Bonaparte spent the final years of his life on the remote island of St. During the Napoleonic Wars, the famed military tactician expanded France’s footprint before a string of critical losses forced him into exile. As a political leader, Bonaparte broadly transformed French society, most notably ushering in the Napoleonic Code that still serves as the basis of civil codes around the world today. He was elected consul for life in 1802, then proclaimed the French emperor two years later. Bonaparte steadily rose to power in the tumult of the French Revolution before seizing power in a 1799 coup.
Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, he attended military schools in France and eventually embraced his adopted home.
Stripped Who Was Napoleon Bonaparte?įrench General Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the world’s greatest military leaders who became the first emperor of France, from 1804 to 1815.
