Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a military and political leader of France who played a significant part in the creation of modern Europe and is considered by many historians to be the first modern man.
With his native intelligence and an insatiable appetite for hard work he rose from a minor position in the military to become the Emperor of France at the age of 35, saving the French Revolution from the turmoil that had plagued it for a decade and spreading the benefits of the Revolution to the people of Europe. However the Monarchs of Europe were determined to see the French Revolution fail, lest their own subjects get ideas in their head about throwing out their own respective monarchies, and so they continually formed a series of alliances against France in an effort to reinstate the Bourbon monarchy that had been removed by the people. After a series of defensive wars, Napoleon was finally forced to abdicate in 1815. He handed himself over to the British and offered to retire to a country cottage in England. Instead, the British imprisoned him on the island of St Helena, one of the most remote places on earth. He lived his last few years here and died – many believe as a result of arsenic poisoning – in 1821.
Start your journey of discovery about Napoleon Bonaparte by listening to the first episode of our acclaimed podcast or by visiting the Napoleon Bonaparte Podcast Online Store to purchase a Napoleon Bonaparte biography by J. David Markham, President of the International Napoleonic Society.
Other pages you might want to visit: