Napoleon I (Napoleon Bonaparte). Biography. Napoleon Bonaparte - biography When Napoleon was born

Name: Napoleon Bonaparte

Age: 51 years old

Place of Birth: Ajaccio, Corsica, France

A place of death: Longwood, Saint Helena, Britain

Activity: emperor, commander, statesman

Family status: was married

Napoleon Bonaparte - biography

A commander and diplomat with a phenomenal memory, the Emperor of France entered world history not by chance. Much has been written about him, his war strategies have been studied in detail. This is a man of extraordinary destiny.

Childhood, family

Napoleon was born in Corsica. The family was not rich, but of noble origin. The family raised eight children. My father worked in the legal profession, my mother was a housewife, as they would say now, she was raising her children. Initially, the surname of this family was pronounced only as Buanaparte; the Bonaparte variant came from Tuscany. All children studied sacred history and literacy at home. Further education for the boy took place in a private school.

From the age of 10, Autun College awaited him. Napoleon did not graduate from college and continued his studies at the Brienne Military School. He likes military service and chooses the Military Academy in Paris. He had already graduated from the educational institution with the rank of lieutenant. Almost immediately his military biography begins. The young man begins his service in the artillery.

Hobbies of Napoleon

In his youth, Napoleon was incredibly modest and reserved; he read a lot and studied military science. Participated in the development of the defense of Corsica. He tries himself in literature, writes reports, and thinks that he will gain fame in writing. But this is not the only thing the young man is interested in. History, geography, legislation, philosophy - he is fascinated by everything.

He draws from each of these sciences material for his rich imagination, composes stories, and writes historical treatises on the history of his native country. Unfortunately, not a single work of Napoleon was printed or published; all of his works were preserved in handwritten form. Bonaparte hated France; he believed that it had conquered his homeland, for which he had a special love.

Career

Napoleon was a revolutionary and rebel at heart, which is why he immediately accepted the French Revolution. He becomes a member of the Jacobin Club. When they took Toulon and defeated the British, Bonaparte was awarded the rank of brigadier general. From this moment on, the biography of the military leader changes dramatically. His next merit was the suppression of the rebellion and his appointment as commander of the army. And the commander justified all the hopes that were placed on him during the Italian campaign.

He receives a referral to Syria, and then to Egypt. Napoleon is defeated. But, in order to rehabilitate himself, he voluntarily decides to participate in the battle with Suvorov’s army. He returned to Paris during the coup, became consul, and subsequently emperor. Under Napoleon, the Civil Code and Roman Law were published.

Napoleon strengthened his power with all his laws, carrying out reforms in many areas. Some of them are still present in the modern state. There were hostilities between France, Austria and England. Napoleon secured his borders and subjugated almost all European countries, and in the remaining territories he created kingdoms and gave them to his family members.

Everything was going well, but the war lasted twenty years, from which everyone was tired. The situation was worsened by the economic crisis and the protest of the bourgeoisie against the sole power of the emperor.

Collapse of the Empire

1812 is a turning point in Napoleon's empire. Russia did not succumb to Bonaparte, the French troops were defeated. A coalition of four countries finally defeated Napoleonic army and entered Paris. Napoleon abdicated his throne, retaining the emperorship. He was exiled to the distant island of Elba, but soon fled, resuming the war.

Napoleon suffered a final fiasco during the Battle of Waterloo. The biography of the great commander ended shamefully. Bonaparte was again sent into exile on the island of St. Helena for six long years.

Napoleon Bonaparte - biography of personal life

Napoleon was married to the barren Josephine Beauharnais, she was six years older than her husband. Without waiting for heirs, he remarried the daughter of the Austrian Emperor, Marie-Louise. She bore the emperor a son.

There are no descendants of Bonaparte left; his only son died young. There were illegitimate children, the family of one of them has survived to this day. Napoleon died at the age of fifty-one, suffering from an incurable illness.

