Napoleon Bonaparte , also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution Shrewd, ambitious and a skilled military strategist, Napoleon successfully waged war against various coalitions of European nations and expanded his empire.
However, after a disastrous French invasion of Russia in , Napoleon abdicated the throne two years later and was exiled to the island of Elba. In , he briefly returned to power in his Hundred Days campaign. After a crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, he abdicated once again and was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died at He was the second of eight surviving children born to Carlo Buonaparte , a lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte Although his parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family was not wealthy.
Napoleon later adopted a French spelling of his last name. As a boy, Napoleon attended school in mainland France, where he learned the French language, and went on to graduate from a French military academy in He then became a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment of the French army.
The French Revolution began in , and within three years revolutionaries had overthrown the monarchy and proclaimed a French republic. During the early years of the revolution, Napoleon was largely on leave from the military and home in Corsica, where he became affiliated with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group. In , following a clash with the nationalist Corsican governor, Pasquale Paoli , the Bonaparte family fled their native island for mainland France, where Napoleon returned to military duty.
In France, Napoleon became associated with Augustin Robespierre , the brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre , a Jacobin who was a key force behind the Reign of Terror , a period of violence against enemies of the revolution. During this time, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the army. However, after Robespierre fell from power and was guillotined along with Augustin in July , Napoleon was briefly put under house arrest for his ties to the brothers. In , Napoleon helped suppress a royalist insurrection against the revolutionary government in Paris and was promoted to major general.
