He also added new states to the empire. Napoleon had also established the Continental System that was a French-imposed blockade of Europe against British goods. Napoleon had accomplished what had not been done since the Roman empire took control over most of Europe.

Napoleon joined a conspiracy against the weak government in Paris. He and his colleagues seized power and established and new regime. The constitution was edited in 1802 to make Napoleon consul for life an in 1804 to create him emperor. In 1800, he assured his power by crossing the Alps and defeating the Austrians at Marengo. He then negotiated for peace in Europe that established the Rhine River as the eastern border of France.

Great Britain was prepared to take the war to Napoleon. In 1803, Britain attacked France on the two seas. Two years later, Russia and Austria joined the British. Napoleon then had turned his plans against the Austro-Russian forces defeating them at the Battle of Austerlitz.

Napoleon also concluded an agreement with the pope that ended the argument with the Roman-Catholic Church. In France, the administration was reorganized, the court system was simplified, and all schools were put under centralized control. France's law was standardized in the Code Napoleon and six other codes. They guarantee rights won in the Revolution.

Napoleon asked for peace of the allies, but they outlawed him and he decided to strike first. The result was a campaign into Belgium, which ended in a defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815. He signed a second adication on June 22 and on June 28 Louis XVIII was restored to the throne of France.

Napoleon was thirsty for more conquest. He was tempted by the pesky British to invade the United Kingdom, but the presence of the Royal Navy made him alter his plans. He could only do one thing- fight on land, and the nation

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Approximate Word count = 1316
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History