Other interesting facts about the commander

Napoleon Bonaparte was an interesting person, and many documents and memoirs contain some interesting notes about his abilities, hobbies and character. It is known that he had a mathematical mind, although he knew how to express himself literary and beautifully express his thoughts. The Emperor loved playing chess and hats. He had a great variety of hats, almost two hundred pieces.

Napoleon did not need sleep; three to four hours of sleep was enough for him. And sometimes a few minutes were enough to rest. It cost him nothing to take the post of a simple soldier in order to let him sleep. He took care of the simple soldier, he knew that in the morning he would go into battle again.

French statesman and commander, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in the city of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He came from the family of an ordinary Corsican nobleman.

In 1784 he graduated from the Brienne Military School, and in 1785 from the Paris Military School. He began professional military service in 1785 with the rank of sub-lieutenant of artillery in the royal army.

From the first days of the Great French Revolution of 1789-1799, Bonaparte became involved in the political struggle on the island of Corsica and joined the most radical wing of the Republicans. In 1792 in Valence he joined the Jacobin Club.

In 1793, supporters of France in Corsica, where Bonaparte was at that time, were defeated. Conflict with Corsican separatists forced him to flee the island to France. Bonaparte became commander of an artillery battery in Nice. He distinguished himself in the battle against the British at Toulon, was promoted to brigadier general and appointed chief of artillery of the Alpine Army. After the counter-revolutionary coup in June 1794, Bonaparte was removed from office and arrested for connections with the Jacobins, but was soon released. He was listed in the reserve of the War Ministry, and in September 1795, after refusing the offered position of commander of an infantry brigade, he was dismissed from the army.

In October 1795, a member of the Directory (French government in 1795-1799), Paul Barras, who led the fight against the monarchist conspiracy, took Napoleon as an assistant. Bonaparte distinguished himself during the suppression of the royalist rebellion in October 1795, for which he was appointed commander of the troops of the Paris garrison. In February 1796, he was appointed commander of the Italian Army, at the head of which he carried out the victorious Italian campaign (1796-1797).

In 1798-1801 he led the Egyptian expedition, which, despite the capture of Alexandria and Cairo and the defeat of the Mamelukes in the Battle of the Pyramids, was defeated.

In October 1799, Bonaparte arrived in Paris, where a situation of acute political crisis reigned. Relying on influential circles of the bourgeoisie, on November 9-10, 1799, he carried out a coup d'etat. The government of the Directory was overthrown, and the French Republic was led by three consuls, the first of whom was Napoleon.

The concordat (agreement) concluded with the Pope in 1801 provided Napoleon with the support of the Catholic Church.

In August 1802 he achieved his appointment as consul for life.

In June 1804, Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor Napoleon I.

On December 2, 1804, during a magnificent ceremony held in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with the participation of the Pope, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French.

In March 1805, he was crowned in Milan, after Italy recognized him as its king.

Napoleon I's foreign policy was aimed at achieving political and economic hegemony in Europe. With his rise to power, France entered a period of almost continuous wars. Thanks to military successes, Napoleon significantly expanded the territory of the empire and made most of the states of Western and Central Europe dependent on France.

Napoleon was not only Emperor of France, which extended to the left bank of the Rhine, but also King of Italy, mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine. His brothers became kings: Joseph in Naples, Louis in Holland, Jerome in Westphalia.

This empire was comparable in its territory to the empire of Charlemagne or the Holy Roman Empire of Charles V.

In 1812, Napoleon launched a campaign against Russia, which ended in his complete defeat and became the beginning of the collapse of the empire. The entry of anti-French coalition troops into Paris in March 1814 forced Napoleon I to abdicate the throne (April 6, 1814). The victorious allies retained the title of emperor to Napoleon and gave him possession of the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1815, Napoleon, taking advantage of the people's dissatisfaction with the policies of the Bourbons who replaced him in France and the disagreements that arose between the victorious powers at the Congress of Vienna, tried to regain his throne. In March 1815, at the head of a small detachment, he unexpectedly landed in the south of France and three weeks later entered Paris without firing a single shot. The secondary reign of Napoleon I, which went down in history as the “Hundred Days,” did not last long. The Emperor did not live up to the hopes placed on him by the French people. All this, as well as the defeat of Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterloo, led him to a second abdication and exile to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, where he died on May 5, 1821. In 1840, Napoleon's ashes were transported to Paris, to the Invalides

