Preview

Why Is Napoleon Bonaparte Successful

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2276 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Is Napoleon Bonaparte Successful
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on 15th of August 1769 in Corsica. Educated at military school, he served in Valence and Auxonne until after the outbreak of the Revolution in 1789. He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general at age of 24 because of his strategy in the siege of Toulon and subsequently appointed as the commander of French Army in Italy.
France now faced a new coalition - Austria and Russia had allied with Britain. Napoleon returned to Paris, where the government was in crisis. He seized such chaos in French Government and eventually became consul and emperor of France.
In 1800, he defeated the Austrians at Marengo. He then negotiated peace with conditions that strongly favored the supremacy of France within the European continent.
…show more content…
Napoleon Bonaparte’s decisiveness and military knowledge was the key to this great success of French Army. First of all, Napoleon Bonaparte demonstrated great extent of knowledge about his own army and the situation in the battlefield. He implemented Corps d'Armée system for the first time, which established the corps as the basis of military strategy. The increased size and agility of units allowed them to operate better and to endure longer since they can scatter around for local foods when needed. This military campaign only lasted less than a month, in which Napoleon Bonaparte showed great decisiveness on his instructions to his army. He ordered his troops to carry less baggage since the fight took place in harvest season so that his troops surrounded their enemies quickly and unexpectedly. In addition, there is an interesting detail after the war that proofed his tact. When the commander of the Austrian Army Mack von Liebereich came to surrender, Napoleon Bonaparte smiled and replied: “I give back to the unfortunate General his sword and his freedom, along with my regards to give to his Emperor.” His tact to deal with the enemy successfully ensured the subsequent benefits that France can obtain from the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    He found it difficult to be innovative and inventive in warfare, and was not receptive to new ideas or strategies. Over his tenure as leader of the army, he also failed to introduce new training methods, and often made judgement errors, including underestimating the amount of supplies that would be needed. Napoleon also found it difficult to accept advice from others who knew better, and often failed to inform his senior officers of what he was planning to do on campaign, and insisted on maintaining all of the power, so they weren’t able to make any of the decisions. In his earlier campaigns, this had been less of an issue, as his armies were often small, but when leading armies of hundreds of thousands of men it was almost impossible for him to maintain control over the entirety of the decisions that needed to be…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Flyer project

    • 322 Words
    • 1 Page

    Napoleon brought positve vibes and effects, when he and his gunners had welcomed thousands of royalists with a cannonade. Therefore, that sent the attackers in panic and confusion. He then became "Hero of The Hour." He was then hailed throughout the city of Paris as a savior of the French Republic. 1796 Napoleon led a French army against forces such as Austria, and the kingdom of Sardinia. Young Napoleon won remarkable sets of victories, but that of course wasn't going to last for long, when his army was pinned down in Egypt, and the British defeated his forces. However, Napoleon kept stories about his wars that had been out of newspapers and he remained a hero of France.…

    • 322 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Another major factor as to why the French force was successful during this time period was the quality of its soldiers, most important trait being the high moral and belief in the idea of both the French Republic and Napoleon. The command, control and organization of the army was a vital asset into explaining its’ success during this time. Societal factors are also apparent when evaluating the reasons for success of Napoleon’s force during these wars. Adoption of conscription and the development of the doctrine of total war would mean that war involved the entire of a nation’s society. The most important factor however would be the individual leadership qualities of Napoleon himself, being able to use the other factors together in order to obtain the victories during the first five coalition wars. Nevertheless French success can also be credited to the failure of the coalition powers in the majority of these factors and the lack their lack of military…

    • 308 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    • Napoleon was born in 1769, 20 years before the revolution. He came from Corsica. Napoleon was sent to Brienne 1799-84. Artilerry officer at the age f 16. Ambitious young man. He supported the revolution. He battled against Austrians it had won him a great reputation as a military leader. Personal confidence, ambition and scornful attitude.…

    • 1416 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte was the first emperor of France from 1804 to 1814. He is famous for his efforts to form a connected Europe that France would lead. His career as a military and political leader led to many big accomplishments, but unfortunately he became too greedy over time leading to his exile.…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    napoleon despot

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages

    becoming the first, and greatest in history. Coming into power on the wings of the…

    • 1499 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout time, the military has been considered one of the key features in a civilization. It has been considered the heart and soul of many countries and empires and has been the center of many cultures. Throughout history we have seen many military leaders and military powers. We have seen military techniques and technology change as we progress. Our schools are filled with legends of great war heroes and hard-fought battles. One such hero is Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps one of the greatest generals who ever lived. In his adventures and conquest, as general of the French army, he warred against many lands. These included Spain, in which Napoleon met a strong resistance. The Spaniards were using a new…

    • 1709 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte was born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Corsica, August 15, 1769. He was a small child, and often was teased by his classmates when he was enrolled in military college at a very early age in 1777, and it is believed that this influenced the determination he had to win later in life. Later, he went to Ecole Militaire (also known as military school) from 1784 to 1785. Also in 1785, he graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. Great things were expected of Napoleon. However, no one could have guessed that he would go on to make history. Napoleon was a rising star in the French military. A general at the age of 27, he had won the admiration of France thanks to his leadership, military talents, and personal talents. Yet his talents lay not in originality but in his stunningly innovative adaptations of military strategies and tactics developed in the eighteenth century and during the Revolution. While in the military, he won many battles over Austria. In 1795, the people of France tired of the Reign of Terror, revolted, executing many leaders of the Terror. The Directory took power. On Napoleon's return to France, he found that many people were very dissatisfied with the Directory. With the support of his troops, he overthrew them and became France's new dictator, naming himself First Consul for life. The votes of the public approved of this move. He was determined to succeed in life. His first real military action was a great success. He was captain of artillery during the siege of Toulon, where he captured several important strongholds, and forced the retreat of British naval fleets. He became Brigadier General while campaigning in…

    • 1522 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of Napoleon's first areas of concern was in the strengthening of the French government. He created a strong centralized government and pretty much got rid of the hundreds of localized law codes that had existed during under the control of the monarchy. He also created an army of government officials. He had the entire country linked under a rational administration. He also was able to get an easy supply of taxes and soldiers under his new and improved French government. Before he could get very far, however, he had to gain public favor and shape the public opinion. To do this he used reforms of propaganda and thus caused people to think that they were getting the better end of the deal, but were actually, subconsciously giving Napoleon their approval for his actions. Among some of the methods he used for propaganda included getting all of the printers and book sellers to swear an oath to Napoleon and all newspapers fell under state control, so Napoleon gained access to almost everything that the citizens of France were able to read. Many of the gains from the French Revolution were kept, such as equality before the law, and…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    France was also in a state where they desperately needed a system of order, they are in a midst of a revolution with no one taking charge. It makes sense that Napoleon, a man who seizes power, takes control of the revolution. Napoleon also had a reputation of being an excellent military chief, which lead to an even greater acceptance to him in France. In 1802, he declared himself the consul for life, and 2 years after that, he held enough power to become the emperor of the French. The French longed for change because the American Revolution had inspired them, and there was a large gap between the rich and the poor.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Napoleon rose to power during the aftermath of the French Revolution. He staged a coup d'état and installed himself as First Consul, later becoming the emperor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time because of his success in his wars. Napoleon sought to spread ideas of the French Revolution but contradicted them in many ways.…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Overall Napoleon was a very successful leader. Napoleon Bonaparte was very intelligent. What he needed in height, he made up for in his brain. He went to two military academies which were very hard to get into at that time. He completed all the work that he needed to and went into his studies for one year instead of the normal three years. So he did three work years worth of work in one year. Napoleon was very humble. He was also very intelligent…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon entered military school in Paris at the age of 15 during the year of 1784. French Revolution started five years after. Four years later, he was promoted to brigadier general. During 1796, he was appointed to command army of Italy and at the same time, his marriage with Josephine was held. Many years later, in 1799, Napoleon returned from Egypt and became First Consul of France. France then controlled most of continental Europe during the year of 1807. Three years later, Napoleon got divorced with Josephine and married Marie-Louise who was the daughter of Austrian emperor at that time. Napoleon and his army were forced to retreat from Russia in 1812; two years after he exiled to island of Elba. During the same year of 1814, he and his…

    • 164 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to power during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. Bonaparte grew up on the island of Corsica. In July 1793, when Bonaparte was in the military, he led the siege of Toulon, and with his highly acclaimed tactics, won and was promoted to brigadier general at the age of twenty four. Napoleon Bonaparte’s early life, time in the military, exile and the events that followed are fascinating, and intriguing topics .…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Napoleon Bonaparte is known as the French dictator and emperor of France. He was the military and political leader of France. Napoleon was a very intelligent man and his activities changed Europe. Napoleon was born in Corsica, and his parents were both Italian. He was not even French. He trained as an officer in military school in France. He won many victories during the Coalition wars. The French Senate made him Emperor because he was so successful and popular among the French people. Then France fought the Napoleonic Wars. Every European great power joined in these wars. France became very powerful in Europe because it kept on winning the wars and battles. However, the French were defeated, and Napoleon was exiled to an island. He escaped…

    • 170 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays