On Napoleon, Emperor of the French
I recently watched the movie Napoleon (2023). I enjoyed it. With the prefatory comment that French history is foreign to me, here are some thoughts/notes.
Age of Napoleon in American Context:
Napoleon Bonaparte was a kid growing up on the Mediterranean island of Corsica when the 13 colonies declared independence from Great Britain. And then he was the Emperor of the French from whom Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory. Napoleon used the proceeds to fund his wars. When the War of 1812 transpired, Napoleon was invading Russia. He died in exile in 1821, one year after Maine became the 23rd state as part of the Missouri Compromise.
Although he rose to be styled Emperor of French, Napoleon didn’t come from France. He was born in the capital city of Corsica, shortly after Genoa ceded it to the French. Corsica is an island located 100 miles southeast of Nice, France, and 50 miles from the Italy’s northwest coast. His family was Italian.
Nevertheless, through skill and ambition, and probably luck, he rose quickly through the ranks of the French military. Then, interestingly, he translated this prominence into political preeminence.
Timeline:
1789: Before the French Revolution, Napoleon gets his first commission as a second lieutenant in the artillery branch of the Royal French Army.
1792: The monarchy is abolished, and the French Republic proclaimed. Subsequent years involved radical social and political upheaval, including the Reign of Terror, 1793-94, led by the Committee of Public Safety under Maximilien Robespierre.
As the Revolution carried on, the Royal Army was reorganized in light of Republican values and priorities. Royalist loyalists were purged, and the army was infused with a Revolutionary fervor. It became a vehicle for defending the newly established Republic against internal and external threats. The Revolutionary government instituted the levée en masse (mass conscription), which vastly expanded the army and democratized its ranks, allowing individuals like Napoleon from relatively modest backgrounds, to advance based on merit rather than nobility or royal favor. During his rise, amid the revolutionary tumult and turmoil, Napoleon displayed mastery on the battlefields of Italy, where he commanded the French forces.
After the fall of Robespierre, the government transitioned to the Directory, a five-member committee which proved ineffective amid ongoing war and internal dissent.
1799: From Egypt, Napoleon returned to France amid political chaos and an unstable government. His military fame and the need for leadership made him a key figure in the subsequent coup, by which he was installed as the First Consul.