Where was Napoleon born in what city. Short biography of Napoleon Bonaparte

Short biography of Napoleon

Napoleon I Bonaparte - French emperor; an outstanding commander and statesman; a brilliant strategist who laid the foundations of the modern French state. Born August 15, 1769 in the capital of Corsica. He began his military career early. At the age of 16, he was already a junior lieutenant, and at the age of 24 he was appointed commander of a battalion, then artillery. Napoleon's family did not live well. By origin they were petty aristocrats. In addition to him, his parents raised seven more children. In 1784 he became a student of the Military Academy in Paris.

He met the revolution with great enthusiasm. In 1792, he joined the Jacobin club, and for a brilliant campaign against Toulon he received the rank of general. This event was a turning point in his biography. With him began his brilliant military career. Soon he managed to demonstrate his military talent during the Italian campaign in 1796-1797. In the following years, he paid a military visit to Egypt and Syria, and when he returned to Paris, he found political crisis. This, however, did not upset him, since, taking advantage of the situation, he seized power and declared a consular regime.

First, he received the title of Consul for life, and in 1804, the title of Emperor. In his domestic policy, he relied on the strengthening of personal power and the preservation of the territories and powers conquered during the revolution. He carried out a number of significant reforms, including in the administrative and legal sphere. In parallel, the emperor fought with England and Austria. Moreover, with the help of cunning tactics, in a short time, he annexed almost all countries to France. Western Europe. At first, his reign was presented to the French as a saving act, but the country, tired of bloody wars, faced a serious economic crisis as a result.

The collapse of Napoleon's empire began in 1812, when Russian army defeated the French troops. Two years later, he was forced to abdicate, since Russia, Austria, Prussia and Sweden, united in one union, defeated all the troops of the dictator-reformer and forced them to retreat. The politician was sent to a small island in the Mediterranean, from where he was able to escape in March 1815. Returning to France, he resumed the war with neighboring countries. During this period, the famous Battle of Waterloo took place, during which Napoleon's troops suffered a final and irrevocable defeat. In history, however, he remained as an odious personality.

He spent the last six years of his life on Fr. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, where he was in English captivity and struggled with a serious illness. Died great commander May 5, 1821 at the age of 51. There was a version that he was poisoned with arsenic, and according to another version, he was sick with oncology. It was named after him whole era. In France, monuments, squares, museums and other interesting sights were opened in honor of the commander.

(1769-1821) Emperor of France from 1804 to 1814 and in 1815

Historians call Napoleon Bonaparte the great Corsican who attracted the attention of the whole world, although from the very beginning he had nothing but great ambition and natural abilities.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio in Corsica in a large family of a poor nobleman Carlo Maria Buonaparte. When he was 10 years old, his father assigned him to a military school. The boy showed exceptional abilities in mathematics, read a lot, studied well in all subjects except German and Latin. Languages were never given to him; even in French, already being emperor, he made not only grammatical, but also semantic errors. But Napoleon's memory was amazing. He knew by heart many of the poems of Corneille, Racine, Voltaire. They also write that later, in the army, Napoleon Bonaparte unmistakably named the names of soldiers and officers, remembering in which year and even month they served together, where and in which battalion.

Everyone notes that since childhood he was an unsociable and withdrawn person. But he did not allow himself to be offended and did not allow himself to be ridiculed. They even feared him, despite the fact that he was vertically challenged and did not differ in special physical strength. He forced teachers to reckon with himself. At the age of 11, in response to the teacher’s shout: “Who are you!” - Napoleon answered with dignity: "I am a man."

Obviously, Napoleon Bonaparte was still worried that he did not have close friends. In 1786, he wrote about himself: "Always lonely among people."

In 1784, he was transferred to the Paris Military School on the Champ de Mars (it is still there). A year later, the future emperor successfully passes his final exams, leaves school with the rank of second lieutenant and goes to serve in an artillery regiment located in Balance, not far from Lyon. By this time, his father had already died, and he had to take care of the family, which was left almost without a livelihood. I must say that Napoleon Bonaparte has always been a loving and caring son and brother.

In addition to all these positive qualities, historians note his extraordinary performance and exceptional endurance. From childhood, he taught himself to sleep little, usually getting up no later than 4 o'clock in the morning and immediately set to work. Like a real military man, Napoleon Bonaparte believed that every officer should be able to do everything in the service that any soldier has to do, and he always set an example for other officers in this. During the exercises, and then on the campaign, he walked along with the soldiers in any bad weather and on any roads. No wonder the soldiers adored their commander and were devoted to him with all their hearts.

Probably, Napoleon Bonaparte would have remained an unknown officer if not for the Great French Revolution and the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. At this time, he was 20 years old; he, without hesitation, took the side of the revolution.

France was divided into several camps. Some, like Napoleon, supported new order, others wanted to return the old one.

In 1793, he was assigned to command artillery during the siege of the city of Toulon, which remained in the hands of supporters of the executed king. They called on English, Spanish and Italian troops to help them.

Napoleon Bonaparte himself developed a simple but very effective plan for the capture of Toulon, and during the siege he showed not only the talent of a commander, but also great courage. They say that a horse was killed under him, his leg was pierced with a bayonet, he received a shell shock, but remained with his soldiers.

