Napoleon was a military marshal who became the first emperor of France. Under his military control of the Army, which effectively stood at 30,000 strong troops who won numerous crucial victories against the Austrians. These victories would strengthen the French empire and help praise Napoleon for what he accomplished in the military to be perceived as a military hero. After deforming an internal threat by the royalists, who desired to return France to a monarchy, Napoleon would disrupt English trade routes to India by invading Egypt.