Napoleon Bonaparte Essay -- European History Corsica Essays

catnape BuonaparteNapoleon was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, and was giventhe name Napole genius Buonaparte. He was the second of eight children of Carlo andLetizia Buonaperte, both of the Corsican-Italian gentry. Before Napoleone, noBuonaparte had ever been a professional soldier. His father Carlo, was a lawyerwho had fought for Corsican independence, but after the French occupied theisland in 1768, he served as a prosecutor and a judge and entered the Frencharistocracy as a count. Through his fathers influence, Napoleone was educatedat the expense of King Louis XVI, at Brienne and the Ecole Militaire, in Paris.Napoleone receive in 1785, at the age of 16, and joined the artillery as asecond lieutenant. After the revolution began in France, he became alieutenant colonel (1791) in the Corsican National Guard. However, whenCorsica declared independence in 1793, Buonaperte, a Republican, and a Frenchpatriot, fled to France with his family. He was assigned, as captain, t o anarmy besieging Toulon, a naval standstill that was aided by a British fleet, while inrevolt against the republic. It was hither that Napoleone Buonaperte officiallychanged his name to Napoleon Bonaparte, feeling that it looked more French.It was here too that Napoleon replaced a wounded artillery general, and seizedground where his guns could drive the British fleet from the harbor, and Toulonfell. As a result of his accomplishments, Bonapatre was promoted to brigadiergeneral at the age of 24. In 1795, he saved the revolutionary government bydispersing an insurgent mob in Paris. Then in 1796 he married Josephine deBeauharnais, the aim of two children and the widow of an aristocratguillotined in the Revolution. Early in his carriage Napoleon was showing signs ofmilitaristic geniuses and knowledge for formidable strategy. It was throughthe application of his skills, and a revolutionary style of spontaneousfighting styles than gave Napoleon the opportunities, which he jumped at, makinghis the great military leader he is known as today.Latter in1796, Napoleon became commander of the French army in Italy.He defeated four Austrian generals in succession, each at impossible odds, andforced Austria and its allies to nark peace. The Treaty of Campo Formioprovided that France keep most of its conquests. In northern Italy he f... ...ropean countries. Napoleon was a driven man,never secure, never satisfied. Power is my mistress (VI pg. 176), he said.His life was work-centered even his social activities had a purpose. He couldbear amusements or vacations only briefly. His tastes were for coarse food,bad wine, and for cheap tobacco. He could be hyp nonically charming for a required purpose of course. He had intense loyalties to his family and oldassociates. Even so, nothing or nobody, were allowed to interfere with his work.Napoleon was sometimes a tyrant and always an authorian. But one who believed,however in ruling by mandate of the people, expressed on plebisci tes. He wasalso a great enlightened monarch-a civil executive of considerable capacity whochanged French institutions and tried to reform the intuitions of Europe andgive the Continent a common law. Few historians deny that he was a militarygenius. At St. Helena, he said Waterloo will erase the memory of all myvictories. (VII pg.345) he was wrong for better or worse, he is bestremembered as a general, not for his enlightened government, but surely thelatter must be counted if he is justly to be called Napoleon the Great.