Also known as Napoleon I when he came into power, Napoleon Bonaparte was France’s greatest military leader and politician. It was the first time in years that France had a monarchy ruler.

Before Napoleon Came to Power

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August in 1769 in Corsica to a noble family of Italian descent. His father was an attorney and Corsica’s representative in Louis XVI’s court in 1777. His mother, Letizia, held the most influence over him, which put discipline in to an otherwise rowdy child.

Because of his family’s lineage and connections with power, France’s future ruler had greater opportunities in life than the average Corsican. He enrolled in a religious school in France and was soon accepted into a military academy. As a student, he was often bothered by other students who made fun of his obviously Corsican accent. In 1784 he completed his academic studies and entered the École Militaire in Paris, where he trained as an artillery officer and became the first Corsican to graduate from the establishment.

The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

Among the many battles he led, Napoleon Bonaparte led several campaigns against Italy and also embarked on an expedition into Egypt with the goal of establishing a French base in the Middle East. While he did manage to seize Egypt, his plans for bringing France to the Middle East never came to fruition, thanks to the British Admiral Horatio Nelson who destroyed most of the travelling French fleet. It was known as the Battle of the Nile.

A return to France showed Napoleon Bonaparte just how weak his country had become from the onslaught of the War of the Second Coalition. He quickly gained power with his return to the country. Soon enough his police force discovered a plot to assassinate Bonaparte. Louie Antoine, Duke of Enghien, was arrested and secretly killed on the charge of being behind the plot, which was false. However, Napoleon Bonaparte used the situation to bring imperial monarchy back to France, establishing himself as the Emperor.

He was proclaimed ruler and emperor of France on December 2, 1804 by Pope Pius VII, after he crowned his wife Josephine as empress. Even after his coronation, he held power over the decisions of and took part in many battles, being most famed for his part in what is now known as the Napoleonic Wars.

Facts about Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon Bonaparte was the first person to have highways running from major cities to everywhere else in the country, which he used as a means of getting his army from one place to another quickly.
• Napoleon Bonaparte never learned to spell correctly.
• His British nemesis, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, was born on the same year as him.

The End of a Ruler

After the end of the Hundred Days period, Napoleon Bonaparte had his reign come to an end. Napoleon was sent into exile on the island of Saint Helena, almost two thousand kilometers off the west coast of Africa. There he lived in a severely dilapidated Longwood House until his health began to fail in February 1821. He died on May 5 that same year and was buried against his will’s request on St. Helena; it was not until 1840 that his remains were permitted to be taken back to France. Though he had been France’s ruler, Napoleon Bonaparte had excelled as a general, and it was because of talent alone that he gained power.