The capture of Toulon was a very important victory for the Republic, as new France, and for Napoleon Bonaparte it was "the first path to glory", as Leo Tolstoy said about this episode from his life in the novel "War and Peace".

After Toulon, the whole of France recognized the name of Napoleon Bonaparte. At 24, he was promoted to brigadier general. From that moment on, Napoleon's military career developed rapidly, and there were changes in his personal life. He marries Josephine Beauharnais, widow of General Beauharnais, who was executed on the guillotine by the Revolutionary Tribunal. For the sake of Josephine, he broke up with his first bride, Desiree Clary, who later became Queen of Sweden and Norway.

Immediately after the wedding, Bonaparte rushed to the location Italian army, whose commander he was appointed in 1796. In this field, he achieved another success by annexing Northern Italy to France.

Now he has become very influential person in France and the most famous general. On the streets he was recognized and greeted with enthusiastic cries. He was flattered by such recognition, but he understood that all his exploits would soon be forgotten if he did not do something great.

Napoleon Bonaparte planned to capture England, but first he decided to strike at the English colony - Egypt. He believed in his luck and on a sunny morning on May 19, 1798, he set off on a new campaign. French troops captured Cairo and Alexandria, but failed to subjugate the Egyptian people. All over the country there were more and more rebellions. In August 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte left the army to another commander, while he secretly returned to France.

A month after his return, on 18 Brumaire (November 9), 1799, a coup took place, and Napoleon was proclaimed First Consul of the Republic, and 5 years later, in 1804, he became Emperor of France. In the first year of his reign as consul, he recast the French constitution and established a regime of personal power. So far, he succeeded, and by 1807 France became the largest empire in the world.

Napoleon Bonaparte needed an heir to strengthen and continue the dynasty. In 1809, he divorced Josephine Beauharnais and wanted to marry the daughter of the Russian Emperor Paul I / pavel-i, Catherine, but was refused. April 1, 1810 Napoleon married the daughter of the Austrian emperor Marie-Louise.

At this time, his power in Europe was unlimited. At times it seemed that he himself was blinded by his power. Nobody could argue with him. He didn't ask anyone else's opinion and only gave orders in a harsh, unquestioning tone.

Now Napoleon Bonaparte inspired fear in everyone, but he often felt it himself. “When the hour of danger comes, everyone will leave me,” he admitted to himself, but he could no longer stop. England remained his main adversary, he had already subjugated the rest of Europe and forced European countries stop trading with England by establishing the so-called "continental blockade". Only Russia did not submit to this.

And Napoleon Bonaparte decided to fight with her, although he understood that this war could be disastrous for him. Later, in exile on the island of St. Helena, he admitted that the war with Russia was his fatal mistake. The generals from Napoleon's entourage did not want this war either. And yet it began.

In 1812, the 600,000th French army, which included military formations countries conquered by Napoleon, crossed the Neman and, without encountering much resistance, moved into the depths of the Russian Empire. It consisted of 12 corps, known for many victories. They were commanded by experienced military leaders - Marshal Davout, "the bravest of the brave" Marshal Ney, one of the best cavalrymen of that time, Marshal Murat and others.

Napoleon Bonaparte no longer doubted his victory. “If I take Kyiv, I will hold Russia by the legs, if I take Petersburg, I will take Russia by the head, if I take Moscow, I will strike Russia in the very heart,” he said.

The army of Napoleon Bonaparte captured Vitebsk, Smolensk and came closer to Moscow. The main battle of the French and Russian armies took place in September 1812 on the Borodino field, 125 km from Moscow.

After a terrible bloody battle, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, gave the order to retreat, and Napoleon's army approached Moscow. Napoleon stood for a long time on Poklonnaya Gora, waiting for the Russians to bring him the symbolic keys to the city, but he never did. The scouts who arrived from the city reported that Moscow was empty, all the inhabitants had left it.

The emperor gave the order to occupy the city and settled in the Kremlin himself. Early in the morning he was awakened by an incomprehensible glow. It was burning Moscow.

On the territory of Russia occupied by the French, it deployed guerrilla war. Winter has come and with it terrible frosts and hunger. Napoleon asked for peace, but Kutuzov refused him it. Then the emperor decided to leave Moscow, and then his army. He changed into civilian clothes and, under a false name, rode off to Warsaw, and from there to France.

The trip to Russia really turned out to be disastrous for him. An uprising in Germany (1813) followed, and on March 31, 1814, the Russian-English allied troops entered Paris. On April 4, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated in favor of his son. However, the allies demanded from him a complete renunciation, which was signed on April. After that, Napoleon was sent into exile on the island of Elba. He retained the imperial title and determined a monetary pension.

In 1815 he secretly left the island and landed in France. On March 20, 1815 Napoleon I Bonaparte entered Paris. His secondary reign lasted only 100 days.

On June 18, 1815, the French army suffered a crushing defeat at Waterloo. On June 22, Napoleon Bonaparte again abdicated in favor of his son, who was proclaimed emperor under the name of Napoleon II. After that, Napoleon thought to flee to America, but was captured by the British and sent under escort to St. Helena. There he spent the last six years of his life and died on May 5, 1821. Shortly before his death, Napoleon Bonaparte finished writing his memoirs, which were subsequently published.

