The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

After the Reign of Terror ended in the middle of 1794 a successful general , who had won many battles against other European countries, gained influence and power. Napoleon I, also called Napoleon Bonaparte, was the greatest military genius of his era and maybe the greatest general in history. He created an empire that covered most of western and Central Europe.

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. Because the island belonged to France, Napoleon was a French citizen. At the age of 9 he entered a French military school. While he was an average student in most subjects, he was extremely good at mathematics. At 16 he graduated and became an artillery officer in the French army.

During the French Revolution, Napoleon was stationed in Paris. This was a critical time for France because the country was at war with many European countries. When France became a republic, Napoleon defended the new government and joined the Jacobins, a radical political group in France.

In the years that followed, Napoleon fought many battles in most of Europe. In 1796 he became commander in chief of all French forces in Italy. From Italy, Napoleon invaded Austria, France’s most powerful enemy. As Napoleon approached Vienna, the Austrians surrendered and were forced to give up Belgium to France.

Napoleon’s victories made him very popular with the French people. He was able to convince France’s government – the Directory - that he could cut off British trade to Asia by occupying Egypt. But the British commander Horatio Nelson defeated Napoleon in the Battle of the Nile in 1798 and most of his fleet was destroyed.

One of Napoleon's early battles
Image: Édouard Detaille, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons