The military career of
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
spanned over 20 years. As military leader, he led the French armies to defeat in the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
. Despite his losing war record and ending in defeat, Napoleon is regarded in Europe as a military
genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...
and one of the finest commanders, his wars and campaigns have been studied at military schools worldwide. He fought more than 80 battles, losing only eleven, mostly at the end when the French army was not as dominant. The French dominion collapsed rapidly after the disastrous
invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon was defeated in 1814 and exiled to the island of Elba, before returning and was finally defeated in 1815 at
Waterloo. He spent his remaining days in British custody on the remote island of St. Helena.
[Andrew Roberts, ''Napoleon: A Life'' (2014)]
Battle record summary
References
Further reading
* Chandler, David G. ''The Campaigns of Napoleon'' (1973) 1172 pp; a detailed guide to all major battle
excerpt and text search* Crowdy, Terry. ''Napoleon's Infantry Handbook'' (2015)
*
Dupuy, Trevor N. and Dupuy, R. Ernest. ''The Encyclopedia of Military History'' (2nd ed. 1970) pp 730–770
* Elting, John R. ''Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee'' (1988)
* Esdaile, Charles. ''Napoleon's Wars: An International History 1803-1815'' (2008), 621pp
* Gates, David. ''The Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815'' (NY: Random House, 2011)
* Hazen, Charles Downer. ''The French Revolution and Napoleon'' (1917
online free* Nafziger, George F. ''The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign'' (2014)
* Parker, Harold T. "Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia? A Study in Motivation and the Interrelations of Personality and Social Structure," ''Journal of Military History'' (1990) 54#2 pp 131–4
in JSTOR
*
* Riley, Jonathon P. ''Napoleon as a General'' (Hambledon Press, 2007)
*
* Rothenberg, E. Gunther. ''The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon'' (1977)
*
* Shoffner, Thomas A. ''Napoleon's Cavalry: A Key Element to Decisive Victory'' (2014)
*Smith, Digby George. ''The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery'' (1998)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Career Of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...