The brief biography of Napoleon Bonaparte for children and adults presented in this article will surely interest you. The name of this great commander has long become a household name not only because of his talent and intelligence, but also because of his incredible ambitions, as well as the dizzying career that he managed to make.
The biography of Napoleon Bonaparte is marked by the rapid rise of his military career. Entering the service at the age of 16, he became a general at the age of 24. Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor at the age of 34. Interesting facts from the biography of the French commander are numerous. Among his skills and features were very unusual. It is said that he read at an incredible speed - about 2 thousand words per minute. In addition, the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte could sleep for a long time for 2-3 hours a day. Interesting facts from the biography of this man, we hope, aroused your interest in his personality.
Events in Corsica prior to the birth of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte, French emperor, was born on August 15, 1769. He was born on the island of Corsica, in the city of Ajaccio. The biography of Napoleon Bonaparte would probably have turned out differently if the political situation of that time had been different. His native island was for a long time in the possession of the Republic of Genoa, but in 1755 Corsica overthrew the rule of Genoa. After that, for several years it was an independent state, ruled by Pasquale Paole, a local landowner. Carlo Buonaparte (his portrait is shown below), Napoleon's father, served as his secretary.
The Republic of Genoa in 1768 sold France the rights to Corsica. And a year later, after the local rebels were defeated by French troops, Pasquale Paole moved to England. Napoleon himself was not a direct participant in these events and even their witness, since he was born only 3 months later. Nevertheless, Paole's personality played a big role in shaping his character. For a long 20 years, this man became the idol of such a French commander as Napoleon Bonaparte. The biography for children and adults of Bonaparte, presented in this article, continues with the story of his origin.
The Origin of Napoleon
Letizia Ramalino and Carlo Buonaparte, parents of the future emperor, were petty nobles. There were 13 children in the family, of which Napoleon was the second oldest. True, five of his sisters and brothers died in childhood.
Father of the familywas one of the ardent supporters of the independence of Corsica. He participated in the drafting of the Corsican Constitution. But in order for his children to be educated, he began to show loy alty to the French. After some time, Carlo Buonaparte even became a representative of the nobility of Corsica in the French Parliament.
Study in Ajaccio
It is known that Napoleon, as well as his sisters and brothers, received their primary education at the city school in the city of Ajaccio. After that, the future emperor began to study mathematics and writing with the local abbot. Carlo Buonaparte, as a result of interaction with the French, managed to obtain royal scholarships for Napoleon and Joseph, his older brother. Joseph was to make a career as a priest, and Napoleon was to become a military man.
Cadet school
The biography of Napoleon Bonaparte continues already in Autun. It was here that the brothers left in 1778 to study French. A year later, Napoleon entered the cadet school located in Brienne. He was an excellent student and showed a special talent in mathematics. In addition, Napoleon liked to read books on various topics - philosophy, history, geography. The favorite historical characters of the future emperor were Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. However, at this time, Napoleon had few friends. Both the Corsican origin and accent (Napoleon never managed to get rid of it), as well as the tendency to loneliness and complex character played a role in this.
Father's death
Later hecontinued his studies at the Royal Cadet School. Napoleon graduated ahead of schedule in 1785. At the same time, his father died, and he had to take his place as head of the family. The older brother was not suitable for this role, as he did not differ in leadership inclinations, like Napoleon.
Military career
Napoleon Bonaparte began his military career in Valence. The biography, the summary of which is the topic of this article, continues in this city, located in the center of the Rhone Lowland. Here Napoleon served as a lieutenant. Some time later he was transferred to Oxonne. The future emperor at that time read a lot, and also tried himself in the literary field.
Military biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, one might say, gained momentum in the decade following the end of the cadet school. In just 10 years, the future emperor managed to go through the entire hierarchy of ranks in the French army of that time. In 1788, the future emperor tried to get into the service and in the Russian army, but he was refused.
Napoleon met the French Revolution in Corsica, where he was on vacation. He accepted and supported her. Moreover, Napoleon was noted as an excellent commander during the Thermidorian coup. He was made a brigadier general, and then the commander of the Italian army.
Marry Josephine
An important event in Napoleon's personal life took place in 1796. It was then that he married the widow of Count Josephine Beauharnais.
