Napoleon Bonaparte

1. Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor/Military Leader

2. Biography • Born: 15 August 1769 • Birthplace: Ajaccio, Corsica • Died: 5 May 1821 (Stomach Cancer(?)) • Best Known as: The French military genius and Emperor of the 1800s • Name at Birth: Napoleon Bonaparte

3. Napoleon • Is the most charismatic general in French history • Famed for his military successes and (at the same time) for not quite conquering Europe • Starting as a second lieutenant in the French artillery • He rose quickly through the ranks until he staged a 1799 coup that made him First Consul of France • In 1804 he went further, proclaiming himself emperor • He led his armies to victory after victory, and by 1807 France ruled territory that stretched from Portugal to Italy and north to the river Elbe.

4. Napoleon • Napoleon’s attempts to conquer the rest of Europe failed • A defeat in Moscow in 1812 nearly destroyed the empire • In 1814 he was deposed and exiled to the island of Elba • The next year he returned to Paris and again seized power • This success was short-lived: the French army’s 1815 loss to the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo finished Napoleon for good • He was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1812

5. Napoleon • His body was returned to Paris in 1840 • His tomb there still remains a popular attraction

6. Extra Credit • Napoleon was short enough that early in his military career he was nicknamed “The Little Corporal.” • According to Napoleon.org, at his death he was 1.68 meters tall, or about 5’6” • Napoleon died of an unidentified ailment, possibly stomach cancer • Traces of arsenic were later found in his remains • Some have suggested he my have been fatally poisoned • The famous portrait of Napoleon with his hand stuck in his vest was painted by Jacques-Louis David