Napoléon I Bonaparte
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Napoleone Bonaparte (1769 - 1821)

Napoleone (Napoléon I) "Empereur des Français" Bonaparte aka Buonaparte
Born in Ajaccio, Corse, Francemap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 9 Mar 1796 (to 10 Jan 1810) [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at age 51 in Longwood House, Saint Helena, British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunhamap
Profile last modified | Created 3 Jun 2009
This page has been accessed 38,617 times.
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Contents

Biography

Preceded by
Himself, as First Consul
Empereur des Français
18 May 1804 - 6 April 1814
Succeeded by
Louis XVIII (roi de France)
Preceded by
Charles V HRE
King of Italy
17 March 1805 - 11 April 1814
Succeeded by
Victor Emmanuel II
Notables Project
Napoléon I Bonaparte is Notable.

(Version française ci-dessous)

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, and ruled the French Empire from 1804-1814, 1815.[1][2][3]

Personal Life

Napoleone di Buonaparte was born 15 August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica[4][2][5] to Carlo Maria Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino.[3] The Buonapartes were a modest family and said they were of minor nobility.[1] Carlo Maria was an attorney and was one of Corsica's representatives to the court of Louis XVI.[1][2] Napoleon was baptized in the Catholic church on 21 July 1771 at Ajaccio.[6]

Napoleon's father's position afforded him better schooling than most in Corsica.[1][2][5] His primary language was Corsican, and his Corsican accent never left him.[1] French was his third language, following Italian.[3] He did rather well in school, despite being teased for his accent.[1][5] He followed his early schooling with military school.[2][5] Napoleon was the first Corsican to graduate from École Militaire, completing his time there in September 1785.[1][5][3] Napoleon's father died the same year, and Napoleon was left to lead his family, which included moving them from Corsica to France to escape persecution by revolutionaries.[3]

Napoleon married Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1796.[3][5] He adopted Joséphine's son Eugène and daughter Hortense from her first marriage, as well as her niece, Stéphanie de Beauharnais.[1] During his marriage to Joséphine, he took a mistress, Pauline Bellisle Foures, the first of at least 22 mistresses during his lifetime, while Joséphine had lovers of her own.[3] Napoleon and Joséphine had no children together.[5] The lack of an heir led him to dissolve his marriage to her, despite still loving her.[5][2]

After the revolution he had Notre Dame Cathedral restored. Then, December 2, 1804, he declared himself Emperor of France and then crowned Josephine, this was all done at Notre Dame.[7][8][9]

Napoleon next married Austrian Archduchess Marie Louise in a Catholic marriage rite 1 April 1810.[3][2][5] They remained married until his death, though she did not join him in exile.[1] They had one child together, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles, born in 1811, and known from birth as the King of Rome.[2][5]

Napoleon acknowledged one illegitmate son, Charles Léon, born in 1806, the son of Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne.[1] DNA testing later proved that Alexandre Colonna-Walewski, son of another mistress, Maria Walewska, was also his son.[1][10] He is believed to have had other children from mistresses, though they have yet to be confirmed[1]

Napoleon was not an exceptionally large man, at 5'6", though his personality and will were rather pronounced.[1] His military and governing styles were akin to a master chess player's strategies-always looking ahead to what his opponent's next move might be and planning his own.[1] He had to win at all things, and was excellent at prioritizing and hard work.[1] He was overly self-confident, and used that to inspire the men he led.[1][3]

Emperor Napoleon

Napoleon rose through the ranks of the French Army during the French Revolution, beginning as an artillery officer at the outset in 1789.[11][1] He was nearly unstoppable on the battlefield, and became a national hero after helping to turn around leadership of the Italian army.[5][2] He led a coup and seized control of the French government in 1799 following an expedition to Egypt.[11][5] He served as First Consul of the Republic from 1799 until he crowned himself Emperor in 1804.[3][2][5][11]

Napoleon conquered a substantial amount of continental Europe during his reign.[11] His efforts also led to the destruction of the Holy Roman Empire.[1] He would further his hold on continental Europe with the Battle of Walgram in 1809 and then by crowning his brother, Joseph, the King of Spain in 1808.[1] His expansion across Europe would lead to disaster when he attempted to invade Russia in 1812.[11]

In 1813, he led in the Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of Nations.[12] It was the biggest battle of the Napoleonic Wars.[12] Napoleon was defeated by a combined coalition of Russians, Prussians, Swedes, and Austrians.[3] The retreat from the battle pushed all the way back to France.[12][2]

