Life Of Napoelan Bonaparte

Life Of Napoelan Bonaparte
Few individuals have
come along that have captivated the imaginations of their
contemporaries and of historians. Perhaps the most prolific
of these characters is Napoleon Bonaparte. The part of his
life often found most intriguing was his humble beginnings.
Here, like some Hollywood movie is the tale of an
exceptional man whose intelligence and rise from the
bottom is eventually defeated by his flaws, which cause him
to fall from power. He was born in Corsica just off the
coast of Italy. France had annexed Corsica in 1768,
officially making him a French citizen. His parents, although
from an aristocratic family and considered nobility, were
anything but wealthy. His father's small income was not
enough to fulfill his dreams of sending Napoleon to France
to attend military school. He wrote a letter to the king,
Louis XVI, for a scholarship for Napoleon. The king had
set up a fund to pay for Napoleon's attendance of military
school. Upon arrival in France young Napoleon had to first
overcome the obstacle of learning to speak French, since it
was the only language spoken in the military schools. To do
this he would first have to attend a school in Autun before
going to military school. When he finally arrived in Brienne
to attend his military school, he soon discovered that his
defeat of his adversities was marred by the criticism he
received because of his Corsican upbringing and accent.
But nothing could break Napoleon's strong will and
determination. Instead of giving up, he persevered and gave
up socializing to put forth whatever effort he could into his
studies. His lust for conquest and omens of his great future
often surfaced at school. In the winter he eagerly applied
his military science knowledge into skillfully executed
snowball fights with his squadron always being the victors.
He also spent hours studying the conquests of rulers such
as Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. This rigorous
study, however, did not make him a brilliant student except
in math where he had a natural talent. At age 15, Napoleon
graduated from Brienne and was accepted into the
prestigious military college in Paris, receiving an
all-expenses paid scholarship. While at military college, he
learned of his father's death from stomach cancer. His
father's final startling words were a revelation that would
prophesize Napoleon's future: "Where is Napoleon, my son
Napoleon, whose sword will make Kings tremble and who
will change the face of the world?" Napoleon finished
military academy 2 years ahead of schedule to help out his
poor mother and graduated as a lieutenant. The consulate
Napoleon's career as a French solider progressed. He
made his way through the ranks of general, military
commander, major general and finally at the bright age of
26 he was made commander-in-chief and was given full
command over all soldiers garrisoned in France. Napoleon
reorganized the entire Army and prepared them for
invasion at any moment. Although committed, Napoleon
was anything but heartless. He gave high posts in the army
to his friends and family, and promoted soldiers he had
fought with before to higher ranks. Napoleon even found
the time to marry a young woman named Josephine de
Beauharnais. Napoleon's lust for conquest ensured that he
didn't settle down. His ambitions were always growing
greater. In 1799 France's governing body, The Directory
grew weak and unsteady. The Austrians recaptured Italy
and were among several nations threatening to invade
France. If this wasn't enough competition, Napoleon
learned that the Royalists were planning on restoring the
monarchy. But Napoleon used this conflict to his advantage
and decided it was precise time to take over The
Directory, which he still served. He used his influences in
the government to gain political backing. His two
advantages over his opponents were that he was a national
hero for his many victories in battle and he had full
command of the army, in case it was necessary. Some
often criticize his motives, saying he was driven more by
ambition than for the love of his country. Napoleon
appeared before the Council of the Ancients - the upper
house of representatives - to make a passionate speech
asking to be put in charge of the entire country. He won
their support but faced resistance while trying to convince
the lower House of Representatives. With the use of the
military, Napoleon forced them into naming him First
Consul of France without having to harm a soul. To those
who viewed Napoleon as a tyrant, his actions as First
Consul seemed baffling. Napoleon immediately reduced
taxes, stabilized the economy, opened schools and
universities around the country and even established
programs to give jobs to the unemployed. Among his
greatest accomplishments as First Consul, was the
development of the Code Napoleon, which is the
foundation for the French legal system and is in use to this
day. He sought peace and to end the conflict in and outside
of France. Peace was made with Austria and Britain and all
the wars had concluded in the Treaty of Amiens made with
Britain. Emperor As First Consul, Napoleon was faced
with much adversity but he always prevailed using the
threats against his life as motive to secure his power
permanently. Since he was not royalty he could not be
made King so he decided to become Emperor. In a
ceremony with the Pope, Napoleon decided to undertake
the crowning himself. Some saw this move as a great
warning of his craving for power. However, all fear about
his motives faded with his generous use of the power. He
gave royal titles to his siblings, allowing them to be
monarchs over his conquered lands. Many countries, afraid
of his ambition to rule the continent, allied together to
prevent him from conquering any more land. Among these
were Austria and Great Britain. He defeated the Austrians
on land but Napoleon's greatest military flaw was realized
when he met in battle with a squadron of the British Navy,
and faced staggering losses. But Napoleon never admitted
defeat and destroyed an Austrian-Russian army to force
half of the allies in surrender. Defeat In Russia After years
of battle Napoleon eventually defeat Russia and allied with
them to try and destroy the British Empire. However, both
sides violated the treaty and waged war on each other.
