Ascension200
Ascension, an Island created by Fire 4
Without Napoleon we would probably be celebrating a different bicentenary
in 2015. It all started with Napoleon. So who was Napoleon, the man?
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on 15 August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, an
island in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to France. The originally
Buonaparte family had its roots in Italy. He was the fourth of eight children.
When he was eight, Napoleon was sent to school in France. He was a
homesick and lonely boy. He was teased because of his strong Corsican
accent and poor French. His small size earned him the nickname of the
“Little Corporal”. The foundations for his military career were laid in his
education.
He was intelligent and very good at maths. He loved reading and books were
an escape for him, from loneliness and family problems after the death of his
father. His favourite subject was history and he wanted nothing more than to
follow in the footsteps of famous leaders in history. He was determined to
achieve greatness in his own life.
Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796. She was a widow with
two children, older than him. Very soon after the wedding he left her in Paris
and went to war to protect French interests. He wrote Josephine passionate
letters declaring his great love for her. Unfortunately Josephine did not return
his feelings and her infidelity left him heart-broken. They never had any
children and the marriage was dissolved.
In 1810 he married Marie Louise, the daughter of Emperor Francis II of
Austria. They had one son who died in 1832.
In 1804 when Napoleon became the emperor he founded the House of
Bonaparte, a royal European dynasty. They held power for around a decade.
According to historians Napoleon’s character was full of contradictions. He
could be ‘mild and stern, kind and unforgiving, generous and egotistical, farseeing and short-sighted, capable of inspiring others, but also vindictive,
petty and callous.’ He has been called a ‘chameleon’ due to his ability to
adapt to any situation.
Napoleon believed that a man had to fulfil his destiny in life.