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Napoleon's Birth
Napoleon was born in Corsica. He grew up as a military man. His parents sent him to military school at young ages. -
Napoleon becomes part of the army.
Napoleon was 16 years old and he was done with his school. Napoleon wanted a place in the army and he was lieutenant in the artillery. When the Revolution started, Napoleon became apart of the army of the new government. -
Napoleon becomes the French's hero
Napoleon had a mission to protect the delegates. Napoleon defended against attackers with cannonades and this led to the attackers leaving with fear. Napoleon was now more recognized as the savior of the French. -
Napoleon returns
Napoleon returned and he took power. There were now three consuls (Napoleon was one). Napoleon’s coup was ongoing and Britain, Austria, and Russia. They ended up making a peace treaty. -
Napoleon restores the Sugar Industry
. In 1801, Napoleon decided to take back the colony and restore its productive sugar industry. The French forces were devastated by diseases. Also, the rebels proved to be fierce fighters. -
Napoleon turns himself into an Emperor.
In 1804, Napoleon decided to make himself
emperor. This is because of his ambition and public approval, which inspired him to go further. French voters supported him. -
Napoleon walks down the Notre Dame Cathedral
Napoleon walked down the long aisle of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Napoleon wanted to set his own rules. He did this by crowning himself and setting his sites on the historic cathedral in the birthplace of Paris on the Ile de la Cite. -
The Continental System
In November 1806, Napoleon set up a blockade to prevent all trade and communication between Great
Britain and other European nations. He called this policy the Continental System. This was because it was supposed to make Europe more self-sufficient. -
The Peninsular War
Napoleon sent an invasion force to Spain. The Spanish were not happy with this action. This led to the Peninsular War, which weakened the French Empire. -
Marching into Russia
Napoleon and his Grand Army of more than 420,000 soldiers marched into Russia. Russian soldiers retreated and practiced a policy known as scorched earth. This policy consisted of burning all grains and slaughtering all livestock that would be available to enemies so that they would be left without food or any resources. -
The Battle of Borodino
The two armies finally clashed in the Battle of Borodino. Napoleon forced the Russian Army to retreat. Napoleon was able to move into Moscow, and he found out that the city was destroyed. Even after this discovery, he managed to stay until mid-October of the same year. -
The Battle of Leipzig
After raising another army in a short time-span, Napoleon faced the allied armies of the European powers outside the German city of Leipzig. His armies were still very unprepared, which led them to their defeat. This led to the crumbling of the French Resistance. -
Allied armies push forward
The allied armies pushed cautiously toward Paris. A couple of months later, King Frederick William III of Prussia and Czar Alexander I of Russia led their troops in a parade through the French capital. The parade was meant for celebrating their triumph, and it gave them a sense of victory. -
Napoleon's Exile to Elba
Napoleon accepted the terms of surrender and gave up his throne. The victors gave Napoleon a small pension and exiled him to the tiny island of Elba. Napoleon was expected to stay there forever, but unexpectedly he was able to escape. -
Napoleon escapes from Elba
The news of Louis’s troubles was all the incentive Napoleon needed to try to regain power. Napoleon escaped from Elba and landed in France. This led him to regain France's power all over again. -
The Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. This defeat ended Napoleon’s last bid for power called the Hundred Days. This battle forced his abdication and ensured the restoration of Louis to the French throne in July. -
Napoleon's Exile to St. Helena
The British shipped Napoleon to St. Helena, an
island in the South Atlantic. The British government selected Saint Helena as the place of detention for Napoleon Bonaparte since it was located very far away, and it was impossible for him to escape. He stayed there for six years until his death. -
Napoleon's death
After staying six years at the island of St. Helena, Napoleon dies. On his final years living isolated, he spent writing all the memoirs he could remember. He is said to have died of a stomach ailment, or perhaps cancer.
