Napoleon Bonaparte Born in Ajaccio

Summary

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, shortly after the island came under French control. Educated at military schools in mainland France, he became an artillery officer and rose rapidly during the French Revolution. Victories in Italy established his reputation, and in 1799 he participated in the coup that created the Consulate. Napoleon became first consul and then crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. His armies won major victories and brought much of continental Europe under direct or indirect French control before costly campaigns, especially in Spain and Russia, weakened his empire. Beyond warfare, his government reorganized administration, education, taxation, and law, most famously through the Napoleonic Code. Defeated and exiled in 1814, he briefly returned to power in 1815 before his final defeat at Waterloo. He died in exile on Saint Helena in 1821.