Bonaparte abdicated on the 11 April 1814, and was banished to the island of Elba by the Treaty of Fontainebleau.[4][2][5][3]

Bonaparte returned and briefly resumed power in 1815, which began a period called the Hundred Days, only to abdicate a second time at the Battle of Waterloo 18 June 1815, and was this time exiled to St. Helena.[5][11][2] He was defeated by British and Prussian forces.[11] This was Napoleon and the French Empire's final defeat.[11] He tried to leave his throne to his son, Joseph, but the coalition did not agree with the motion.[1][2] The conditions on St. Helena were bad, and Napoleon complained regularly, although he was able to do what he pleased.[1][2] It was during his time there that Napoleon wrote his memoirs.[5]

Napoleon's military career was one of the greatest in history.[3] He won at least 48 of 60 major battles, drawing 5 of them, and losing only 7.[3] Napoleon's legacy lives on in the emulation of his liberal governing policies and systems, including the Napoleonic Code and the Concordant which re-established relations between rulers and the Catholic papacy.[3][2] He also negotiated the sale of the Louisiana Purchase to the young United States of America.[3]

Exile and Death

Bonaparte died 5 May 1821 at age 52, still in exile on St. Helena.[4][11][5][2][3] His physician had insisted that the poor treatment and conditions on the island were leading to his demise.[1] His cause of death was listed as stomach cancer at the time, though there was speculation he was murdered.[1][2][5] Some people believed he may have been poisoned by arsenic.[1] A 2007 article supported this theory after testing showed arsenic in hair follicles.[1] It was later dismissed and the original findings of ulcers and cancer in the stomach determined to be the primary cause of the death.[1]

Nineteen years after Napoleon's death, in 1840, his remains were moved to the French mainland, and in 1861 buried in the Dôme des Invalides, due to the efforts of Louis Philippe I.[1]

Timeline

  • 1769: August 15 Napoleon is born, Ajaccio, Corsica[4]
  • 1785: Napoleon graduated from ècole militaire military school[1][5][3]
  • 1793: Napoleon "first won fame and promotion" during the Siege of Toulon[13]
  • 1804: Crowns self emperor[11]
  • 1813: Battle of Leipzig[12]
  • 1814: April 11 Abdicates. Banished by Treaty of Fontainebleau to the Mediterranean island of Elba.[4]
  • 1815: June 18 Battle of Waterloo. Second Abdication. Exiled to St. Helena.[11]
  • 1821: May 5 Napoleon dies at age 52.[4]

Biographie

(English version above)

Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821) a été Empereur des Français du 18 mai 1804 au 6 avril 1814, puis du 20 mars au 22 juin 1815.

Origines familiales

Napoleone di Buonaparte (en Corse : Nabulione) est né le 15 août 1769 à Ajaccio, en Corse. Son baptême n’a eu lieu que deux ans plus tard, le 21 juillet 1771 en la cathédrale Notre-Dame de l’Assomption d’Ajaccio. Il est le fils de Carlo Maria Buonaparte et Maria Letizia Ramolino[6]. Sa famille est issue de la noblesse noblesse de robe italo-corse installée en Corse depuis le XVIème siècle. Son père Carlo Maria est avocat au conseil supérieur de l’île et sera élu député de la noblesse de Corse en 1777.

Napoléon est le deuxième enfant survivant d’une famille nombreuse. Il a pour frères et sœurs :

  1. Napoléon (17 août 1765, mort-né)
  2. Maria Anna (3 janvier 1767-1er janvier 1768)
  3. Joseph (7 janvier 1768-28 juillet 1844)
  4. Frère mort-né (1771)
  5. Maria Anna (1771), morte jeune
  6. Lucien (21 mars 1775-29 juin 1840)
  7. Elisa (3 janvier 1777-7 août 1820)
  8. Louis (2 septembre 1778-25 juillet 1846)
  9. Pauline (20 octobre 1780-9 juin 1825)
  10. Caroline (25 mars 1782-18 mai 1839)
  11. Jérôme (15 novembre 1784).

Education et débuts

Le 1er janvier 1779, Carlo Bonaparte fait entrer Napoléon et son frère aîné Joseph au collège d’Autun. Napoléon n’y reste que trois mois et intègre le collège militaire de Tiron, puis dès le 15 mai 1779 l’Ecole royale militaire de Brienne-le-Château. Il est reste cinq ans avant d’intégrer, en octobre 1784, la prestigieuse Ecole militaire de Paris.

A la fin de ses études Napoléon est affecté au régiment d’artillerie de la Fère, qu’il rejoint le 3 novembre 1785. Il quittera définitivement son régiment en 1791[14].

