Napoleon

Early Life and Military Career
Napoleon was born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica to Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer and politician, and his wife, Marie-Letizia Buonaparte. The Buonapartes were a wealthy family from the Corsican nobility. Napoleon changed his name so it sounded more French. Napoleon Joined the army in 1779 and rapidly got promoted. In 1798 he left for a campaign in Egypt and Syria. In short, it was an absolute failure. He returned to France and became emperor.

Consul and Emperor of the French
After the failure of the Egypt and Syria campaigns, Napoleon returned to France in 1799, and engaged in a military coup. After a brief power struggle, he emerged as the First Consul of France. He quickly institued many changes to the civic and legal systems, including the Napoleonic Code. He quickly announced himself as both the First Consul for Life and Emperor of France. Napoleon continued many of the wars that France was against. AS Emperor and General of the armies he won many battles against a complex alliance of Great Britain, Austria, and Prussia.

Defeat and Downfall
In 1812, Napoleon went to war with Russia. That year he engaged in a long and gruelling campaign in Russia. However, he grossly underestimated the severity of Russian winters. That coupled with the crucial loss of troops at the battle of waterloo and the fighting guerilla troops in spain, led to a huge decrease in military might in France. Napoleon surrended in 1814. He was sent to exile in St. Helena, in Corsica, where he officially died of stomach flu seven years later. Though many believe he actually died of Arsenic poisoning.

See Also:

 * Napoleon's Rise to Power
 * Napoleonic Code