The great French Emperor and commander was born in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica in mid-August 1769. He was the second of eight children in the family and was raised initially by his mother. Since his father was engaged in advocacy, he belonged to a noble family, but without an impressive income. Napoleon studied literacy and arithmetic from his mother until the age of 6, and after that he goes to study at a private school. In 1779 he went to the military school in Brienne. But since he quickly learned everything, he did not stay there long. Then he goes to Paris and enters military academy. After studying in the region for 1 year, he receives the rank of second lieutenant, and serves in the artillery.

Youth of Napoleon

Being a poor man, he leads a quiet and modest existence, studying literature and publications about military affairs. Being in 1788 on his native island of Corsica, he helped to improve and strengthen the defense of the land. But still, he considered literature to be the main thing, so he constantly studied it. The calculation was based on the fact that well-known and venerable writers receive good fees and can bear expenses, regardless of them. But all the manuscripts, with the exception of the only one, remained unpublished and were filled with revolutionary content towards France, forcibly holding the Italian island of Corsica.

The beginning of a military career

The French Revolution takes place in 1789. Bonaparte, meanwhile, is in the military unit of Corsica, recruiting and forming soldiers of the national guard there. Having surrendered to the struggle for power on his native island, he enters into a struggle with the patriot Paoli. But having lost the enterprise, he escapes to Paris, where he witnesses the lawlessness of the mob, who managed to take possession of the royal palace. Returning to Corsica again, he again becomes, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, the head of the national guard troops. There was a catastrophic lack of smart and thinking military men, so they simply turned a blind eye to Bonaparte's past failures and did not remember them.

After an unsuccessful attempt to take possession of the neighboring island of Sardinia, he and his family were declared traitors and traitors to their homeland. The family that managed to hide in Toulon lived there, and Napoleon's mood to patriotically support his native island ended.

Later career in the suppression of the uprising

The royalists and the bourgeoisie were preparing an uprising, which was to serve as the beginning of the same actions throughout the country. The chief commander of the military forces, Barras, who knew Bonaparte from the old days, appoints him as his closest assistant. And he does not hesitate to take advantage of the position. Artillery troops were effectively located on both banks of the Seine, which stopped the rebels by terrible executions with grapeshot. After the events that occurred, Napoleon was immediately promoted to divisional generals. and after the resignation of the commander-in-chief took his post.

The provisional government of France, called the Directory, was already under the yoke of a critical situation. Having made a military coup, Bonaparte in 1802 becomes consul, and then 2 years later Pope Pius 7 makes him Emperor.

Campaign to Russia

The result of the military actions of the new Emperor was the subordination of Europe to him. Only a few make an alliance to stop the land invader. They are Russia, Prussia, and Austria. But the Russian troops managed to defeat the French army advancing on them, and after the collapse of Napoleon's empire, they were exiled to the island of Elba, where he did not serve his sentence for long. Having escaped, he again becomes at the head of the army and this segment of history is well known to everyone "100 days". In the battle with numerous allies at Waterloo, Bonaparte lost the battle and was captured again. He spent the last 6 years of his life in exile on the island of St. Helena.

Marriage of Napoleon

The wedding took place in 1796 and the bride was Josephine Beauharnais. After living together for several years, he admitted that his wife could not bear him a child. And in 1810, he decides to marry the daughter of the Emperor of Austria. A year later, the wife gives birth to the long-awaited heir. He died in young age without having children of their own.

It is known for certain that there were two of Napoleon's illegitimate children. One of the genera continues to live to this day.

Some historical facts about the Emperor
He was a brilliant diplomat, politician and military leader.
Possessing superior intelligence due to a phenomenal memory.
Amazing performance. He could work for the good of the country 10-14 hours a day.
Almost did not get sick during his life.
He loved hats and regularly added them to his collection. About 200 hats are known.
At 24, young Napoleon becomes a brigadier general in the army.
Nowadays, a variety of cognac and a cake are named after him.

It was this man who once said that, having occupied only Kyiv, he would already grab Russia by the legs, taking Peter, he would hold it by the head, and having captured Moscow, he would hit it in the heart. He managed to victoriously enter the capital of our Motherland, but he failed to stay there, gain a foothold and introduce his own dictatorship, thanks to the courage, dedication and endurance of the Russian people. As many guessed, we are talking about the famous French commander and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

The identity of this amazing person, even through the prism of past years, remains mysterious and incomprehensible. If everyone who remembers the school history course has heard about the military successes of this almost brilliant strategist, then little is known about the fate and personal life. Let's see what he was like, what he became famous for and how he went his way, allotted to him by providence.

From Petty Corsican Nobleman to French Emperor: A Biography of Napoleon

It is common for a Russian person to perceive the history of this person through the prism of past events. If for the whole world this French commander is a great man and a talented leader, then, without detracting from all his merits, we can afford to call him an invader. Napoleon really took Moscow, but, having entered it, he did not understand, together with his officers and soldiers, that he could not see the final victory. Yes, the city really fell, but there was nothing left in it that would be worth defending, and the triumph of the French lasted no longer than a few hours. Bonaparte could not even imagine that the people were able to burn their own capital to the ground, just not to give it to their enemies.