World military historiography highly values ​​the activities of Napoleon I as a commander who skillfully used the objective conditions created by the French bourgeois revolution for the development of military affairs. His military leadership had a great influence on the development of military art in the 19th century.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

The man who changed the history of France, Europe, and the whole world was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio in Corsica. The rebellious spirit, which did not allow one to put up with the established state of affairs, was in Napoleon’s blood - the Corsicans strove for independence and stubbornly did not recognize the power of foreigners over themselves. Corsica, which belonged to the Genoese Republic, existed de facto for a decade and a half as an independent state, until the Genoese handed over the rebellious possession to France.

The French army managed to pacify the Corsicans literally three months before the birth of Napoleon. Boy's father Carlo Buonaparte, who supported the idea of ​​an independent Corsica, nevertheless agreed to cooperate with the French, which gave him the opportunity to give his older children a good education.

Napoleon's father intended him to join the military, and the young man himself was only happy about this. At school he was excellent at mathematics, but in the humanities things were much worse. True, the ambitious young man voraciously read books dedicated to the great commanders of the past.

Napoleon at the age of 16 (black chalk drawing by an unknown author). Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Military education Napoleon Bonaparte received at the Paris Military School, where he shocked the teachers both with his abilities and with his hostility towards the “French enslavers who occupied Corsica,” which often resulted in violent fights with fellow students.

In 1785, Napoleon Bonaparte graduated from military school, receiving the rank of junior lieutenant. That same year, his father died, and all worries about his family - his mother, 4 brothers and 3 sisters - fell on his shoulders.

It was a difficult time for Napoleon - he took leaves from work, trying to help his mother, lived practically from hand to mouth and least of all resembled the future arbiter of the destinies of Europe. In 1788, Lieutenant Bonaparte tried to enlist in military service in Russia, hoping to change his life. However, Napoleon considered the offer to become a Russian officer with a reduction in rank unacceptable.

Revolutionary career: from lieutenant to emperor

The Great French Revolution of 1789 was a gift of fate for Napoleon. Bonaparte, whose views were close to radical revolutionaries, begins to rapidly advance in his career. He is smart, brave, charismatic, able to lead people - he is an ideal commander for the army of revolutionary France. His origins from the bottom, which hampered his career under the “old regime,” now become the most advantageous.

Bonaparte - First Consul, artist Dominique Ingres. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 1793, artillery captain Napoleon Bonaparte chalked up his first serious success - thanks to the plan he drew up, the revolutionary French army stormed Toulon, occupied by the British and royalists. The commissioners of the National Convention awarded the 24-year-old officer the rank of brigadier general.

Two years later, General Bonaparte again saved the French Republic by decisively suppressing the royalist rebellion in Paris. After this, he becomes a division general, receiving the highest military rank in France at that time - just ten years after graduating from military school.

Another three years will pass, and General Bonaparte, the conqueror of Italy and Egypt, the favorite of the French people, will decide to put an end to the dying Directory regime, taking power into his own hands. The coup of the 18th Brumaire made Napoleon Bonaparte consul of the Republic, raising him to the very top of French government.

Five years later, the brave French general from Corsica, who cursed the oppressors of his homeland, would ascend the imperial throne under the name of Napoleon I.

This will force many of his fans, who believed in Napoleon's commitment to republican ideals, to anathematize their idol.

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Reformer

But Napoleon did not care much about this. He saw in strengthening his imperial power a guarantee of preserving the true gains of the French Revolution. Returning the external gloss of the monarchy, Bonaparte consolidated the achievements of the revolution in the Civil Code. This fundamental legislative act became the basis for the development of documents in the field of civil law in different countries of the world.

“Napoleon on the Arcole Bridge”, Jean-Antoine Gros, 1801. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Napoleon's reforms finally formalized France's transition into the era of capitalism. He made every effort to ensure that France could compete economically with the world leader, England.