Napoleon, as always decided to go on the offensive and
invade Russia. He took an army of 500,000 men and as he
made his way through the vast plains of the country he
noticed village after village was deserted. Finally just before
reaching the capital of Moscow, Napoleon faced resistance
from the Russian Army but after a hard-fought battle
Napoleon's troops prevailed. Upon his arrival in Moscow,
Napoleon sees that the capital is also deserted and later
that evening is lit on fire. The great blaze could not be
stopped because the Russians had smashed the water
pumps before their departure. The fires roared for days but
when the fires were finally over Napoleon stayed in Russia
for nearly a month awaiting a reply for his demands of
peace. However, upon inspection of the area for miles,
Napoleon discovered that almost the entire country had
been evacuated and moved. Napoleon then realized the
strategy of the Russian czar. He had leaded the French
Army into a trap in the heart of Russia near the start of the
frigid Russian winter. Napoleon's wait in Moscow proved
to be a fatal mistake. Realizing defeat, Napoleon ordered
his troops home. Since Napoleon's swift marches across
wide areas of land called for light travel, his troops weren't
equipped with winter clothing or enough food for their
unexpectedly long journey. The Russian winter took its toll
on his men as they made their way home and decimated his
army into nearly half the size of what it was. This campaign
in Russia would prove to be the greatest military disaster in
history. Napoleon's enemies banded together to deliver him
one final blow. He put together a makeshift army recruiting
350,000 new soldiers from within his empire. He decided
to go full force against the great contingency of the allies
and in several consecutive battles; his young army was
victorious despite astonishing odds. His military genius and
motivational words to the troops allowed them to
overcome great obstacles. However, his forces were finally
overwhelmed and Napoleon retreated back to Paris where
months later, the capital was overtaken by the allies. His
ego was too big to allow him to admit defeat so he fled
outside Paris and showed his cowardess by an
unsuccessful suicide attempt. He finally relented and signed
an act abdicating him as ruler of France. The Hundred
Days Exiled to an island near his birthplace of Corsica,
Napoleon immediately set to work to plan his comeback.
With the few troops and small naval fleet his allies allowed
him, he made his way back to France. Finally in early
1815, he arrived in France and made his way towards the
capital. By the time he reached the capital his army had
multiplied to several thousand as entire garrisons left the
reign of King Louis XVIII to join his troops. Reassuming
the title of emperor, Napoleon immediately faced
opposition from the allies. As always, Napoleon attacked
first. The allied forces were not yet united and Napoleon
knew he could defeat them if he met them separately. After
meeting and defeating the Prussians, he met with the British
army at Waterloo in Belgium. The British troops were able
to withstand Napoleon's fire and thousands from both sides
fell during the battle with neither side achieving victory.
However, at twilight the Prussians met with the British
troops to give them support. They had regrouped their
forces, coming to the rescue of their allies and creating a
force Napoleon himself knew was too large to beat. Final
Exile Again Napoleon was forced to abdicate, so he fled to
the United States but when he learned that all ships were
being inspected for his presence, he turned himself in. He
was forced to the desolate island of St. Helena, 600 miles
off the coast of nowhere. He lived out the rest of his weary
days in solitude and nearly six years later, Napoleon befell
the same fate as his father and died of stomach cancer at
the age of 51. Few people in history have met such great
achievements with having faced such great adversities. To
his historians and worshipers he was the greatest military
commander of the modern era. He overcame great odds in
every battle to satisfy his desire for power. To his enemies
he was power-hungry tyrant often associated with the devil
whose lust for conquest far outweighed his good will
toward his people. Either way, history writes this man as
one of the greatest military minds ever whose conquest and
code influenced revolutions and legal systems, which would
change the face of the earth.