Napoleon Bonaparte
Thesis Statement
Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most powerful and strategic people of all time and
in my opinion he left a lasting and positive mark on today’s society. He grew up a foreigner
and relatively poor but napoleon using his mind was able to join the French foreign legion
and rise through its ranks until he had become into a position of power. Seeing the King unfit
to lead due to driving most of France into Poverty Napoleon backed the Jacobins and
overthrew the King. He then became a empire that unified Europe, created great nation and
international landmarks and treasures, and showed the world that talented people ruling are
better then a monarchy. Through his innovations and maverick views he helped create the
modern world as it is today.
Napoleon Research Paper outline
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
Childhood of Napoleon Bonaparte
a) Born Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769
b) Was foreign born but became a French citizen when Corsica was captured by the French.
c) Entered military school at age ten, teased because of small stature
French revolution
a) Caused because of the King putting France in debt
b) The rebels were called the Jacobins which Napoleon was one.
c) Napoleons army used superior strategies and became a effective fighting force
Becomes Emperor
a) Overthrow’s Directory
b) Presented France with a new constitution
c) Created a government staffed by talented men, not just nobles
d) Established a strong police force
e) Crowned by the Pope
Conquering Europe
a) Austrians
b) Russians
c) Prussia
Attacking England
a) Battle of Cape Trafalgar
b) Continental System
Downfall of the Empire
a) Continental System Falls apart
b) No heir
c) Invasion of Spain
d) Invasion of Russia
e) Russian massacre
f) European Armies Banding together
g) Capture of Napoleon
Napoleons Return
a) Escape from Elba
b) Battle of Waterloo
VIII.
IX.
c) End of 100 Days
Napoleons Death
a) Stomach Cancer
b) Death on May 5, 1821
c) Buried in Paris in the tomb of the Invalides
What Napoleon contributed to society
a) A pride of Frances history
b) Created pieces of art like the Arch de Triumph
c) Gathered a enormous amount of the world’s finest art
d) Unified Europe for a short time
Table of Contents
Page 1- Title page
Page 2- Thesis Page + Outline
Page 3- Outline Continued…
Page 4- Table of Contents
Page 5- Essay
Page 6- Essay Continued…
Page 7-Essay Continued…
Page 8- Essay Continued…
Page 9- Essay Continued…
Page 10- Work Cited
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A Life worth Knowing: Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte had a life rich in the art of war and was a key shaper of
modern society. When he was emperor he commissioned hundreds of paintings and artworks
including the Arc de Triomphe he praised the artists of his day and gathered the artwork of
he old. Something not recognized by most is that he unified Europe for one of the longest
recorded times although it wasn’t total peace he helped create treaties that stood for decades
after his death. So all in all Napoleon I life was filled to the brim from him being born a
foreigner and growing into a emperor of a different country.
Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769 even though this isn’t in France
he became a natural born French citizen when Corsica was invaded and captured by the
French. His family was consisted of his father a lawyer and his mother a stay at home mother
who took care or his four brothers and three sisters. He joined the French Military School in a
effort to blend with the country’s captors, but once there he was hazed and teased for being
small for his age and having a Italian accent. Due to him studying hard and having an
amazing strategic mind he was recommended into the Military Academy of Paris, the
equivalent to the West Pointe Academy of today. After graduating he was given the rank of
lieutenant and sent of into the French army.
When the French revolution started in 1789 due to the king of the time, King Louis XVI
driving the country into debt. Because of this the soon was in a state of chaos, due to the
main rebel group the Jacobins demanding social reforms. During the conflict Napoleon sided
with the Jacobins but was sent of to war as punishment, this ended up being a mistake due to
Napoleon pulling his fighting group together and winning battle after battle. Because of this
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he was promoted to Brigadier General, but since his country was in a death spiral he was
pulled back to Paris to bring the growing mobs under control. Once he established himself as
a superb commander for holding off rebel forces as a new constitution was being written, he
was awarded for his actions as being promoted to Commander of all Italian Fighting forces.
After this he married to Josephine de Beauharnais and left to fight in a wide variety of
conflicts, which he gained for France; Belgium, the west bank of the Rhine River, and the
famed Rosetta stone.
Once Napoleon returned to France he found out conditions had deteriorated further, with the
backing of the people Napoleon and a few other people in power overthrew the Directory and
presented France with yet another new Constitution. Having been a success he was awarded
with becoming the first Consul or ruler of France. After becoming a consul Napoleon
realized that nobles holding the major offices of the country was not working out so he fired
them and replaced them with talented people who he trusted. Succeeding that he established
a strong police force and restored peace and order while signing treaties with Austria and
England. Because of his maverick and innovative style the people elected him consul for life
and later Emperor of France. He was then crowned by the pope and given unlimited power.
