Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was a Corsican-born military commander who became the dictator and self-crowned emperor of post-revolutionary France.

Born in Corsica, Bonaparte was the son of a petty nobleman. As a boy, he attended a military college in Brienne and the Ecole Militaire in Paris, before earning an army commission as a junior artillery officer.

Entries in Bonaparte’s teenage diaries express strong admiration for the French Revolution and its ideas, particularly the speeches of Honore Mirabeau. Like others in his family, Napoleon Bonaparte was also an advocate of Corsican independence.

Bonaparte was too young and of insufficient military rank to shape the course of the revolution, however, he was in Paris during the August 10th 1792 insurrection.

By late 1793, Bonaparte had made a name for himself as a military officer, leading a campaign to recapture Toulon from British forces. The Thermidorians imprisoned Bonaparte briefly in 1794, suspecting him of Jacobin sympathies.

In October 1795, Napoleon was instrumental in suppressing a royalist insurrection in Paris, having done so, according to the British historian Thomas Carlyle, with “a whiff of grapeshot”.

Thrust into prominence, Bonaparte was given command of the French army, which he led on successful invasions of Italy and Austria. By late 1799, Bonaparte was powerful enough to initiate a successful coup in Paris, removing the Directory and elevating him to de facto ruler of France.

Citation information
Title: “Napoleon Bonaparte”
Authors: Jennifer Llewellyn, Steve Thompson
Publisher: Alpha History
URL: https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/napoleon-bonaparte/
Date published: May 28, 2017
Date accessed: March 17, 2023
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