Who was Napoleon I?

Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), usually referred to as simply Napoleon in English, was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804.

As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815.

Born on the island of Corsica not long after its annexation by the Kingdom of France, Napoleon's modest family descended from minor Italian nobility. He supported the French Revolution in 1789 while serving in the French army. He rose rapidly in the Army after he saved the governing French Directory by firing on royalist insurgents.

Historians emphasize the strength of the ambition that took Napoleon from an obscure village to rule over most of Europe. "I am of the race that founds empires" he once boasted, deeming himself an heir to the Ancient Romans. The force of his personality neutralized material difficulties as his soldiers fought with the confidence that with Napoleon in charge they would surely win.