Napoleon Bonaparte

Early Years
• Napoleon Bonaparte born August 15, 1769, on the island of Corsica, a French-riled island in the
Mediterranean Sea.
• Sent to France at 9 years old to begin his military training
• 20 year old lieutenant when the revolution broke out
• Favored Jacobin radical government but felt he should side with anyone that held power. “It is
better to eat than be eaten.”
• Rose quickly in the army during the revolution

Early Victories
• December 1739, drove British forces out of the French port of Toulon
• Several victories against the Austrian Empire in Italy.
• By 1797, Austrian emperor forced to sign a peace treaty

Campaign 1798-1799
• Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt to fight the British there and stop British trade with India
• Defeated Ottoman Turk forces at the Battle of the Pyramids outside of Cairo
• Egyptian campaign turned into a disaster
• Lost major naval battle against the British
• After trying to invade Palestine, many soldiers died Bubonic Plague
• Hid the fact of major losses from the French people through a sophisticated network of spies
and censoring the media’s coverage of the campaign