Interesting

Almost everything about Napoleon that compatriots and not only knew was the result of long, hard and painstaking work. He himself carefully and unobtrusively created his image in the minds of people, carefully planning every detail and every little thing. They said about him that the guy knows how to present bad news as good, and good news as an unconditional victory. Today, such a phenomenon is considered skillful covert propaganda, and the ruler himself would be called a populist and manipulator.

Briefly about the statesman of France - Napoleon Bonaparte

Born into the family of an ordinary Corsican aristocrat, who was difficult to attribute even to the "middle hand", this amazingly hardworking and ambitious man achieved the rank of general and a high army position at a young age. He was extremely active, and his versatile personality encouraged him to act impulsively, never allowing him to sit still. Efficiency and the ability to achieve the goals set for himself made him what he became. But Napoleon was not only a military man, but also a talented business executive, he carried out many useful and beneficial reforms for the country, ranging from banking (the creation of a centralized financial system) to the adoption of a civil code.

However, despite all his merits, virtues and ambitions, in big war for the possession of Europe, he suffered a cruel fiasco. Perhaps that is why, when figuring out who Napoleon is, the image of an evil little man pops up among the townsfolk, whose disproportionately inflated pride pushed him to rash steps and actions. This is exactly the image that the journalists of the countries-opponents of France tried to draw. In fact, by the age of thirty-four he had already become emperor, and that means something. Moreover, in the first place, its state, and not military, achievements and victories should be evaluated, for objectivity. English researcher Alexander John Ellis believes that it was Bonaparte who laid the foundations for the united Europe that we see today.

Family of a warlike Corsican

The petty aristocrat Carlo Maria Buonaparte was born in Corsica, but his ancestors were noble but impoverished Florentines. He was a lawyer and a politician, but he never had any special merits before society or the government. He was a modest man whom his parents arranged to study at the University of Pisa, and at the age of seventeen he was already married to a young Genoese woman of thirteen, the daughter of a bridge superintendent named Maria Letizia Ramolino. She bore her husband thirteen children, of whom eight survived. The parents of the future emperor lived in the largest port city of Corsica - Ajaccio.

A few decades earlier, Corsica had finally managed to get rid of the domination of Genoa, and the famous businessman and landowner Filippo Antonio Pasquale de Paoli (Filippo Antonio Pasquale de 'Paoli) became the ruler of the island, whose main assistant and closest friend was Carlo, who served with him as a court assessor . In the sixty-eighth year of the eighteenth century, the Republic of Genoa sold its rights to Corsica to the French monarch Louis XV, nicknamed the Beloved, for a well-known sum - forty million livres (about two tons of silver in equivalent).

Three months after the above events - August 15, 1769 - Mary gave birth to a baby, whose name it was decided by Napoleon. In honor of whom they gave their son such a name, it is not known for sure, but that was the name of one of the baby's uncles, and it is also found in the books of the then popular Italian politician and thinker Machiavelli.

Early years of young Napoleon

After the coup, many migrated, but the Bounapartes remained. They lived in a fairly large family estate. O early childhood little is known about the future commander. He was unsociable and extremely fond of reading, found himself a room in the attic and could sit there for hours with a book.

Often the boy was tormented by bouts of dry cough, which modern historians consider a sign of tuberculosis. An image is created of an unsociable introvert who cannot stand society, but this is not so, since the childhood nickname Rabulione, which means a prankster or troublemaker, clearly indicates how he was in early years. He graduated primary school in his hometown, while speaking Italian, and began to learn French only at nine.

Worth knowing

As soon as mother taught Napoleon how to put letters into words, he never let go of the book, he could read "bungly", especially what was interesting to him - historical and philosophical works. Subsequently, he himself claimed that he met the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau at the age of ten.

Thanks to his father's loyalty to the French ruler, he managed to get two scholarships from the king for his eldest sons. In the seventy-seventh, Carlo went to Paris, as he received a deputy from the Corsican aristocracy. The very next year he took both sons and settled in Versailles. In the seventy-ninth, the brothers entered the cadet school in the village of Brienne-le-Chateau, where the history of Napoleon was just beginning. The boy studied well, but with the team common language I never found it, because there were hated French enslavers of his beloved Corsica around.

Army career

It was then that he decided to become an artilleryman, believing that this branch of the army, if properly led, could bring amazing results to the commander. Therefore, as soon as the final exams in Brienne were passed, he entered the military school of Paris. He earnestly studied tactics, strategy, read ancient authors, mathematics, military equipment and all the necessary sciences, but he never made any friends. But over the years of his stay in this city, he turned into a real Frenchman, refined, fluent in this difficult language. After studying, the young lieutenant was seconded to the de La Fère regiment, which was stationed in Valence.