It is not possible to list all of Napoleon's reforms: they affected all areas of life - from healthcare to taxation. For example, the French Bank functioned for about 130 years on the basis of a management system approved under Napoleon and virtually unchanged.

And yet Napoleon was first and foremost a military man. He sought to strengthen the new ruling dynasty through military means. One after another, the anti-Napoleonic coalitions suffered defeats, and new state formations allied to Paris were created in the territories conquered by France. Napoleon's brothers and devoted marshals ascended their thrones.

Napoleon himself increasingly had to act differently from what he himself wanted. Divorce from Josephine de Beauharnais and marriage to Marie Louise of Austria were caused not by personal feelings, but by state interests: the emperor needed an heir whom his first wife could not give birth to.

Napoleon, who slept little and worked a lot, did not need luxury, but the decoration of his residences was rich and luxurious, following the example of the great emperors of antiquity.

Napoleon was crowned King of Italy on May 26, 1805 in Milan. Painting by Andrea Appiani. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

The death of the "Great Army"

In 1812, Emperor Napoleon I marched the “Grand Army” of over 600 thousand people against Russia. This campaign became a turning point in the life of the French emperor.

This war, from Napoleon's point of view, was very strange. He saw his task as the complete defeat of the Russian army, but the Russian troops went deep into the country, not wanting to give a general battle.

Missed chance. Napoleon could have defeated the Russian army in the summer of 1812.

The star has set

Urgent recruitment into the army made it possible to continue the war, but outside Russia. Napoleon slowly but surely retreated to the French borders. His brothers and marshals, whom he placed on the thrones, desperately intrigued against Napoleon himself, hoping to retain power after the defeat of their benefactor.

Napoleon on the imperial throne. Artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Photo: Public Domain

On March 30, 1814, the Allied army entered Paris. Six days later, at Fontainebleau Castle, Napoleon abdicated the throne, and on the night of April 12-13, 1814, he tried to commit suicide there. But the poison did not work, and then the deposed emperor decided to accept the fate prepared for him - exile to the island of Elba.

Perhaps the active Bonaparte would have spent the rest of his years transforming the piece of land left to him into the sea. However, the restoration of the Bourbons, who seriously intended to return the old order to France, gave the emperor another chance.

On February 26, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte fled from the island of Elba, landed in the Bay of Juan and reached Paris without firing a shot, regaining power.

However, it was not possible to restore what was lost - the defeat at the Battle of Waterloo put an end to the so-called “Hundred Days” and the entire history of Napoleonic France.

Exile wearing the emperor's crown. For which the island of Elba is grateful to Napoleon I.

Bonaparte, who became an English prisoner, was exiled to the island of St. Helena, lost in the Atlantic, where he was destined to spend his last years.

There is still debate about what caused Napoleon's death in exile - natural causes or poisoning.

In fact, Bonaparte, an extremely active and active man, did not need poison - the isolation itself, all kinds of restrictions imposed on him by the English administration, killed him.

He has achieved too much in life to humbly accept the fate of a little man.

Napoleon's health began to deteriorate almost from the first months of his stay on the island. Since 1819, illnesses have become regular and protracted.

On April 13, 1821, the deposed emperor dictated his will, realizing that his days were numbered. On May 5, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died at the age of 51.

Twenty years will pass, and France will solemnly rebury its emperor in Paris, in the Invalides. This was the last will of the emperor - he wanted to find eternal peace in the country, thanks to which he was able to rise to the very pinnacle of power, in the country that he himself changed forever.

Napoleon Bonaparte is the first French emperor and one of the most talented commanders of all time. He had high intelligence, a fantastic memory and was distinguished by an amazing capacity for work.

Napoleon personally developed combat strategies that allowed him to emerge victorious in most battles, both on land and at sea.

As a result, after 2 years of hostilities, the Russian army entered Paris in triumph, and Napoleon abdicated the throne and was exiled to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea.

