Research Paper On Napoleon Bonaparte

From humble beginnings on the Island of Corsica to the namesake of an era, Napoleon Bonaparte was a man who truly left his mark on the world. Born into minor nobility on August 15 1769 (Roberts, 2015), Napoleon rose quickly through the military ranks during the French Revolution and by 1804 crowned himself the emperor of France (Cranny, 1998 p.94). During his extensive reign, Napoleon conquered much of Europe, wrote a civil code that still influences western judicial systems today and greatly improved the infrastructure of France. (Cranny, 1998 p.98 - 110). Napoleon was a positive and influential historical figure because of his incredible military prowess, fantastic leadership as emperor and his revolutionary civil code.

Much of Napoleon’s power and success came from his incredible military might. Napoleon was a brilliant general and a fantastic military strategist. His incredible military prowess was apparent from a very young age and therefore rose rapidly through military ranks. By 1795 at the age of 26, Napoleon lead the Italian army
The Napoleonic Code was a new book of laws that got rid of the outdated feudal laws of the old prerevolutionary French monarchy. It gave citizens the right to equality under the law, freedom of religion and the right to hold property (Cranny, 198 p.98). The code abolished all privileges based on birth right and allowed people to have access to more opportunities. Not only was the Napoleonic Code incredibly revolutionary for its time but still influences modern laws. The civil laws in Quebec, Louisiana and France are all largely based on Napoleon’s civil code (Cranny, 1998, p. 98). Napoleon’s code shaped and continues to shape history and is arguably one of the greatest influences Napoleon had on the world. Without the Napoleonic code our legal system would look much different