In 1882, my father obtained permission, as well as a royal grant for a certain amount, which should have served as the basis for a new business - the cultivation of mulberries.
Three years later, the island's parliament withdrew the permit, and ordered the money to be returned, allegedly for failure to comply with the terms of the contract, but it was foolish to hope that the trees would grow in such a short time.
In the winter of eighty-fifth, my father died and this whole nightmare fell on our character, although he also had an older brother. He was simply unable to manage anything. He immediately begged for leave and went to settle things, but there was little use.
In the summer of eighty-eight, I had to return to the regiment, which was stationed in Auson, Burgundy, which belonged to the department of Côte d'Or ("Gold Coast"). He sent part of the salary he earned home, as his mother was not even enough for food. At the same time, the Russian army announced the recruitment of foreign specialists for the war with the Ottomans. What did Napoleon do then? He wanted to enroll, but after learning that they were ready to enroll him only if he was lowered in rank, he flatly refused this idea.
In the summer of 1989, a revolution broke out. Then I had to choose which side to take, but Bounaparte did not "bother", because the problems of the family and the estate were not resolved, and they were interested young man much more than any other. He went home, where he began to speak out actively in support of the revolution, along with his brothers.
In the ninety-first, taking his younger brother Louis, he returned to the service, where he sent the teenager to study, paying for which himself. Soon he was promoted to captain, and then to lieutenant colonel.
Two years later, for the liberation of Toulon from the British, he was promoted to brigadier general. However, the new title was approved by the Convention only a year later. In the ninety-fifth, they tried to make him an infantry general. Insulted, he refused, citing illness. The leadership offered to pass the commission, after which he was dismissed from the army, but soon reinstated.

Already in the ninety-fifth year, just ten years after completing his studies, he was awarded the rank of divisional general and appointed commander of the rear troops. It was just an amazing career. After Italian campaign 96-97 years, as well as the Egyptian campaign in the ninety-eighth, he gained tremendous popularity. By that time, he had already intentionally or accidentally omitted the letter "y" from his last name, thus turning the Italian version of Bonaparte (Buonaparte) into the French Bonaparte (Bonaparte).

The coming to power of the future emperor

The reign of Napoleon Bonaparte began much earlier than he was proclaimed emperor. While he was fighting in Egypt, trying to capture Syria along the way, the government of the country was mired in a terrible crisis. European rulers and monarchs created a coalition that was difficult for the young French Republic to fight. Just at this time, the Italian lands were “scrambled” by the Russian imperial army, led by the brilliant Suvorov. She thoroughly cleaned up everything that Napoleon conquered in Europe. Discontent was ripening, the government was looking for a way out, and the Council of Elders (the upper house of parliament) was preparing a new coup. All that was missing was the “saber”, that is, a talented military man who would strategically and tactically develop a plan. The choice was obvious.

In November 1999 Bonaparte was elected commander of the department of the Seine by an almost unanimous majority of the Council of Elders. Many then got scared and fled, but not our hero. The assembled Council of Five Hundred (the lower house of parliament) refused to resolve issues, and an angry crowd almost attacked Bonaparte himself. However, the future marshal Joachim Murat flew into the hall, true friend and an ally of Napoleon, having dispersed the disaffected. Then the consulate of Bonaparte, Ducos, and also Sieyes was approved.

First Consul and Ruler

Formally, the election of three consuls, of which Napoleon was the first, was postponed to December 12, and the next day the new Constitution was already promulgated. The future emperor simply paid off his conditional "rivals". Already on the nineteenth of February, he left the Luxembourg Palace, where he had "lodging" before, and settled in the Tuileries - the residence of the French kings in the heart of Paris.

Being at the post of chancellor and actually at that time having already completely usurped power, Napoleon carried out many useful reforms, leaving such concepts as equality before the letter of the law (meritocracy) and the right to personal property. He consolidated all revolutionary achievements, but he managed to completely suppress anarchy and unrest. For example, of the seventy-three newspapers that were published at the time of his ascension, only thirteen were left. In August 1802, he achieved the recognition of a consulate for life, and two years later, on May 18, 1804, a completely renewed Constitution was adopted. It already clearly indicated that Napoleon was the emperor of France, the only one and unchanged until the end of his days.

Domestic policy of the French emperor

The dignity of this talented leader cannot be underestimated. He really wanted only prosperity and prosperity for his country, because his reforms really benefited not only the nobility, the aristocracy, but also ordinary people.

In January 1800, it was decided to establish a state Bank of France to store gold. It exists to this day.
By May of the second year of the nineteenth century, the creation of a special education system (secondary schools, lyceums, universities) followed.
The new constitution clearly spelled out the unconditional subordination of the media to the state, as well as the absolute control of the church. All this caused some dissatisfaction among the Jacobins, but the life of Napoleon Bonaparte taught him to quickly and radically solve such problems. All dissatisfied were seized and thrown into prison.
In March of the same year, the Civil Code was adopted, which combined all the disparate laws into a single structure.

Almost every step of our hero was so well thought out that he outlived it for many years. In addition, he created a bureaucratic ladder, which works in a slightly modified form even today.

Napoleon's conquests

In politics, Bonaparte initially showed caution, but given that he had a colossally trained and ready army, it can even be called redundant. But this brave man was definitely not going to be afraid or sit back, realizing that competitors and allies in the foreign policy arena can act together, he tried to find contact with everyone. And among the opponents again were such "dinosaurs" as England, Sweden, Russia, Austria and Naples. The French side was supported by a much smaller number of states, for example, the kingdom of Italy, Liguria and Prussia, which was promised to take Hanover from the British. However, the latter easily passed into the camp of the enemy.