Moscow fire

However, less than a year later he escapes and returns back to Paris.

By this time, the French were concerned that the monarchical Bourbon dynasty might once again take power. That is why they enthusiastically greeted the return of Emperor Napoleon.

Ultimately, Napoleon was overthrown and captured by the British. This time he was sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, in which he remained for about 6 years.

Personal life

From his youth, Napoleon had an increased interest in girls. It is generally accepted that he was short (168 cm), but at that time such height was considered quite normal.

In addition, he had good posture and strong-willed facial features. Thanks to this, he was very popular among women.

Napoleon's first love was 16-year-old Desiree Eugenia Clara. However, their relationship did not turn out to be strong. Once in the capital, the future emperor began many affairs with Parisian women, who were often older than him.

Napoleon and Josephine

7 years after the French Revolution, Napoleon first met Josephine Beauharnais. A whirlwind romance began between them, and in 1796 they began to live in a civil marriage.

It is interesting that at that time Josephine already had two children from a previous marriage. In addition, she even spent some time in prison.

The couple had a lot in common. They both grew up in the provinces, faced difficulties in life, and also had prison experience.

Napoleon and Josephine

When Napoleon participated in various military campaigns, his beloved remained in Paris. Josephine enjoyed life, and he languished with melancholy and jealousy towards her.

It was difficult to call the famous commander a monogamist, and even rather the opposite. His biographers suggest that he had about 40 favorites. From some of them he had children.

After living with Josephine for about 14 years, Napoleon decides to divorce her. One of the main reasons for the divorce was that the girl could not have children.

An interesting fact is that Bonaparte initially proposed marriage to Anna Pavlovna Romanova. He proposed to her through her brother.

However, the Russian emperor made it clear to the Frenchman that he did not want to become related to him. Some historians believe that this episode from Napoleon's biography influenced further relations between Russia and France.

Soon the commander married the daughter of the Austrian emperor, Maria Louise. In 1811 she gave birth to his long-awaited heir.

It is worth paying attention to one more interesting fact. Fate turned out in such a way that it was Josephine’s grandson, and not Bonaparte, who in the future became emperor. His descendants still successfully reign in several European countries.

But Napoleon's pedigree soon ceased to exist. Bonaparte's son died at a young age, leaving no offspring.

After the abdication at the Palace of Fontainebleau

However, the wife, who lived with her father at that time, did not even remember her husband. Not only did she not express a desire to see him, but she did not even write him a single letter in response.

Death

After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon lived out his last years on the island of St. Elena. He was in a state of deep depression and suffered from pain in his right side.

He himself thought that he had cancer, from which his father died.

There is still debate about the true cause of his death. Some believe that he died from cancer, while others are convinced that there was arsenic poisoning.

The latest version is explained by the fact that after the death of the emperor, arsenic was found in his hair.

In his will, Bonaparte asked to bury his remains in France, which was done in 1840. His grave is located in the Parisian Invalides on the territory of the cathedral.

Photo of Napoleon

At the end we offer you to look at the most famous photos of Napoleon. Of course, all portraits of Bonaparte were made by artists, since cameras simply did not exist at that time.

Bonaparte - First Consul
Emperor Napoleon in his office in the Tuileries
Capitulation of Madrid on December 4, 1808
Napoleon crowned King of Italy on May 26, 1805 in Milan
Napoleon Bonaparte on the Arcole Bridge

Napoleon and Josephine

Napoleon at the Saint Bernard Pass

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In the history of France there were many coups and revolutions, monarchies were replaced by republics, and vice versa. Bonaparte was one of the significant figures in the history of this country and all of Europe.

Few people know that after his defeat he abdicated the throne in favor of his young son. The Bonapartists gave him the name Napoleon II. What happened to the rightful heir, how many other Napoleons were there in the history of France?

Sons of Napoleon

The French emperor had three sons, two of them illegitimate. The fate of each of the offspring developed differently.

