Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte was an influential general and leader for France. He came into power during the French Revolution. He was known not only for his great achievements in battle, but for his achievements as First Consul of France. In over a little more then a decade, he had fought almost every European power and gained control of most of the western and central Europe. He is known today as one of the greatest generals in European history.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in the city of Ajaccio on Corsica, an island that’s a part of France. The island was originally a part of Italy, and Napoleon’s family was minor nobility there. With the help of his family background he was given greater opportunities then normal Corsican’s at the time. He was first put into a French military school at Brienne-le- Chateau, at the young age of ten. After graduating in 1784, he was admitted into the elite Ecole Royale Militaire in Paris. He spent only a year there before graduating and being commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery, at age sixteen, and began in January 1786. Everything that he achieved later on can be attributed to the military schools that he attended.

His military career is well known and began during the French Revolution. With the help of fellow Coriscan, Saliceti, he was appointed artillery commander in the French forces besieging Toulon. Toulon was the city that was taken up during the “Reign of Terror”. The “Reign of Terror” occurred when peasants started fighting with the leaders of France and it was also the time when many executions began. The city of Toulon needed to be recaptured and Napoleon came up with a plan to do so. After successfully recapturing the city, he was promoted to brigadier-general. As general, he was feared by the leaders in France, therefore giving him power in government. He used that power in 1796 when he took command of a French army known as “Army of Italy”. With that army, he successfully invaded Italy....