Born in Corsica to a minor noble family in 1769, Napoleon was sent to military school at the age of 10. Given his place in society, if the French Revolution hadn't brought about great social change, then he probably never would have risen above captain in the army. By the age of 28, Napoleon had risen to brigadier general and was made head of the army of Italy. In 1798, Napoleon began a military campaign in Egypt.
He saw himself as following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, these great conquerors and military geniuses of the ancient world. Realizing he was going to lose Egypt to the British, Napoleon abandoned his troops and returned to France in 1799. He became involved in a coup to overthrow the government. What emerged really was a government that Napoleon created with him as the first of three consuls of France.
One observer outside the proceedings in Paris was asked, what's in the Constitution? And his answer was, Bonaparte. As First Consul, Napoleon reformed education and the law, creating the Napoleonic Code that allowed freedom of religion and denied privileges of noble birth. As a product of the revolution, the other powers in Europe despised Napoleon. A lot of people think Napoleon was short.
He was actually probably about average height. But of course the British really tried to... Played down Napoleon as much as they could, make him seem this small puny little figure.
So a lot of what we get about Napoleon's size comes from British propaganda. Voted emperor for life in 1804, Napoleon won the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, which would solidify him as one of the greatest commanders in military history. The final shots of the battle were Russians fleeing across a frozen pond, and Napoleon targeted the pond with his artillery and sank the Russian troops where they froze to death. To secure the Bonaparte dynasty, Napoleon needed an heir.
By 1810, his wife Josephine was in her late 40s. He divorced her, and then he married an Austrian princess, Marie-Louise, who never particularly liked him, but who did give him what he wanted, which was a son and an heir. In 1812, Napoleon began a Russian campaign that would prove disastrous. He was forced to retreat from Russia, and on that retreat... as a consequence of cold, hunger, disease, and Russian attacks, he lost the great bulk of his army.
Napoleon surrendered on March 30, 1814, and was exiled to the island of Elba. One year later, Bonaparte escaped and returned to rule France. The next year, Napoleon suffered a devastating defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
Bonaparte was exiled to the island of St. Helena, where he would spend the rest of his days. Napoleon's final years on the island of St. Helena are when he is crafting his own legend through a series of interviews that become the book Memoirs of St. Helena. That book sold very well throughout Europe.
Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, at the age of 51. We probably should remember Napoleon as a war criminal. We probably will remember Napoleon as one of the greatest military geniuses. in all of history.