Life Of Napoelan Bonaparte Essay, Research Paper

Few individuals have

come along that have captivated the imaginations of their

contemporaries and of historians. Perhaps the most prolific

of these characters is Napoleon Bonaparte. The part of his

life often found most intriguing was his humble beginnings.

Here, like some Hollywood movie is the tale of an

exceptional man whose intelligence and rise from the

bottom is eventually defeated by his flaws, which cause him

to fall from power. He was born in Corsica just off the

coast of Italy. France had annexed Corsica in 1768,

officially making him a French citizen. His parents, although

from an aristocratic family and considered nobility, were

anything but wealthy. His father’s small income was not

enough to fulfill his dreams of sending Napoleon to France

to attend military school. He wrote a letter to the king,

Louis XVI, for a scholarship for Napoleon. The king had

set up a fund to pay for Napoleon’s attendance of military

school. Upon arrival in France young Napoleon had to first

overcome the obstacle of learning to speak French, since it

was the only language spoken in the military schools. To do

this he would first have to attend a school in Autun before

going to military school. When he finally arrived in Brienne

to attend his military school, he soon discovered that his

defeat of his adversities was marred by the criticism he

received because of his Corsican upbringing and accent.

But nothing could break Napoleon’s strong will and

determination. Instead of giving up, he persevered and gave

up socializing to put forth whatever effort he could into his

studies. His lust for conquest and omens of his great future

often surfaced at school. In the winter he eagerly applied

his military science knowledge into skillfully executed

snowball fights with his squadron always being the victors.