The ruler had his first son from a relationship with Eleanor de la Pleine. At that time, Napoleon was married to Josephine Beauharnais, but the couple had no children during ten years of marriage. The boy was born on December 13, 1806 at two o'clock in the morning. The Emperor received the good news while in Poland. His first thought was to adopt a child, but she soon disappeared. Napoleon wanted a legitimate heir.

The boy was given the name Charles. Mother and son received annual money for their maintenance. The father loved and spoiled the boy. After his death, he left him a significant amount. However, Charles squandered it very quickly, because he loved to spend money, play cards, and participate in duels. He was dismissed from military service for non-compliance with the regulations, and tried to study to become a clergyman. As a result, the young man found a way to exist - he won an annual allowance from his mother, and later received a pension from his cousin, who became the emperor. After the overthrow of Napoleon III, Count Leon went bankrupt, and was later buried as a beggar tramp.

The birth of Charles prompted the emperor to think about breaking up with his official wife, who was unable to give birth to an heir. He meets Maria Valevskaya, who gives birth to her son Alexander on May 4, 1810. When the mistress returned with her son in her arms to Paris, the emperor had already found a replacement for her. He allocated a significant amount for the maintenance of his son. Maria Valevskaya died very early, and Alexander had to take care of his life himself. In 1830 he took part in the Polish Uprising. After its defeat, the young man moved to Paris, where he became a captain in the French army. After retiring, he was engaged in journalism, drama, carried out diplomatic assignments, was Minister of Foreign Affairs under Napoleon III, and participated in the Paris Congress of 1856. He died in 1868, leaving behind seven children.

Napoleon II, whose biography will be discussed below, was the third son of the emperor. He became the only legitimate child. Who was his mother?

Heir's mother

After his divorce from Josephine, the ruler of France began searching for a wife who would give him a legitimate heir. At a special council it was decided that Napoleon should enter into a marriage alliance with a great power. This would allow him to guarantee his rights in the international arena.

Most ministers saw the best candidate in the sister of Russian Emperor Alexander the First, Anna Pavlovna. There were also those who were inclined towards an alliance with Austria through marriage with Marie-Louise, the daughter of Emperor Franz I.

Alexander the First did not want such a relationship, so he came up with new excuses. Napoleon was tired of waiting, he turned his gaze towards the Austrian party. The agreement was signed in 1810, at the same time a marriage by proxy was concluded in Vienna. Only after this the couple met. They had not seen each other before this.

The emperor fell in love with the young woman as soon as he saw her. A year later (04/20/1811) she gave him an heir, who was named Napoleon-Francois-Joseph. What fate awaited the heir named Napoleon II?

King of Rome

At birth, the boy was proclaimed King of Rome. However, this title was formal. In 1814, the emperor abdicated the throne. He did this in favor of his legal heir, and Napoleon II was declared French Emperor. Only the Bonapartists considered him a ruler, who called the boy this: Napoleon II Eaglet.

The history of this nickname is connected with the repressive regime that was introduced after Napoleon's abdication. It turned out to be unsafe to mention the name of the former emperor, so his followers called him Eagle. The bird was the heraldic symbol of the ruler. It was dangerous to mention his son, who left France, so he was called Eaglet. It is unknown who came up with the nickname, but Edmond Rostand made it famous. In 1900, he wrote the drama “The Little Eaglet” about the life of Napoleon II. In it, a young man is forced to live in a golden German cage.

The three-year-old heir was not crowned because the government in France had changed. In addition, the Russian emperor opposed the coronation. Together with Talleyrand, he insisted that the Bourbons be returned to power.

Marie-Louise took her son and returned to her family in Vienna. There she received the Duchy of Parma and met her future husband, who was initially assigned to keep an eye on her.

From Napoleon to Franz

Napoleon II remained the main hope of the Bonapartists. That is why he was guarded much more carefully than the most dangerous criminal. Everyone understood that the boy's origin could lead to a serious Bonapartist movement not only in France, but throughout the world.

The son of the deposed emperor lived near Vienna (Schönbrunn Castle). He was forced to speak only German, and was addressed by his middle name - Franz. In 1818 he was given the title of Duke of Reichstadt.