Beginning of the "Napoleonic Wars"
NapoleonBonaparte, whose full biography is presented in an impressive volume of books, was recognized as the best French commander after he inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy in Sardinia and Austria. It was then that he rose to a new level, starting the "Napoleonic Wars". They lasted almost 20 years, and it was thanks to them that such a commander as Napoleon Bonaparte, a biography, became known to the whole world. A brief summary of the further path to world glory, passed by him, is as follows.
The French Directory was unable to maintain the gains that the revolution brought. This became apparent in 1799. Napoleon, along with his army, was at that time in Egypt. After his return, he broke up the Directory thanks to the support of the people. On November 19, 1799, Bonaparte proclaimed the regime of the consulate, and 5 years later, in 1804, he declared himself emperor.
Napoleon's domestic policy
Napoleon Bonaparte, whose biography by this time had already been marked by many achievements, in his domestic policy decided to focus on strengthening his own power, which was supposed to serve as a guarantee of the civil rights of the French population. In 1804, the Napoleonic Code, a code of civil rights, was adopted for this purpose. In addition, a tax reform was carried out, as well as the creation of the French Bank, owned by the state. The French education system was created under Napoleon. Catholicism was recognized as the religion of the majority of the population, but it did notfreedom of religion was abolished.
Economic blockade of England
England was the main opponent of France's industry and capital in the European market. This country financed military operations against it on the continent. England attracted major European powers such as Austria and Russia to its side. Thanks to a number of French military operations carried out against Russia, Austria and Prussia, Napoleon was able to annex to his country the lands that previously belonged to Holland, Belgium, Italy and Northern Germany. The defeated countries had no choice but to make peace with France. Napoleon declared an economic blockade of England. He banned trade relations with this country. However, this measure also hit the French economy. France was unable to replace British products in the European market. This was not able to foresee Napoleon Bonaparte. The short biography in abbreviation should not dwell on this, so let's continue our story.
Decrease in authority, birth of an heir
The economic crisis and protracted wars led to a decrease in the authority of Napoleon Bonaparte among the French who previously supported him. In addition, it turned out that no one threatens France, and Bonaparte's ambitions are due only to concern for the state of his dynasty. In order to leave an heir, he divorced Josephine, because she could not give him a child. In 1810, Napoleon married Marie-Louise, daughter of the Emperor of Austria. In 1811, the long-awaited heir was born. However, the public did not approve of marriage with a woman from an Austrianroyal family.
War with Russia and exile to the Elbe
In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to start a war with Russia, a brief biography of which, largely due to this, interests many of our compatriots. Like other states, Russia at one time supported the blockade of England, but did not seek to comply with it. This step was fatal for Napoleon. Defeated, he abdicated. The former French emperor was sent to the island of Elba, located in the Mediterranean Sea.
Napoleon's revenge and final defeat
After the abdication of Bonaparte, representatives of the Bourbon dynasty returned to France, as well as their heirs, who sought to regain their position and fortune. This caused discontent among the population. On February 25, 1815, Napoleon fled from Elba. He returned in triumph to France. Only a very brief biography of Napoleon Bonaparte can be presented in one article. Therefore, we will only say that he resumed the war, but France could no longer bear this burden. Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo, after 100 days of revenge. This time he was exiled to St. Helena, much farther away than before, so it was more difficult to escape from it. Here the former emperor spent the last 6 years of his life. He never saw his wife and son again.
Death of the former emperor
Bonaparte's he alth began to deteriorate rapidly. He died on May 5, 1821, presumably from cancer. According to another version, Napoleonpoisoned. A very popular opinion is that the former emperor was given arsenic. However, have you been poisoned? The fact is that Napoleon was afraid of this and voluntarily took small doses of arsenic, thus trying to develop immunity to it. Of course, such a procedure would certainly end tragically. Be that as it may, even today it is impossible to say with complete certainty why Napoleon Bonaparte died. His brief biography, presented in this article, ends here.
It should be added that he was first buried on the island of St. Helena, but in 1840 his remains were reburied in Paris, in Les Invalides. The monument on the grave of the former emperor is made of Karelian porphyry, which was presented to the French government by Nicholas I, the Russian emperor.
