Napulione Buonaparte
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Napoléon Bonaparte, born in 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804 after rising through the ranks during the French Revolution. He led successful military campaigns across Europe and created the Code Napoléon, a civil law code that underpins Louisiana law. Despite his eventual defeat and exile to Saint Helena in 1815, his political and legal legacy endures.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Napoléon Bonaparte — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Napoléon Bonaparte by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Napoléon Bonaparte — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
On August 15, 1769, Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica to Maria Letizia and Carlo Bonaparte. Carlo, an attorney, represented Corsica at the court of Louis XVI in 1778. Napoléon’s native language was Corsican, not French, marking him as an outsider in mainland France. He attended the École Militaire in Paris, training as an artillery officer, a path that would define his military career.
Napoléon led campaigns in Italy and Egypt during the French Revolution. In 1799, he became First Consul of the French Republic, effectively its leader. He crowned himself Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804, in a ceremony at Notre-Dame, taking the crown from Pope Pius VII as agreed. His military campaigns, known as the Napoleonic Wars, expanded French control across Europe until his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. During his rule, he introduced the Code Napoléon in 1804, a comprehensive civil code that influenced legal systems worldwide, including Louisiana’s.
Napoléon married Joséphine de Beauharnais on March 9, 1796, but after she failed to bear him an heir, he divorced her in 1810. He then married Marie Louise of Austria, daughter of Emperor Francis II, by proxy on March 11, 1810; they met 16 days later. Their son, Napoleon II, was born on March 20, 1811. He fathered at least five illegitimate children, including Charles Léon born 1806, whom he acknowledged but refused to engage with. Marie Louise did not join him in exile and remarried three months after his death.
Napoléon’s Code Napoléon remains the foundation of civil law in many countries, including Louisiana. His political and military strategies are studied in military academies worldwide. He has been portrayed by actors such as Rod Steiger, Marlon Brando, and Charles Boyer. His nephew, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, became Emperor Napoleon III. The body of Napoleon II was moved from Vienna to Paris in 1940 as a gift from Adolf Hitler, and he now rests beside his father. Napoléon is remembered as a leader who transformed Europe through his legal code and military campaigns.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Napoléon Bonaparte — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
Napoléon Bonaparte's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
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A wall of memorable lines from Napoléon Bonaparte — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
A True Man Hates No One.
Music, of All the Liberal Arts, Has the Greatest Influence Over the Passions, and It Is to That Which the Legislator Ought to Give the Greatest Encouragement.
Men Are Moved by Two Levers Only: Fear and Self Interest.
Courage Is Like Love; It Must Have Hope for Nourishment.
Death Is Nothing, but to Live Defeated and Inglorious Is to Die Daily.
History Is a Set of Lies Agreed Upon.
A Man Will Fight Harder for His Interests Than for His Rights.
On Judgement Day the Doctors Will Have More Lives to Answer for Than Even We Generals.
Cairo Contains a Multitude of the Finest Mosques in the World.
Success Is the Most Convincing Talker in the World.
There Is No More Good Natured, but Also No More Gullible People Than the German. I Never Had to Sow Discord Among Them. All I Had to Do Was Unstretch My Nets, and They Would Run in Like a Shy Game. They Choked Each Other, and They Thought They Were Doing Their Duty. No Other People on Earth Is More Foolish. No Lie Can Be Concocted Crudely Enough: the Germans Believe It. for a Slogan Given to Them, They Persecuted Their Countrymen with Greater Bitterness Than Their Real Enemies.
Little-known facts about Napoléon Bonaparte — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Despite common belief that he was short, Napoléon was around 5’7, above the average height for an 18th century Frenchman. English propaganda created his reputation as a miniature tyrant. His nickname Le Petit Caporal referred to his humble background, not his stature.
Ludwig van Beethoven dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica, to Napoléon, but tore out the title page when Napoléon’s imperial ambitions became clear.
The Louisiana Purchase was sold to Thomas Jefferson for $11,250,000 about $0.05 per acre plus the United States assumed claims of its citizens against France for up to $3,750,000.
Dozens of actors have portrayed Napoléon, including Rod Steiger, Armand Assante, Marlon Brando, and Charles Boyer.
His second wife, Marie Louise of Austria, daughter of Francis II, married him by proxy on March 11, 1810; they met 16 days later. Their only child, Napoléon II, was born on March 20, 1811. Marie Louise did not join him in exile and remarried three months after his death. Napoléon acknowledged only one illegitimate child, Charles Léon, whose birth prompted his divorce from Joséphine.
Napoléon crowned himself Emperor on December 2, 1804. Contrary to myth, the procedure was agreed upon in advance; he crowned himself and then Joséphine. The event is captured in Jacques Louis David’s painting The Coronation of Napoléon.
Genetic evidence suggests lice-borne disease played a key role in Napoléon’s retreat through Russia in 1812.
He created the Code Napoléon, a civil law code that contrasts with English common law. Louisiana law is based on this code.
Napoléon’s nephew, Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte Napoléon III, was the son of Joséphine’s daughter and Napoléon’s brother. He became President of France from 1848-1852 and Emperor from 1852-1870.
Through her son, Joséphine is the great-grandmother of King Frederik VIII and a direct ancestor of many current European monarchs.
Napoléon is mentioned in the songs Waterloo by ABBA and Revol by Manic Street Preachers.
Followers of Nostradamus believe he named Napoléon as the first of three anti-Christs, with Adolf Hitler as the second.
His father, Carlo Buonaparte, an attorney, was named Corsica’s representative to the court of Louis XVI in 1778.
Napoléon invaded Egypt at the end of the 18th century.
One of his generals was novelist Choderlos de Laclos.
Through her son, Joséphine is also the great-grandmother of King Oscar II and an ancestor of many Scandinavian royals.
Despite his brilliance in military tactics, Napoléon was ironically a very poor chess player.
He was a French warrior and statesman.
Napoléon was allegedly morbidly afraid of cats and the number 13.
He died in exile on the island of Saint Helena on May 5, 1821.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Napoléon Bonaparte.
Celebrities similar to Napoléon Bonaparte — same craft, ranked by reach.
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