In early November 1805, the French army occupied Vienna without much resistance.
In December of the same year, after a devastating battle between the Russian and Roman armies and the Napoleonic troops, the Peace of Pressburg was concluded, which was beneficial to the French.
At the end of December, the Neapolitans betrayed, joining the enemies of the empire, despite given word. Then Bonaparte moved on the city and easily conquered it, placing his brother Joseph as king there. Around the same time, he appointed his younger brother Louis as king of Holland, marching victoriously with his highly organized army through Europe, as through his own personal land.
In February of the seventh year, in the battle near the Prussian town of Preussisch-Eylau, Napoleon's troops did not win for the first time, and the battle itself ended in nothing. However, already in May, he dealt a crushing blow to the Russian army near Friedland.

In 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte signed a document proclaiming the Continental blockade of England, which completely stopped trade between her and the French bloc. This had a tremendous impact on the fall of the British economy. However, the consequences were deplorable for the continental states themselves. The industry of France could not compete with the English, but all that remained was to hold on. When, in the eleventh year, the entrepreneur, philanthropist and banker Jules Paul Benjamin Delesseur proposed making sugar from beets, Bonaparte himself came to present the medal.

The personal life of a little corporal

Contrary to popular myths, Napoleon was not at all too short. He reached one meter sixty-eight centimeters, so he certainly did not look like a short man. And he didn’t want to look taller either, because he never wore heels, crazy wigs or hats of incredible height. Women always liked him, and he himself was an incorrigible womanizer.

Wives and children

While still a youth of seventeen, Bonaparte repeatedly got involved in light affairs with the wives of his colleagues, but all this was not serious. His first lover was the sister of his brother Joseph's wife, Eugene Desiree Clary, but she never had to become empress. In one of the Parisian salons, a young man meets the brilliant Josephine de Beauharnais, whom he falls in love with from the first minute of their acquaintance. She was a widow with two children of her own and six years older than her lover, but he didn't care. The young people got married in the ninety-fifth, after which both of her children were officially adopted by Napoleon. The couple did not have children together.

Three years later, Bonaparte found out that while he was on military campaigns, his wife entered into extramarital affairs, became furious and decided to get a divorce, but she managed to persuade him not to do this. Rumors were confirmed repeatedly, and he began to treat his beloved with coolness, and then he began to have affairs on the side at the slightest opportunity, although he continued to pay the debts made by the woman. Sometimes they were big to the point of obscenity. In December 1809, they nevertheless divorced, since a woman was not capable of producing an heir.

In the tenth year he married again. This time, his choice fell on the pretty daughter of the Roman Emperor Franz II - Marie-Louise of Austria. The wedding was conducted by Cardinal Joseph Fesch, happily rubbing his hands, as he had long asked to remove the unlucky Josephine. She gave birth to her only son full name whom Napoleon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte, King of Rome. Two years later, the couple broke up, and at the age of twenty-one, the heir suddenly fell ill with tuberculosis, and then died, because at that time they did not know how to treat the disease. A lot of information about illegitimate children has been preserved, for example, the names Charles Leon Denuel and Alexander Valevsky are called, but historians strongly doubt the authenticity.

Sunset of the Popular Leader's Popularity

In the first years of government, internal and foreign policy suited the people well. Moreover, both aristocrats and the mob. With the growth of the country's economy, the poor began to receive assistance from the state, they had the opportunity to find a job, they were constantly recruited into the army, where they paid quite well. In the tenth year, an economic crisis broke out, which led to various patriotic movements against the dictatorship of Napoleon. He was no longer considered a savior, no longer called the messiah.

In the same year, Bonaparte asked for the hand of the daughter of the Russian Tsar Alexander I, this could strengthen friendly relations, but received no answer at all. Put an end to all this Patriotic War 1812, in which Napoleon suffered a crushing defeat. This completely destroyed the myth of the invincibility of the French army and undermined the remnants of confidence in him in Europe. Then an anti-Napoleonic coalition was created, which included many former allies (Prussia, Austria). Everything began to roll into the abyss, the old aristocrats and Louis XVIII himself returned from forced exile.

After abdicating the throne, Napoleon tried to commit suicide, but the poison that he constantly carried with him, by a strange accident, did not “work”. The man was sent to the island of Elba, where he was ordered to live out the rest of his days. However, to humble and endure was not inherent in this man, he fled, led his army and went to Paris. The final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo was the last straw, he was forced to recant again, and then sent to the tiny and very remote island of St. Helena in the restless Atlantic Ocean.

Last days in exile

Out of respect for his past merits, the aging emperor was asked to choose his retinue in exile. Around the Longwood residence, where he lived, guards were constantly on duty, but the man no longer had vain illusions and did not build escape plans. He became friends with the superintendent's daughter Betsy, who was barely fourteen years old. An adult, gray-haired man became a friend of her teenage games, ready for any adventures within the limits of decency. In the spring of 1916 he began to write his memoirs, which later became one of the most popular books of the nineteenth century.

In the autumn of that year, Napoleon's health began to deteriorate rapidly. Doctors shrugged, and then diagnosed - hepatitis. Many talked about arsenic poisoning, which was beneficial to European rulers, but later studies did not confirm this. In the eighteenth year, he almost did not get out of bed, complained of a sharp pain in his side and himself assumed that he, like his father, had developed stomach cancer. Subsequently, an autopsy showed that he had two ulcers, one of which was perforated, which is quite suitable for the version of oncology. On May 5, 1821, the former commander and French emperor Napoleon died. He was buried near the estate near the spring, but in 1840, the “citizen king” Louis-Philippe the First ordered the remains to be brought, solemnly carried through the streets of Paris and buried in the Palace of Invalides.

