Eric Gallant

D Block
11/11/14

It is hard to believe that a man so powerful, he had half of europe under his control, was
once a simple child. Born August 15, 1769 to Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte, Napoleon had an
upbringing that would propel him through his life to the top. Raised in Corsica, he attended
military colleges of Brenne and Paris as soon as he left home at the age of nine(Napoleon
Biography). His father, a lawyer, was ironically a part of the Corsican independence
movement(Bloom). Being a powerful man came with many admirers, but in his eyes none could
be compared to Josephine. He adored her and she did nothing but cheat and use him. Ironically,
he was eventually married a second time to Marie Louise but this time, he used her for his
gain(Schlessinger Media). After his great life, he died on May 5, 1821 in Mt. St. Helena in
South America.
While he was quite well known for dictatorship, Napoleon's military influence is still felt
today. Initially, his campaign started in Italy but his finesse was in Egypt. As Napoleon crushed
Egyptian forces, scientists and researchers captured Egypts culture. Although the major reason
for travelling there was to disrupt British trade. But in the midst of his fighting, he foresaw an
opportunity for himself to return home and proclaim himself emperor(Napoleon and the
Scientific Expedition to Egypt). After becoming emperor, he returned to his military affairs. In
1805, Napoleon cut of Austrian supplies line and made them surrender at Ulm. His next move
was to counter-attack Austerlitz, which he did so quite effectively. The Austro-Russian army
was split in two and then destroyed with a loss of 27,000 men compared with 9000 French
casualties This massive battle gave France part of Italy, Germany, and made Russia
retreat. This was the peak of Napoleon's campaign(The campaigns of Napoleon). While he
was on top of Europe, he eventually lost his perfect streak. His encounter in Russia went very
poor due to scorched tactics. All the marching across Russia was for nothing because when the

Eric Gallant
D Block
11/11/14

mighty french army arrived, Moscow was in flames. The government decided their best move
was to make sure the French could get nothing out of coming to Russia. It most definitely
worked due to the fact one third of Napoleons army died or abandoned him on the march there
or back. For this and other reasons Napoleon was exiled, but he made his return for an all or
nothing battle at waterloo. The battle was incredibly close but unfortunately for the great
dictator, france had lost and he was exiled yet again(Schlessinger Media).
Even still today, Napoleon is widely studied for his modern battle tactics and
strategies. Before every battle, he would view every possible solution. There is no man more
pusillanimous than I when I am planning a campaign,said Napoleon himself. He always tried to
intimidate his opponent, often by threatening their capital city. Even when his enemy had more
troops, Napoleon was always ready. He would push all his troops against a portion of the enemy
troops so he always outnumbered them. This allowed him to take out large armies with small
numbers. A favorite strategy for him was to engulf one of the enemy flanks and attack their
communications in the rear. With an array of different army types, such as cavalry, lancers, or
anything else Napoleon was quite successful and is now known to be one of the best generals of
all time(Chandler).
Multitasking as a general, the worlds top general dictated a country at the same time. He
crowned himself and his wife emperor in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 1799. With a
brief political history it was not surprising that he named himself. Starting small by leading just
France, Napoleon fought and gained significant territory. Napoleon started his military
campaign with nothing, and ended up controlling Austria, Italy, Germany, Prussia, Spain, and a
few more(Timeline of Napoleon's Empire). Napoleon used his army in the most effective ways

Eric Gallant
D Block
11/11/14

by taking enemy territory piece by piece. Just like controlling his army, he lead his country in a
similar way.
Especially after the French Revolution, many changes were needed to be made in France,
most of which Napoleon tried to deliver. Organized into a set of laws and codes called the
Napoleonic Code, the great emperor lead his country into a bright new age. Highly influential to
many other European countries of the same time, these laws protected the basic rights and
liberties for all non-black men in the empire. Fixing a major cause of the revolution, Napoleon
created equal taxes for all. Additionally, he centralized the government to put all the power in
the national government, making it more efficient. Caring greatly about education of children,
he built many lycees, or schools for boys age 10-16. In 1807, he declared, Of all our
institutions public education is the most important. Only boys could attend because girls learned
everything they needed from their mothers(Napoleonic Reforms).
As Isaac Newton once said,What that goes up, must come down, even if it is a
conquering emperor. While Napoleon was gaining power, he gained many enemies. Most
notable of his jealous enemies included Great Britain and Austria, who happened to be in an
alliance. Later on, Alexander I of Russia, joined the anti-French alliance. Discontent for
Napoleon was growing in France as well, as Napoleon narrowly escaped two
assassinations. Additionally, the Pope VII excommunicated Napoleon. When Napoleon was
weakened in Moscow and eventually lost respect of his country, and was exiled. Surprisingly, he
returned a year later and claimed his throne yet again. Although, his forces were not enough to
win at Waterloo and he was cast out to live the rest of his dying life at Mt. St. Helena in 1814,
where he was allegedly poisoned to death(The Fall of Napoleon Empire ).

Eric Gallant
D Block
11/11/14

Napoleon was nothing less than one of historys greatest leaders of all time. There is
something to say about a man from the 19 century having such modern battle tactics. Taking
over most of Europe is a feat that very few men can achieve. Additionally, many powerful
leaders did not care about their country as much as Napoleon did. One of his major virtues was
France First(Schlessinger Media). Amazingly, he won so many battles and wars and is still
studied for his insightful battle strategy. He shaped modern warfare in a way no one else
has. He single handedly led the empire that change all of Europe in under two decades.