The Duke was involved in military service from the age of twelve. Despite all the prohibitions, and perhaps despite them, Franz remembered his origin. He was an ardent admirer of his great father.

Early death

By 1830, Napoleon II, who was about the same height as his father, had risen to the rank of major. It is unknown whether he could have lived up to the hopes of the Bonapartists. His life was short-lived. He died in 1832 from tuberculosis.

Napoleon-Francois was buried in Vienna, next to the other Habsburgs.

Posthumous fate

A hundred years later, Napoleon II (the photo has not survived to this day) was disturbed. In 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered his remains to be transferred to the Cathedral of the Invalides. He was placed next to his father's tomb.

Heir to Napoleon II

The last monarch of France was Napoleon III Bonaparte. He was the nephew of the illustrious Emperor and the cousin of the Duke of Reichstadt. At birth, the future monarch was named Charles Louis Napoleon. Father was Louis Bonaparte. Mother - Hortense de Beauharnais. The marriage between them was forced, so the couple lived in constant separation.

The boy grew up at his uncle's court. Since childhood, he literally worshiped him and was devoted to “Napoleonic” ideas. He strove for power and walked towards his goal, clearing the road ahead of him.

After the overthrow of Bonaparte, the boy, his brother and mother moved to Switzerland, where Hortense acquired Arenenberg Castle. Louis did not receive a systematic school education due to constant moving. In Switzerland he entered military service.

After the death of Napoleon II, Charles Louis became the one who represented Napoleonic ideas and claims. Four years later he tried to seize power in France. His act went down in history as the Strasbourg conspiracy. The attempt was unsuccessful, Bonaparte was exiled to America. He stayed there for a year, after which he settled in Switzerland and then in England.

The second attempt to become the head of France was made in 1840. It also turned out to be unsuccessful. As a result, Charles Louis was arrested with other conspirators and put on trial by the peers. His punishment was life imprisonment with the preservation of all rights. Surprisingly, such a punishment did not exist in French law. The unsuccessful conspirator spent six years in the Gam fortress. At this time, he wrote articles, published books, and communicated with friends. In 1846, Bonaparte fled from the fortress to England. On the island he met Harriet Gowar, who was an actress, owner of a fortune and many useful acquaintances. She helped her lover in many ways.

Reign of Napoleon III

In 1848, a revolution occurred in France. Louis hurried to Paris. He took a wait-and-see approach until the opportunity arose to nominate his candidacy for the presidency. According to the election results, he received 75% of the votes. At the age of forty he became President of the Republic.

He was not satisfied with being president, so in 1851 he dissolved the Assembly and established an empire in the state.

A year later he was proclaimed emperor under the name Napoleon III. According to the Bonapartist tradition, it was taken into account that for fourteen days the head of state was Napoleon II (son of Emperor Bonaparte).

The monarch was in power until 1870. The Franco-Prussian War put an end to his reign. During these years he suffered greatly from gallstones and took opiates. Because of this, he was lethargic and did not think well.

Napoleon the Third surrendered to William the First. A day later, the September Revolution took place in Paris. The empire ceased to exist. The deposed ruler moved to England, where he died in 1873.

Prototype of Baron Munchausen

Many art historians suggest that for the illustrative image of the famous Baron Munchausen, artist Gustave Dore took the appearance of Napoleon III as a prototype. The similarity is manifested in the oval of the head, the shape of the nose, mustache and goatee. Munchausen's coat of arms were three ducks, which can be considered an allusion to the Bonaparte coat of arms (three little bees).

Dynastic connection

There are a total of five Napoleons in history. They were all relatives.

It is customary to begin the genealogy of the Bonapartes with Carlo Buonaparte. He had five sons: Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, Louis, Jerome. Napoleon II is the son of Napoleon the First, Napoleon the Third is the son of Louis, Napoleon the Fourth is the grandson of Louis, Napoleon the Fifth is the grandson of Jerome. In fact, only two from the list ruled; the rest were considered rulers only by the Bonapartists.