Interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte

April 20, 2012 | In: People facts

Probably the biggest ruler and war strategist of all time, Napoleon Bonaparte(or Napoleon I, 1769-1821) conquered most of Europe, suffered defeat in Russia, was exiled, returned, tried to gain power again, was defeated again at the battle of Waterloo and, finally, died on the island of Saint Helena in a British prison. This is the story of a great man put in extremely short words. I think Napoleon I deserves a little more than that:

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. He was the second of eight surviving children born to Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785), a lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte (1750-1836).

In 1795, Napoleon suppressed a royalist insurrection against the revolutionary government in Paris and was promoted to major general. Since 1792,France’s revolutionary government had been engaged in military conflicts with various European nations. In 1796, Napoleon commanded a French army that defeated the larger armies of Austria, one of his country’s primary rivals, in a series of battles in Italy. In 1797, France and Austria signed the Treaty of Campo Formio, resulting in territorial gains for the French. In 1804, he crowned himself emperor ofFrance in a lavish ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

In 1810, Russia withdrew from the Continental System. In retaliation, Napoleon led a massive army into Russiain the summer of 1812. The Russian army didn’t fight a traditional war, but instead they burned everything in Napoleon’s way, and thus, the army became weaker and weaker. Of Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the campaign, only an estimated 100,000 made it out of Russia. That was the beginning of the end for the great ruler. After fighting all across Europe, on April 6, 1814, Napoleon, then in his mid-40s, was forced to abdicate the throne. And after the famous Battle of Waterloo, on June 22, 1815, Napoleon was once again forced to abdicate.

In October 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the remote, British-held island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died there on May 5, 1821, at age 51, most likely from stomach cancer. In 1840, his remains were returned toFrance and entombed in a crypt at Les Invalides inParis, where other French military leaders are interred.