Given unlimited power Napoleon decided to put it into use by increasing the size of his
empire. He did this in a series of battles in which he used his cavalry as a speed advantage
striking on army after another before they could react. First he decimated the Austrians at
Ulm then tracked the remnants of their army to Austerlitz where they had tried to join the
Russian, after defeating the combined army he captured parts of Germany and Italy and even
what was left of the Holy Roman Empire. He combined these lands to create the
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confederation of Rhine. With one of the last major powers left being Prussia he marched
forward and with a series of strikes secured it within a week.
Now that he had conquered or made treaties with almost all of mainland Europe he decided
to train his sights on Frances most dangerous and hated enemy, England. After the French
Navy confronted the English Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar the French Navy was seriously
crimpled, Napoleon left with not enough ships to invade England and barely enough to
secure his vast empire abandoned his plan to take England by force. With his Allies support
he put in place the Continental System, which enabled European counties to trade with any
country not part of mainland Europe.
Napoleon had suspected to destroy England’s economy quickly but was soon faced with
many countries acting treasonous with them opening their ports behind his back to England.
After he heard rumors of long time ally Spain doing this he invaded the country, even though
the Spain lost every battle other countries saw a chance to break free and followed Spain’s
example. Austria rebelled but was quelled quickly but Napoleons troubles were far from
over. Josephine not able to bear a son was divorced and Napoleon set out to find another
wife, seeing Austria as a threat he decided to marry a Austrian princess, Mary Louise. In
1810 she bore a son an heir to the throne. Frances suppression was causing growing dissent
among its allies and suppressed countries; soon Russia broke all treaties with France.
Napoleon wishing to not appear France immediately invaded Russia but due to no
forethought the French army did not bring the right clothes or supplies. Faced with the brutal
winter and sniper fire from the Russians only forty thousand troops out of over five hundred
thousand soldiers survived. Seeing France weakened an enormous army of various nations
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was summoned to invade France. With Paris invaded within weeks Napoleon was captured
and exiled to the island of Elba.
Napoleon seeing that the people of France were being suppressed saw a new opportunity
reveal itself and started plotting his escape. In March 1815 Napoleon daringly escaped Elba
and marched straight to the capital. All the forces King Louis XVIII sent to oppose him
joined his forces and seeing his defeat the king fled the country. Napoleon was given his
crown on March 20, 1815. Seeing that France had not recovered from its beating Napoleon
asked for peace from its enemies but after witnessing his strategies at work they back stabbed
him and attacked. In present day Belgium Napoleons meager army was ambushed and the
historical battle of Waterloo was thought. The combined coalition army beat Napoleon and
ended his one hundred days of ruling. Seeing his career in France ended he surrendered to
England and asked for asylum in England but was refused. He was token to the island of
Saint Helena and left fifteen hundred miles of the coast of Africa.
Napoleon never got a chance to leave Saint Helena and visit England but instead died of
stomach cancer on May 5th, 1821. After France claimed his remains they where returned to
France in 1840, his remains went under one of his greatest projects the Arc de triumph and
put in the Tomb of the Invalides. He is to this day a source of great pride in France and is one
of the nations greatest men.
Napoleon was by far one of the greatest shapers of today’s society with many enormous
contributions that are lasting to this day. A few of which are a pride in French history and a
sense of nationality. Napoleon had a great interest in art and over his career backed many art
and monument projects including the Arc de Triumph and numerous famous paintings. Not
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only did he commission great pieces of art he also was a avid collector and collected and
preserved hundreds of the worlds most famous paintings. Also another contribution he gave
society was a period of peace and prosperity in Europe that let many scientific contributions
take place. He boosted Frances economy to the point when the franc was the highest currency
in Europe. Helped devalue the use of nobles and show the world that talented men did a
better job.
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Work Cited
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http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=021090-00
David, Jacques Louis: “Napoleon Crossing the Alps” http://go.grolier.com/ February 21, 2009
David, Jacques Louis: “Napoleon in His Study” http://go.grolier.com/ February 21, 2009
Grant, R. G.. BATTLE. First. New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2005.
Gros: “Battle of the Pyramids” http://go.grolier.com/ February 21, 2009
Horward, Donald D. “Napoleon I, Emperor of the French (Napoleon Bonaparte).” Grollier
Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online. 12 Feb. 2009 http://gme.grolier.com/cgibin/article?assestid=0203475-0
“Napoleon I Bonaparte (1769-1821).” UXL Biographies. Online ed. Detroit: UXL, 2003. Student
Resource Center – Gold. Gale. Collier County public Schools. 16 Feb. 2009
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS.
“Napoleon I.” The Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia University Press, 2000. 27122. General
OneFile. Gale. Collier County Public Schools. 16 Feb.2009
http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS