Introduction
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French leader and emperor in the early 19th century. Bonaparte is known for his military strategy, which ensured the success of the French army against its major opponents. During his tenure as the French leader, Bonaparte is credited with implementing changes that enhanced the legal system. Bonaparte also participated in various military wins that broadened the French territory. Although his downfall was a result of battle losses, Bonaparte’s military education in his early life prepared the leader for the opportunity to seize power and conquer Europe.
Early Life
Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio in 1769 to a noble family on the island of Corsica, which had been acquired in the previous year by France from the state of Genoa. This ensured that upon his birth, Bonaparte adopted a French spelling of his last name. Bonaparte received early education that prepared him for his involvement in military school. Not much is known about his life as a boy in Corsica as the records were not preserved. “His chosen plaything, they say, was a small brass cannon” (Lockhart 3). The early life of Bonaparte shows that he had a different character from his peers, which led to more respect. There were instances where Bonaparte refused to give out the name of the children, they had committed a mistake to save them (Lock 16). Bonaparte did not have a problem facing punishment. This is indicative of the character of the individual who would later become the leader of the French people.
Bonaparte had long wanted to be involved in the military from his childhood. As indicated in the earlier quote, his favorite play toy was a brass canon. In his early life, Bonaparte disliked the French because of the damage their invasions of Corsica had caused. Stories from his father inspired Bonaparte to envision great military battles, which would later happen in his adult life. At the age of 7 years, Bonaparte obtained admission to the military school in Paris and later at age 15 moved to the Royal Military School in the same area (Lockhart 5). Being sent to the prestigious school was “an extraordinary compliment to the genius and proficiency of a boy of fifteen” (Lockhart 5). Bonaparte’s view on the current government had already been formed. The Corsican was of the view that the set up of government at that time should be changed. This formed a major part of the decisions Bonaparte took during the start of his military career.
The Coup
Before taking over the government, Bonaparte was involved in various military adventures. In 1785, Bonaparte obtained his first commission as a second lieutenant in the artillery regiment (Lockhart 6). In this setup, the military strategist was able to interact with fellow soldiers. This was much different from the character of his childhood where Bonaparte did not interact with other children. Bonaparte possessed the art “of rendering himself eminently agreeable wherever it suited his purpose or inclination to do so” (Lockhart 6). The quote shows that education at the Royal Military School changed Bonaparte’s character. At the school, the teenager interacted with children from the French nobility who spent lavishly (Lockhart 4). This prompted Bonaparte to suggest the school change the meal rationing to that of soldiers because students would be unable to acclimatize to the camp environment. These experiences would prove pivotal to the way Bonaparte perceived the French people and government.
In the early months of 1792, Bonaparte became the captain of the artillery and was a witness to the scenes of 20th June. These events formed a big part of Bonaparte’s idea of the government. High testimonials from the military academy enabled Bonaparte to gain control of the artillery section (Lock 17). The leader implemented changes to the operations of the force by remedying some defects that had been identified in the artillery. The changes resulted in the creation of an efficient train of 200-gun pieces (Lockhart 11). Having participated as chief of the battalion in the Italian army, Bonaparte was unable to gain a meaningful position in the French army for some years. At this time, the French country was led by the Directory, which was a group of five people that made the major decisions (Lockhart 18). However, the body was unpopular and there were suggestions that the national guard would take over power.
In the years that followed, Bonaparte participated in various wars as the head of the army. Bonaparte returned to France from Egypt and in November 1799 he was involved in the coup that overthrew the French Directory (Lock 17). A three-member consulate assumed the powers of leading the government. Bonaparte crowned himself the first consul for life in 1802 and 2 years later became the emperor of France (Lock 19). This completed the full ascendancy of Bonaparte to the French throne.
Military Wins
Napoleon Bonaparte was involved in various battles throughout his career as a military officer. As the emperor, Bonaparte also sought to enhance the territories of France. One of the greatest wars that enhanced his reputation was the defeat of the Austrians in 1800 during the battle of Marengo (Lockhart 152). The Austrians were a significant enemy of France and had caused significant damage to the countryside. During the fight, the French army benefited from the military strategy of Bonaparte. “Everywhere the French arms had splendid success”, shows the impact of the leadership of Bonaparte (Lockhart 157). The battle of Marengo led to the Austrian monarchy yielding parts of its territory to France in the treaty of Luneville (Lockhart 156). This signified the end of Austria being a perennial enemy to France as in the following years there was relative peace between the two nations.
Another significant military win was the treaty of Amiens, which was signed by the British government. The French army had been involved in various battles with the United Kingdom. During the war of the second coalition, the Royal British Navy scored a brilliant win over Bonaparte’s army in Egypt. The two had been in constant battles because of the need for control of the trade routes. Bonaparte had identified that disrupting the trading paths of the British empire would result in reducing their impact in Europe. This was one of the reasons why Bonaparte was sent to Egypt in the second coalition wars. Despite significant losses in the battles with the United Kingdom, the French were able to achieve their objectives in other ways. The defeat of Austria and Prussia resulted in the British army being isolated, which led to the signing of the treaty of Amiens (Lockhart 163). However, the peace only lasted for one year, and the wars resumed again. Bonaparte scored decisive wins for his country and managed to become the first consul for life and then emperor without people raising any issues.
Downfall
The start of the end of Bonaparte’s reign was in 1810 following the withdraw of Prussia from the Continental System. This was a model that was created as a way of waging economic warfare against the British empire (Lockhart 256). The system blocked certain European ports from access to ships allied with the United Kingdom. The withdrawal of Prussia resulted in a massive retaliation attempt that was geared toward invading Russia. However, the casualties at the battle of Borodino were too heavy for the French army to proceed with the war. In the same period, the peninsular war resulted in significant losses for the French empire. The last heavy defeat was the battle of Leipzig, which resulted in the retreat of the French army and the capture of Paris in 1814 (Lockhart 378). On April 1814, Bonaparte abdicated his post and noted that “obtain the best terms you can for France- for myself I ask nothing” (Lockhart 419). Bonaparte escaped Elba and raised a new army but was defeated again and forced to abdicate the second and final time.
Conclusion
In summary, Bonaparte was a visionary, ambitious, and strategic leader. During his tenure as the French emperor, Bonaparte applied his vast military skills to deliver decisive wins for the army. This enhanced the reputation of the country and the growth of its people. However, significant losses to the allied forces resulted in an end to the reign of Bonaparte through abdication.
Works Cited
Lock, Nicholas. “Napoleon Bonaparte: From Corsica to Russia.” The Histories, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 15-21.
Lockhart, John Gibson. The History of Napoleon Buonaparte. Good Press, 2019.