Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769 - 1821
The Emperor Napoleon in his study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David (1812)
Born: 15 August 1769, Ajaccio, Corsica
Died: 5 May 1821, Longwood, Saint Helena, British Empire
Born to a Genoese noble family, Napoleon Bonaparte — christened Napoleone di Buonaparte — rose to become Emperor of France, and the man that the Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington called the greatest general of all time. His early years were unremarkable. Born the second of eight children, his family was noble but only moderately wealthy. In 1779, he was sent to France and was accepted to the Ecole Militaire in Paris, from which he graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant, after having completed the two year artillery course in only a year. In 1789 the French Revolution broke out, spreading throughout France. After having achieved the rank of Brigadier General at age 24, Napoleon was arrested a year later when Robespierre, the leader of the revolution, fell from power. He was released in two weeks, and promoted shortly thereafter. Napoleon was assigned the job of suppressing rebellions against the new regime as leader of the French Army in Italy.
His personal life changed greatly during this period. He married his wife Josephine, whom he had met in 1785, in 1796. He would remain married to her until their divorce in 1809. Having conquered much of Europe, he nearly fell to a royalist assassin's bomb in 1800. The near-miss killed or wounded 52 people, and was only one of many attempted assassinations. Perhaps feeling his mortality, he signed the Amiens treaty with Britain, which lasted only a year before the British violated the treaty in 1803, reigniting the war with Great Britain. This resulted in Napoleon fighting the Peninsular Wars against Britain in Spain and Portugal, where he first faced Wellington. While that effort continued he led his main army against Moscow, losing over 90% of that huge force. Napoleon had been proclaimed Emperor in 1804, and continued to terrorize the rest of Europe with his military prowess until the fall of Paris in 1814, when he was exiled to Elba, an island off the Tuscan coast. He escaped and returned to France in 1815, setting off the Hundred Days War. He again faced Wellington, and after his defeat at Waterloo he was exiled to the distant island of St. Helena, where he died.
Biography from Wikipedia and the BBC
Additional quotes from Wikiquote. Wikiquote entries are often "sourced" and may include items longer than those included here, particularly for poets, lyricists, and dramatists.
Napoleon Bonaparte quotes:
Quotes found : 157 — (15 per page, this is page 1 of 11) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Click here to find books by Napoleon Bonaparte at Amazon.com
- A book in which there were no lies would be a curiosity. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Napoleon: In His Own Words (1916) - A constitution should be framed so as not to impede the action of government, nor force the government to its violation. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A form of government that is not the result of a long sequence of shared experiences, efforts, and endeavors can never take root. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Statement (1803) - A general must be a charlatan. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Napoleon: In His Own Words (1916) - A Government protected by foreigners will never be accepted by a free people. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A great people may be killed, but they cannot be intimidated. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A journalist is a grumbler, a censurer, a giver of advice, a regent of sovereigns, a tutor of nations. Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - A king is sometimes obliged to commit crimes; but they are the crimes of his position. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A King should sacrifice the best affections of his heart for the good of his country; no sacrifice should be above his determination. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Political Aphorisms, Moral and Philosophical Thoughts of Emperor Napoleon (1848) - A leader is a dealer in hope. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - A man who has no consideration for the needs of his men ought never to be given command. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Napoleon: In His Own Words (1916) - A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - A prince should suspect everything. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte - Napoleon: In His Own Words (1916) - Ability is nothing without opportunity. permalink
Napoleon Bonaparte
Quotes found : 157 — (15 per page, this is page 1 of 11) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next
Please report any problems on this page! If you see any typos, incorrect attributions, deformed characters, or any other problem with this page, we want to fix it as soon
as possible. Please click here to report errors.
Note: Do not use titles in author searches, we don't use them, including president, senator, prime minister, king, queen, saint, pope, or doctor, or abbreviations thereof. See explanation here.
