Napoleon
Military leader and Emperor of the French Republic (1769–1821) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Napoleon's?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte;[1][lower-alpha 2] 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of successful campaigns across Europe during the Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars from 1796 to 1815. He was the leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then of the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814, and briefly again in 1815. Considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, Napoleon's wars and campaigns are still studied at military schools worldwide. His political and cultural legacy endures through the modernizing legal and administrative reforms he enacted in France and Western Europe,[lower-alpha 3] embodied in the influential Napoleonic Code, and through his conquests, which stimulated the development of nation states. However, controversy continues over Napoleon's role in wars which devastated Europe and killed between three and six million people, as well as his mixed record on civil rights and exploitation of conquered territories.[lower-alpha 4]
Napoleon | |
---|---|
Emperor of the French | |
1st reign | 18 May 1804 – 6 April 1814 |
Successor | Louis XVIII[lower-alpha 1] |
2nd reign | 20 March 1815 – 22 June 1815 |
Successor | Louis XVIII[lower-alpha 1] |
First Consul of the French Republic | |
In office 13 December 1799 – 18 May 1804 | |
Born | (1769-08-15)15 August 1769 Ajaccio, Corsica |
Died | 5 May 1821(1821-05-05) (aged 51) Longwood, Saint Helena |
Burial | 15 December 1840 Les Invalides, Paris |
Spouses | |
Signature |
Born on the island of Corsica to a family of Italian origin, Napoleon moved to mainland France in 1779 and became an officer in the French Army in 1785. He was resentful of the monarchy, and supported the French Revolution in 1789, after which he promoted its cause in Corsica. He rose rapidly in the ranks after breaking the siege of Toulon in 1793 and firing on royalist insurgents in Paris in 1795. In 1796, Napoleon commanded a military campaign against the Austrians and their Italian allies, scoring decisive victories and becoming a national hero. He led an expedition in Egypt in 1798 which served as a springboard to political power. In 1799, Napoleon engineered a successful coup against the Directory and became First Consul of the Republic. He won the Battle of Marengo in 1800, which led to a French victory in the War of the Second Coalition, and in 1804 crowned himself Emperor of the French to further consolidate and expand his power.
Differences with the United Kingdom meant France faced the War of the Third Coalition by 1805. Napoleon shattered this coalition with a decisive victory at the Battle of Austerlitz, which led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. During the War of the Fourth Coalition, Napoleon defeated Prussia at the battles of Jena and Auerstedt in 1806, marched his Grande Armée into Eastern Europe, and defeated the Russians in 1807 at Friedland. Hoping to extend his Continental System, a trade embargo against Britain, Napoleon invaded the Iberian Peninsula and installed his brother Joseph as the King of Spain in 1808, provoking the Peninsular War, mainly fought by his marshals until 1814. In 1809, the Austrians again challenged France in the War of the Fifth Coalition, in which Napoleon solidified his grip over Europe after winning the Battle of Wagram. In summer 1812, Napoleon launched an invasion of Russia, which ended in a catastrophic retreat of his army over that winter. In 1813, Prussia and Austria joined Russia in a Sixth Coalition against France, after which Napoleon was decisively defeated at Leipzig in the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. The coalition invaded France and captured Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in 1814 and exiling him to the Mediterranean island of Elba; the Bourbons were restored to power. In February 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba and again took control of France in what became known as the Hundred Days. The Allies responded by forming a Seventh Coalition, which defeated him at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Napoleon was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821 at the age of 51.