In memory of French politics

Despite the fact that Napoleon's wars and campaigns were mostly aggressive, there are many monuments dedicated to him. For example, there is a monument to him and his brothers in his native village, and in La Roche-sur-Yon there is an equestrian statue, as in Cherbourg, Rouen and Laffre. There are single steles in Waterloo, Auson, Paris and Vimil.

Many artists turned to the image of this famous commander, so there are many paintings and statues. Paul Delaroche, Vasily, Vereshchagin, Jean Georges Viber - they all paid tribute to the exploits of an outstanding politician. Ludwig van Beethoven is believed to have written his Symphony No. 3 in E flat major in honor of Bonaparte. The directors also did not stand aside, and several dozen films released at different times are dedicated to him.

Quotes and sayings of the commander

God takes the side of a larger army.

There are no roads in Russia, there are only directions.

The bullet that can strike me has not yet been cast.

Every person is right in their own way.

He who flatters beautifully is sure to slander beautifully.

Commander, First Consul of the French Republic (1799 - 1804), Emperor of France (1804 - 1814, March-June 1815)

Napoleone Buonaparte (French version - Napoleon Bonaparte) was born on August 15, 1769 in the town of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He was the second son in big family with seven children. Shortly before the birth of the future emperor, Corsica passed into the possession of France. Napoleon's father, nobleman Carlo Maria Buonaparte, served as a lawyer. He was elected a deputy from the Corsican nobility, in this capacity he went to Versailles, was in good standing with the French governor in Corsica. Napoleon's mother, Letizia Buonaparte, nee Ramolino.

She was a devout Catholic and had big influence on the son. 1779 - Napoleon sent to Autun College in France. 1780 - 1784 - studying at the Brienne military school on a state scholarship. 1784 - 1785 - studying at the Paris Military School, after which (in October 1785) Napoleon Bonaparte received the rank of second lieutenant of artillery and immediately entered the service in the royal army. Despite the fact that, thanks to the efforts of his father, Napoleon studies for free in Paris, he remains a patriot of Corsica for a long time and is hostile to the French. 1792 - Napoleon joins the Jacobin Club. During this period, he tries to engage in politics in his homeland, in Ajaccio, but because of the conflict with the Corsican separatists, attempts have to be abandoned. 1793 - The Buonaparte family is forced to flee from Corsica, engulfed by an anti-French uprising. The same year, autumn - the first increase; Lieutenant Bonaparte promoted to brigadier general for having distinguished himself in the Anglo-French battle at the fortress of Toulon. Napoleon then proposed his own plan to capture the besieged city. 1795 - Napoleon was arrested for the closeness of his views with the views of the disgraced O. Robespierre, but was quickly released.

October 5, 1795 (13 Vendemière) - the Parisian garrison under the command of Napoleon participates in the suppression of the monarchist rebellion. The same year - Napoleon meets a native of Martinique, the widow Josephine Marie-Rose de Beauharnais. She will become the love of his life, despite the difference in age - Josephine is 6 years older. March 9, 1796 - Napoleon and Josephine officially marry. It is known that when compiling marriage contract Bonaparte attributed to himself a year and a half, and Josephine reduced her age by 4 years. 1796 - created for military operations in Italy special army, and Napoleon insists on becoming its commander-in-chief. He also takes part in the development and preparation of the Italian campaign. 1796 - 1797 - Napoleon Bonaparte successfully leads the Italian military campaign, showing not only the talent of the commander, but also political talent. February 1797 - Napoleon signs a peace treaty with Pope Pius VI, which is very beneficial for France. During the Italian campaign, Napoleon manages to get rich - the war is accompanied by robberies (indemnities), and the loot goes not only to the French treasury.

October 1797 - Napoleon imposes the Treaty of Campoformia on Austria. 1798 - 1799 - Napoleon's campaign in Egypt, after the conquest of which the commander plans to go to India. But the plan to conquer the eastern lands was initially adventurous and unpromising, and the matter ends with Bonaparte fleeing Egypt. November 9 - 10, 1799 - Napoleon carries out a coup d'état in France, which went down in history as the "Coup of 18 Brumaire". At the same time, he relies on the military elite, the aristocracy, as well as on his brothers, who occupy prominent positions in the representative bodies of the Republic. The Directory regime is overthrown. As a result of the coup, Bonaparte concentrates in his hands all power over France and is elected First Consul of the French Republic for a ten-year term (1799 - 1804, since 1802 Consul for Life). 1800 - a new Italian campaign, just as successful for Bonaparte as the previous one. The French manage to retake northern Italy. 1800 - 1801 - Napoleon tries to get closer to the Russian Empire, but in early 1801 Emperor Paul I was killed in St. Petersburg, and Russia temporarily switches to its internal problems.

