Napoleon’s Early Career

Family

Napoleon was born in Corsica – an Italian city that was once part of Italy but now under the rule of France.

Napoleon’s father – Charles Bonaparte – was to go to Versailles and represent the people of Corsica at the Estates General.

Upon going there Napoleon enrolled in a military school

Family

By the age of 16, while studying at school, Napoleon’s dad died in 1785 and Napoleon automatically became the head of his family by virtue of being the oldest male in his family.

While his family was well liked in Corsica, Napoleon began to feel alone and isolated in France, studying at school.

Military Calls

While he may have felt isolated in France, Napoleon stuck to his studies and became an artillery officer for France’s military.

This was a prestigious position and job. It was meant for people who were top of their class – and Napoleon was definitely the top of his class.

Napoleon had a phenomenal memory – his brain was like a chest of drawers, when asked a question he would close his eye, open the correct drawer of information and poof all the information he needed was right there.

Military Calls

Because of his memory, Napoleon constantly impressed the Generals within the French Army.

Napoleon constantly was able to tell the Generals exactly where every cannon, horse and soldier were at all times.

Anti- Revolutionaries

Napoleon was a fervent believer in the French Revolution.

He believed in Liberty, Freedom and Equality. He wanted to get rid of the monarchy as much as the Jacobins did.

When some anti-revolutionary forces were put together, Napoleon was given command of a group of troops to destroy the anti-revolutionary forces.

Anti- Revolutionaries

In 1793 (Napoleon is 24) he helped re-capture the city of Toulon from anti-revolutionary forces. It was a city that was difficult to win from the anti-revolutionary forces, and yet Napoleon struck quickly and took it over.

The French Military, impressed with Napoleon’s win in Toulon and named him a General within the French Army and was one of the youngest General’s in French Military history.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

A campaign is a military plan of battle, and a location where a battle is to, or has, taken place.

Thus, an Italian and Egyptian Campaign are two places where Napoleon took his newly minted army, and as a General attacked major cities in Italy and Egypt in an attempt to win them over for France.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

The spirit of the French Revolution spread throughout Europe like a wild fire.

People, citizens, were buying into the political philosophies of the Enlightenment and wanted forms of freedom, equality and liberty.

Many educated, and young, citizens started to spread word of the French Revolution and its success (or apparent success) around Europe.

This threatened the Royal Monarchies throughout Europe, this included the Austrian Empire – an empire that was in control of Italy.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

Italy was no friend of the French. They did not want to be controlled by the French, but they did however, hate their current leaders – the Austrians – even more than the French.

Napoleon, and the French, had a similar enemy to that of the Italians – the Austrians, and thus the French decided to send in an army to wipe out the Austrians and free the Italians from the wretched ball and chain that was Austria.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

In 1796 Napoleon (27) came into Italy and defeated the Austrian army at key locations in Lodi, Castigliogne and Arcole.

He drove out the Austrians, and set up a new French controlled republic throughout Italy.

After his victories, Napoleon said to the people of Italy in 1797, “People of Italy! The French army comes to break your

chains. The French nation is a friend of all nations; receive us with trust! Your property, your religion, your customs will be respected. We shall wage war like generous enemies, for our only quarrel is with the tyrants who have enslaved you.”

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

Unfortunately for the people of Italy, Napoleon was not being truthful.

He and his army stole everything they could from Italy – including paintings, jewellery and valuable ancient tombs.

Napoleon would pay for his army, and feed his army, from the spoils of Italy – i.e everything he stole from cities in Italy (after he won a battle) he would send it to France for money, or sell it himself to the locals for food, weapons or money.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

Napoleon would keep some of the valuables that he stole and shipped it back to his place in France. He became independently wealthy by sacking villages and taking all their precious valuables for himself.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

Overjoyed and over confident with his own success in Italy, Napoleon asked the French government to march into Egypt and take it over in the name of France.

The French government agreed and Napoleon took his army to the tip of Egypt near the Nile River. His hope was to cut off a vital line of transportation of goods and services for the people of Britain.

Napoleon easily crushed the Egyptian army, but once he reached the Nile the British re-paid his army with an equally embarrassing and crushing defeat.

Italian and Egyptian Campaign

British Admiral Horatio Nelson led the assault on Napoleon and defeated him at the Nile River in Egypt.

Napoleon had no choice but to retreat and head back to France.

While you may think he would come home as a defeated man, instead he had a royal welcome awaiting him in Paris.

Napoleon, despite his loss to the British Navy in Egypt, came home to France more popular then ever.