He also spent hours studying the conquests of rulers such

as Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great. This rigorous

study, however, did not make him a brilliant student except

in math where he had a natural talent. At age 15, Napoleon

graduated from Brienne and was accepted into the

prestigious military college in Paris, receiving an

all-expenses paid scholarship. While at military college, he

learned of his father’s death from stomach cancer. His

father’s final startling words were a revelation that would

prophesize Napoleon’s future: "Where is Napoleon, my son

Napoleon, whose sword will make Kings tremble and who

will change the face of the world?" Napoleon finished

military academy 2 years ahead of schedule to help out his

poor mother and graduated as a lieutenant. The consulate

Napoleon’s career as a French solider progressed. He

made his way through the ranks of general, military

commander, major general and finally at the bright age of

26 he was made commander-in-chief and was given full

command over all soldiers garrisoned in France. Napoleon

reorganized the entire Army and prepared them for

invasion at any moment. Although committed, Napoleon

was anything but heartless. He gave high posts in the army

to his friends and family, and promoted soldiers he had

fought with before to higher ranks. Napoleon even found

the time to marry a young woman named Josephine de

Beauharnais. Napoleon’s lust for conquest ensured that he

didn’t settle down. His ambitions were always growing

greater. In 1799 France’s governing body, The Directory

grew weak and unsteady. The Austrians recaptured Italy

and were among several nations threatening to invade

France. If this wasn’t enough competition, Napoleon

learned that the Royalists were planning on restoring the

monarchy. But Napoleon used this conflict to his advantage

and decided it was precise time to take over The

Directory, which he still served. He used his influences in

the government to gain political backing. His two

advantages over his opponents were that he was a national

hero for his many victories in battle and he had full

command of the army, in case it was necessary. Some

often criticize his motives, saying he was driven more by

ambition than for the love of his country. Napoleon

appeared before the Council of the Ancients – the upper

house of representatives – to make a passionate speech

asking to be put in charge of the entire country. He won

their support but faced resistance while trying to convince

the lower House of Representatives. With the use of the

military, Napoleon forced them into naming him First

Consul of France without having to harm a soul. To those

who viewed Napoleon as a tyrant, his actions as First

Consul seemed baffling. Napoleon immediately reduced

taxes, stabilized the economy, opened schools and

universities around the country and even established

programs to give jobs to the unemployed. Among his

greatest accomplishments as First Consul, was the

development of the Code Napoleon, which is the

foundation for the French legal system and is in use to this

day. He sought peace and to end the conflict in and outside

of France. Peace was made with Austria and Britain and all

the wars had concluded in the Treaty of Amiens made with

Britain. Emperor As First Consul, Napoleon was faced

with much adversity but he always prevailed using the

threats against his life as motive to secure his power

permanently. Since he was not royalty he could not be

made King so he decided to become Emperor. In a

ceremony with the Pope, Napoleon decided to undertake

the crowning himself. Some saw this move as a great

warning of his craving for power. However, all fear about

his motives faded with his generous use of the power. He

gave royal titles to his siblings, allowing them to be

monarchs over his conquered lands. Many countries, afraid

of his ambition to rule the continent, allied together to

prevent him from conquering any more land. Among these

were Austria and Great Britain. He defeated the Austrians

on land but Napoleon’s greatest military flaw was realized

when he met in battle with a squadron of the British Navy,

and faced staggering losses. But Napoleon never admitted

defeat and destroyed an Austrian-Russian army to force

half of the allies in surrender. Defeat In Russia After years

of battle Napoleon eventually defeat Russia and allied with

them to try and destroy the British Empire. However, both

sides violated the treaty and waged war on each other.

Napoleon, as always decided to go on the offensive and

invade Russia. He took an army of 500,000 men and as he

made his way through the vast plains of the country he

noticed village after village was deserted. Finally just before

reaching the capital of Moscow, Napoleon faced resistance

from the Russian Army but after a hard-fought battle

Napoleon’s troops prevailed. Upon his arrival in Moscow,

Napoleon sees that the capital is also deserted and later

that evening is lit on fire. The great blaze could not be

stopped because the Russians had smashed the water

pumps before their departure. The fires roared for days but

when the fires were finally over Napoleon stayed in Russia

for nearly a month awaiting a reply for his demands of

peace. However, upon inspection of the area for miles,

Napoleon discovered that almost the entire country had

been evacuated and moved. Napoleon then realized the

strategy of the Russian czar. He had leaded the French

Army into a trap in the heart of Russia near the start of the

frigid Russian winter. Napoleon’s wait in Moscow proved

to be a fatal mistake. Realizing defeat, Napoleon ordered

his troops home. Since Napoleon’s swift marches across

wide areas of land called for light travel, his troops weren’t

equipped with winter clothing or enough food for their

unexpectedly long journey. The Russian winter took its toll

on his men as they made their way home and decimated his

army into nearly half the size of what it was. This campaign

in Russia would prove to be the greatest military disaster in

history. Napoleon’s enemies banded together to deliver him

one final blow. He put together a makeshift army recruiting

350,000 new soldiers from within his empire. He decided

to go full force against the great contingency of the allies

and in several consecutive battles; his young army was

victorious despite astonishing odds. His military genius and

motivational words to the troops allowed them to

overcome great obstacles. However, his forces were finally

overwhelmed and Napoleon retreated back to Paris where

months later, the capital was overtaken by the allies. His

ego was too big to allow him to admit defeat so he fled

outside Paris and showed his cowardess by an

unsuccessful suicide attempt. He finally relented and signed

an act abdicating him as ruler of France. The Hundred

Days Exiled to an island near his birthplace of Corsica,

Napoleon immediately set to work to plan his comeback.

With the few troops and small naval fleet his allies allowed

him, he made his way back to France. Finally in early

1815, he arrived in France and made his way towards the

capital. By the time he reached the capital his army had

multiplied to several thousand as entire garrisons left the

reign of King Louis XVIII to join his troops. Reassuming

the title of emperor, Napoleon immediately faced

opposition from the allies. As always, Napoleon attacked

first. The allied forces were not yet united and Napoleon

knew he could defeat them if he met them separately. After

meeting and defeating the Prussians, he met with the British

army at Waterloo in Belgium. The British troops were able

to withstand Napoleon’s fire and thousands from both sides

fell during the battle with neither side achieving victory.

However, at twilight the Prussians met with the British

troops to give them support. They had regrouped their

forces, coming to the rescue of their allies and creating a

force Napoleon himself knew was too large to beat. Final

Exile Again Napoleon was forced to abdicate, so he fled to

the United States but when he learned that all ships were

being inspected for his presence, he turned himself in. He

was forced to the desolate island of St. Helena, 600 miles

off the coast of nowhere. He lived out the rest of his weary

days in solitude and nearly six years later, Napoleon befell

the same fate as his father and died of stomach cancer at

the age of 51. Few people in history have met such great

achievements with having faced such great adversities. To

his historians and worshipers he was the greatest military

commander of the modern era. He overcame great odds in

every battle to satisfy his desire for power. To his enemies

he was power-hungry tyrant often associated with the devil

whose lust for conquest far outweighed his good will

toward his people. Either way, history writes this man as

one of the greatest military minds ever whose conquest and

code influenced revolutions and legal systems, which would

change the face of the earth.