Also known as Napoleon I, Napoleon Bonaparte’s life spanned the years of 1769 – 1821. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica (history.com). He was born into a family of eight children. His family was of noble background, however, they were considered to be poor. As a boy, Napoleon attended school in France and went on to graduate from a French military academy in 1785 (history.com). At the age of 16, Napoleon left home and became a lieutenant in the French artillery in 1785 (Understanding Western Society, 605). Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799) (history.com).
During the early years of the revolution, Napoleon became associated with a democratic political group called the Jacobins. He was on military leave at home in Corsica at the time. After an argument with the Corsican governor, his family fled Corsica for the French mainland and Napoleon resumed active military duty in France. While in France, he
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Other victories soon followed, allowing Napoleon to greatly expand the French empire (biography.com). Beginning in 1810, his army began to suffer severe losses. In 1812, they invaded Russia. This campaign was a huge failure. His troops were not prepared for a long, drawn out campaign. Napoleon waited a month for the Russians to surrender but they never did. Unprepared to face a grueling winter with very little food or supplies, his army retreated from Russia’s capital city. Upon their defeat, only approximately 16% of his men were still fit to fight. Faced with limited resources, and increased pressure from the international community, Napoleon had no choice but to give up his throne. He was sent into exile to Elba, one of the largest islands off the coast of