Napoléon Bonaparte

1769-1821

Napoléon Bonaparte

• Born in Corsica: Father, Italian

• He supported the Revolution in France.– Quickly rose through the ranks

• Nicknamed the “little corporal” after victories on Italian border.– Heroic victory at the Battle of Lodi caused the

people to love him.

Napoléon Bonaparte

• Brilliant military strategist– Used artillery to support infantry– 1798: invaded Egypt to stop British advances

toward India.• Brought scholars with him to study Egypt

– 1799: made First Consul. Most powerful man in France

– Made several educational, judicial, financial and administrational reforms.

Napoléon Bonaparte

– Dec. 2, 1804, crowned himself emperor.• His wife Josephine, empress.

Napoléon Bonaparte

– By 1805, he conquered areas in Italy and Germany. He controlled large amounts of Europe.

– But lost a big battle in Russia: his army began with over 600,000 men and returned with just 10,000.

Napoleon’s Empire

• At it’s peak, his Empire included much of Western Europe

Napoléon Bonaparte

• 1814: War against Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria .– France lost: Treaty of Fountainebleau exiled

Napoleon to Elba

• 1815: He escaped Elba and returned to Paris with an army and ruled for 100 days.

• Final defeat: Battle of Waterloo in Belgium at hands of Duke of Wellington.

Napoléon Bonaparte

– He was exiled by British to island of St. Helena, by Guinea.

– He died on May 5, 1821.

– Some believe he was poisoned with arsenic.

Napoléon Bonaparte

• More recent analysis on behalf of the magazine Science et Vie showed that similar concentrations of arsenic can be found in Napoléon's hair in samples taken from 1805, 1814 and 1821. The lead investigator, Ivan Ricordel (head of toxicology for the Paris Police), stated that if arsenic had been the cause, Napoléon would have died years earlier. Arsenic was also used in some wallpaper, as a green pigment, and even in some patent medicines, and the group suggested that the most likely source in this case was a hair tonic.

Napoléon Bonaparte

• Napoleon’s Accomplishment:– He left European people with a strong sense

of Nationalism: A feeling of loyalty to one’s country.

– Each nation in Europe would push nationalism on their citizens. “My country is the greatest!”

• Extreme nationalism can cause wars…

– After this period, European nations would compete to see who was strongest.