1801 - the concordat concluded with the Pope restores the rights lost during the Directory catholic church in France and provides Napoleon with the support of the papacy. 1801 - 1802 - during this period, Bonaparte concludes peace treaties with the main opponents of France (Russia, Austria, Great Britain). 1803 - the beginning of another war with Great Britain. 1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of France (now he is called Napoleon I). Josephine becomes empress. 1805 - Napoleon I is solemnly crowned in Paris. December 2, 1805 - Battle of Austerlitz. A year before, an anti-French coalition was formed, which included Russia, Austria, Great Britain and Sweden. Napoleon's army stood in Boulogne, preparing to attack Great Britain, but she had to turn towards the coalition troops. At Austerlitz, the latter suffered a crushing defeat. 1806 - after the victory at Austerlitz under the protectorate of Napoleon, the "Confederation of the Rhine" was created, uniting the West and South German states. Same year - Bonaparte visits Poland. This state at that time experienced not better times, divided immediately between three strong opponents - Russia, Austria and Prussia. The Poles saw Napoleon as a liberator and accepted him accordingly. Here the emperor meets 18-year-old Maria (Marysya) Walewska.

Their relationship lasts until the death of Bonaparte. 1806 - 1807 - the troops of the new anti-French coalition (Russia, Prussia, Sweden) were defeated. The Russian Empire is out of the war. Emperor Alexander I concludes the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon, which made Bonaparte the ruler of Germany. 1808 - in Weimar, taking part in the Erfurt Congress, Napoleon meets with Johann Wolfgang Goethe and presents him with the Order of the Legion of Honor. 1809 - short-term war with Austria. The Treaty of Schönbrunn was signed. May 4, 1810 - Maria Walewska gives birth to Napoleon's son Alexander. As an adult, he will occupy a prominent post at the court of Emperor Napoleon III. 1810 - For dynastic reasons, Napoleon divorces Josephine and marries the daughter of the Austrian Emperor Franz I, Maria Louise. 1811 - the legitimate heir of Emperor Napoleon I is born, immediately after birth proclaimed "King of Rome". The child was named Francois Charles Joseph Bonaparte, the supporters of the emperor called him Napoleon II. hike in Russian empire- In June 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte appears in Russia.

For this, an army of about 600 thousand people was assembled throughout Europe. The Russians are not just utterly crushing this army - it is practically destroyed. Napoleon returns to Paris in December and mobilizes again. The numbers of the new troops are not inferior to the old ones, but lose in quality. However, in May 1813 they managed to defeat the Russian-Prussian army in the battles of Lutzen and Bautzen. Summer 1813 - Napoleon makes a brief truce with the Allies. During this period, negotiations are scheduled for the conclusion of a final peace, which should take place in Prague. But Bonaparte, not wanting to concede, disrupts the peaceful meeting. In August hostilities resume.

October 1813 - the battle near Leipzig, called the "battle of the peoples." Napoleon is defeated. Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland were liberated from French rule. 1813 - 1814 - the allies periodically make peace proposals to Bonaparte, gradually tightening their demands. Napoleon rejects them. France, meanwhile, returns to its "natural" borders. Finally, the allies decide to overthrow the Emperor Bonaparte. Napoleon fights to the last, sometimes inflicting sensitive blows on the enemy troops, but he is no longer able to influence the outcome of the war. However, peace proposals continue to be rejected by him. March 1814 - Allied troops enter Paris.

The French Senate (the only representative body left by Bonaparte) deposes the emperor and restores the royal power of the Bourbons. King Louis XVIII ascends the throne. April 6, 1814 - Napoleon Bonaparte officially abdicates the throne. He retained the title of emperor. Moreover, the Mediterranean island of Elba was given into the possession of Bonaparte. Having retired there, Napoleon closely observes the political situation in France and in Europe. In this exile, the emperor is visited by Maria Walewska and four-year-old Alexander. In France, meanwhile, there is growing dissatisfaction with the return of the old Bourbon regime. Disagreements are also becoming more frequent and intensifying among the allies. Napoleon Bonoparte decides to return. He plans to regain power and restore his empire. March 1, 1815 - Bonaparte lands off the coast of France with a small detachment. March 20 - June 22, 1815 - the period of Napoleon's power, which went down in history as the "Hundred Days". March 20, the emperor with his army enters Paris in triumph, without encountering any resistance on his way.

However, the allies immediately, forgetting their differences, form another anti-French coalition. AT as soon as possible having gathered an army, Napoleon tries to defeat the enemy troops one by one, but he fails to do so. England, Prussia and the Netherlands join forces, and a huge army rises against France. On June 18, the famous Battle of Waterloo (Belgian territory) takes place. it last fight in a series of Napoleonic wars, and it was lost by France. June 22 Bonaparte abdicates the throne for the second time. After losing at Waterloo, Napoleon surrenders to the British. They send him into exile on Saint Helena southern part Atlantic Ocean). 1815 - 1821 - link. On the island of Saint Helena, Bonaparte is compiling his memoirs. May 5, 1821 - Napoleon Bonaparte dies on the island of St. Helena, having the status of a prisoner of Great Britain. The cause of his death has not yet been precisely determined. Some historians claim that the former emperor died of cancer, others argue that he was poisoned. 1830 - The Memoirs of Napoleon I were published in 9 volumes. 1840 - the ashes of Napoleon were transported to Paris and buried in Les Invalides.