Napoleon Quiz: Think You Could Survive the Waterloo Questions?

The Napoleon Quiz follows that extraordinary rise and fall through the French Revolution, Napoleonic Wars, famous battles, French Empire, Napoleonic Code, Russia, Elba, Waterloo, and Saint Helena.

Before the crown, the empire, and Waterloo, there was Corsica.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born there in 1769, entered French military schools while still young, and rose through the army during one of the most turbulent periods in European history. Within a few decades, his campaigns had redrawn borders, toppled governments, created new kingdoms, and made his name impossible to separate from the history of France.

Remembering that Napoleon was an emperor is easy. Keeping Austerlitz, Trafalgar, Leipzig, Elba, and Waterloo in the right order is considerably less forgiving.

From Artillery Officer to Emperor

Napoleon's career accelerated during the French Revolution.

Military victories, particularly his successful Italian campaigns, strengthened his reputation. After returning from an expedition to Egypt, he participated in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, which helped bring the French Directory to an end.

Napoleon became First Consul and increasingly concentrated political power around himself.

In 1804, he became Emperor of the French.

His influence wasn't limited to battlefields. The Napoleonic Code, introduced in 1804, reorganized French civil law and became one of the most enduring parts of his legacy. Administrative, educational, financial, and legal reforms also changed France.

War, however, remained central to Napoleon's rule.

Victories expanded French influence across much of continental Europe, and the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 became one of his most celebrated military successes.

But an empire built through war also created powerful enemies.

Did You Know? Waterloo Wasn't Napoleon's First Defeat

Napoleon's downfall did not happen in a single afternoon.

The disastrous 1812 invasion of Russia severely weakened his forces. A coalition of European powers continued fighting France, and Napoleon suffered another major setback at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.

In 1814, he abdicated and was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba.

That sounds like the end of the story.

It wasn't.

Napoleon escaped Elba in 1815, returned to France, and regained power during the dramatic period remembered as the Hundred Days. European powers quickly mobilized against him again.

On June 18, 1815, Napoleon's forces met armies commanded by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Waterloo in present-day Belgium.

Napoleon was defeated.

This time, exile took him much farther away. He was sent to the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he spent the final years of his life and died in 1821.

10 Napoleon Facts Worth Remembering

1. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on Corsica in 1769.

2. He rose rapidly through the French military during the French Revolution.

3. Napoleon became First Consul after the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799.

4. He became Emperor of the French in 1804.

5. The Napoleonic Code was introduced in 1804.

6. Austerlitz in 1805 became one of Napoleon's most famous victories.

7. His invasion of Russia in 1812 ended disastrously for the Grande Armée.

8. Napoleon was first exiled to Elba in 1814.

9. His return to power in 1815 became known as the Hundred Days.

10. After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena.

Emperor, General, Reformer—or All Three?

Napoleon is difficult to reduce to one historical label.

His career connects military strategy, revolutionary France, monarchy, law, European politics, nationalism, imperial ambition, and some of the nineteenth century's most famous battles.

That gives a Napoleon Quiz plenty of places to hide a difficult question.

Austerlitz may be easy. Waterloo probably is too.

But can you remember which island came first?