“We all look at Napoleons,” Pushkin once wrote, correctly noticing the influence Napoleon Bonaparte had on the minds of some of his ambitious contemporaries. Indeed, there are few personalities in history who have made such a dizzying rise - from an unknown lieutenant to an emperor with a claim to world domination.
It doesn't matter that at the end of his life he had to renounce all achievements, including the crown, nevertheless today it is almost impossible to find a person who has not heard anything about Bonaparte. Thousands of tourists, arriving in Paris, go to the Les Invalides - the place where the tomb of Napoleon is located.
Little Corsican
In August 1769, the son of Napoleone was born into the noble Corsican family of Buonaparte. Of course, the Corsican aristocracy is not at all the same as the French. According to one British historian, the parents of the future emperor were, in fact, small landowners, the only thing that united them with the nobility was the presence of a family coat of arms.
The years of Napoleon's life in Corsica left a big imprint on his character. He was always very devoted to his mother and family in general. When Bonaparte became emperor, he tried to find a suitable throne for hisnumerous relatives: brothers, nephews, stepchildren.
French language Napoleon mastered under the guidance of the monk Recco, and at the age of 9 he read not children's works of Voltaire, Plutarch, Rousseau, Cicero. Using all the connections available to him, Napoleon's father placed his son in a military school near Paris in 1779. Here he learned to fence well, not letting his offenders, the offspring of aristocratic families, who mocked the poor Corsican.
Brigadier General
When the revolution began in France, Napoleon was on vacation on his native island. By this time, he had completed his military education and served as a second lieutenant in a small provincial garrison. The revolution, as the end of absolutism, was accepted unconditionally by the future emperor. Nevertheless, Napoleon, who loved order, was against an uncontrollable popular revolt.
During the years of revolutionary chaos in Corsica, the liberation movement resumed. Since Napoleon opposed the fight against France, he was imprisoned. After escaping from a Corsican prison, Bonaparte joined the army besieging Toulon. Here, in December 1793, he had the opportunity to become famous, thanks to personal heroism during the assault on the fortress.
Well, after in the fall of 1795, on behalf of the Directory, he suppressed the royalist rebellion in just 4 hours, all of France learned about General Bonaparte, and his brilliant career became a role model. Napoleon's army idolized. In addition to unparalleled personal courage, he bribed the soldiers with a caring attitude, so theywithout hesitation, they were ready to give their lives for him.
In imitation of the idol
The tomb of Napoleon in Paris, or rather his sarcophagus, is located in the center of the hall, along the perimeter of which there are 12 sculptures of Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory. This number corresponds to the number of battles won by the great commander, including Borodino.
Napoleon's idol all his life was Alexander the Great, who in a short time created a huge empire. Similar plans were nurtured by Bonaparte himself. After the victorious Italian campaign, not only France, but the whole of Europe started talking about him. At this time, a romantic image of Napoleon was formed, which inspired many contemporaries.
The next military expedition, this time to Egypt, was not so triumphant. At a time when the French army was threatened with a real defeat, the news came of a political crisis in Paris. Napoleon had the prospect of gaining the power he so insistently sought.
After leaving the army in Egypt, he secretly went to France, where he was soon proclaimed first consul, and 5 years later, in December 1804, Bonaparte arranged his own magnificent coronation in Notre Dame Cathedral.
Lord of the world
The tombs of many French monarchs are located in the Abbey of Saint-Denis. But for Napoleon, the State House for the Invalids, once created for sick war veterans, became the last refuge.
Most likely, being at the zenith of glory, the emperor dreamed of a completely different burial place. After all, at the beginning of the XIX century.the French army under his command was considered virtually invincible. Napoleon redrawn the political map of Europe at his own discretion, created new kingdoms.
The peak of his power falls on 1805-1810. The French court becomes one of the most brilliant in Europe, and the emperor himself is married to a princess from the Habsburg family. Despite the conspiracies and coalitions created against him, Napoleon continued to believe in his lucky star even after fleeing Russia.
Last chance
In 1813 there was a battle near Leipzig, which Napoleon lost. Moreover, he had to sign a renunciation and go into exile on the island of Elba. Here he seemed to resign himself to his fate, but in reality Bonaparte was preparing a campaign in France in order to regain the lost power.
His plan was partially successful. The small army of Napoleon in the spring of 1815 was greeted with enthusiasm by the French. He arrived in Paris and again occupied the Tuileries Palace. However, the restoration was short-lived. Napoleon was now surrounded by mostly traitors, which he himself did not notice.
The culmination of the Hundred Days of his reign was the battle, or rather the complete defeat of the French army near the village of Waterloo (Belgium). Napoleon, who surrendered to the British, was again sent into exile, this time to the island of St. Helena lost in the ocean.
On the edge of an empire
At the beginning of the 19th century, Great Britain was a powerful colonial empire. Among her overseas possessions was a smallrocky island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic. Two thousand kilometers separated it from the nearest (African) coast. It was here that the deposed monarch ended his days, and here is the empty tomb of Napoleon.
Low, the governor of the island, frightened by rumors about the upcoming squadron of the exiled emperor's associates, constantly asked the British government to send more cannons to strengthen the coastline.
Another preventive measure chosen by him was the regime of exceptional severity in which the prisoner was to be kept. True, the former emperor was not imprisoned, he could move relatively freely around the island, which was only 19 km long.
The last years of Napoleon's life, spent on Saint Helena, were the most hopeless. We know about them from books written by General Laskas after the death of Bonaparte. He was one of the few who voluntarily went into exile with the former emperor.
Not so long ago, as a result of a chemical analysis of the preserved hair of Bonaparte, it was found that he was poisoned with arsenic. Napoleon died in early May 1821. According to official evidence, the cause of death was stomach cancer.
Where is Napoleon buried?
On the island of St. Helena there is still a modest tombstone, surrounded by an iron fence - the burial place of a man who once decided the fate of the European continent. Shortly after the death of Bonaparte, the French becamedemand that the ashes of their emperor be transported to France for a dignified burial.
The British government, in the end, went forward, and in October 1840 Napoleon's grave on the island of St. Helena was opened. The remains of the emperor were transported to France in two coffins, lead and ebony. Finally, on December 15, with a huge gathering of people, Napoleon's sarcophagus was delivered to the Les Invalides.
For five days, the French came to the church of St. Louis to bow to the ashes of the late emperor. The majestic tomb for him was completed only in 1861. Here the sarcophagus with the remains of Bonaparte is still today.
Instead of a conclusion
Napoleon, whose life and death is still the subject of numerous studies, remains one of the most discussed historical characters. Attitude towards him is sometimes diametrically opposed.
Nevertheless, no one will deny the huge role that Bonaparte played in European history at the beginning of the 19th century. For this reason, the tomb of Napoleon in the Parisian Les Invalides is included in the list of excursions that introduce tourists to the capital of France.
