Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who rose to power after the French Revolution and crowned himself emperor in 1804. He conquered much of Europe before his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
Born in Corsica in 1769, Napoleon became a successful artillery officer and won fame with victories in Italy and Egypt. In 1799 he seized power in a coup, and in 1804 he crowned himself Emperor of the French in Notre-Dame Cathedral.
His armies won great battles such as Austerlitz in 1805, and he redrew the map of Europe. His Napoleonic Code reformed French law and influenced legal systems around the world. A disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 destroyed much of his army.
Exile and Waterloo
Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba in 1814 but escaped and returned to power for about 100 days. He was finally defeated by British and Prussian forces at Waterloo, in present-day Belgium, and died in exile on Saint Helena in 1821.
Did You Know?
Napoleon was not unusually short. He was about 1.69 meters tall, average for his time. The myth came partly from British cartoons and confusion between French and English inches.