Napoléon a 19 ans quand la Révolution éclate. Il retourne plusieurs fois en Corse pendant cette période, mais en juin 1793, sa famille doit fuir de Corse et se réfugie à Marseille. Grâce à ses succès au siège de Toulon (automne 1793) puis contre l'insurrection du 13 vendémiaire (5 octobre 1795), Napoléon est promu général de brigade (le 22 décembre 1793) puis général de division (1795).

Mariages et enfants

Napoléon s'est fiancé le 21 avril 1795 à Désirée Clary, soeur de Julie, l'épouse de son frère Joseph. Les fiançailles sont rompues après la rencontre de Napoléon avec Rose de Beauharnais (Joséphine). Désirée épousera Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte et deviendra reine de Suède en 1818.

Le 9 mars 1796 (date révolutionnaire ?) Napoléon épouse civilement Marie Rose Josèphe Tascher de la Pagerie, dite Joséphine, veuve d'Alexandre de Beauharnais. Joséphine est mère de deux enfants que Napoléon décide d'adopter: Hortense et Eugène. En 1806, le couple recueillera Stéphanie de Beauharnais, une nièce de Joséphine.

Napoléon prend une maîtresse, Pauline Bellisle Foures, la première d'une longue série (on lui en connaît au moins 22) et Joséphine de son côté a aussi des amants. Plus grave, il s'avère que Joséphine ne peut plus avoir d'enfant. Cette situation provoque le divorce du couple, alors que Napoléon est toujours attaché à Joséphine.

Le 1er avril 1810, Napoléon épouse l'archiduchesse Marie Louise d'Autriche. Ils ont un fils:

Le mariage de Napoléon et Joséphine dura jusqu'à la mort de Napoléon, bien que Marie-Louise n'ait pas suivi Napoléon en exil.

Napoléon a reconnu un fils illégitime, né d'Eléonore Denuelle de La Plaigne:

  • Charles, comte Léon, né en 1806

Des tests ADN[10] ont confirmé qu'il est aussi le père du fils de sa maîtresse Marie Walewska:

On lui attribue d'autres enfants naturels, mais leur paternité n'est pas confirmée.

Napoléon, plutôt petit de taille, compensait par une personnalité et une volonté hors normes. Sa façon de gouverner et de diriger une bataille l'ont fait comparer à un grand joueur d'échecs qui a toujours un coup d'avance sur son adversaire. Très travailleur et organisé, il ne supportait pas l'échec.

L'empereur Napoléon

Le 2 mars 1796, Napoléon est promu général en chef de l'armée d'Italie. Ses exploits à la tête de cette armée en font un héros national.[15] Il poursuit avec la campagne d'Egypte[16] et rentre en France le 23 août 1799. Le 9 novembre 1799 (18 Brumaire an VIII) le Directoire est renversé par Napoléon qui devient Premier Consul, avant de se couronner empereur le 2 décembre 1804.

Durant son règne, Napoléon parvient à conquérir une grande partie de l'Europe et provoque la fin de l'Empire Romain Germanique. En 1806 son frère Louis est couronné roi de Hollande; l'année suivante, son plus jeune frère Jérôme est roi de Westphalie; en 1808, il fait couronner son frère aîné Joseph roi d'Espagne, tandis que son beau-frère Joachim Murat devient roi de Naples. En 1808 également, il crée la noblesse d'Empire, et en 1809 il accentue encore sa mainmise sur l'Europe continentale avec la bataille de Wagram. Mais en 1812, sa tentative d'invasion de la Russie est un désastre.

En 1813 il conduit la bataille de Leipzig (dite bataille des Nations), la plus grande bataille napoléonienne, menée contre une coalition de Russes, Prussiens, Suédois et Autrichiens. C'est une défaite décisive. Napoléon doit se retirer en France. Le 11 avril 1814, il est contraint d'abdiquer et exilé à l'île d'Elbe (traité de Fontainebleau).

En 1815, Napoléon s'enfuit de l'île d'Elbe et retrouve le pouvoir pendant les "Cent Jours", mais doit abdiquer une seconde fois après sa défaite finale à Waterloo, le 18 juin 1815, face aux forces Britanniques et Prussiennes. La coalition victorieuse ne lui permet pas de laisser son trône à son fils, et Napoléon est exilé à Sainte-Hélène. La carrière militaire de Napoléon fut l'une des plus grandes de l'histoires: 48 grandes batailles gagnées (sur 60), pour 7 défaites. Sur le plan civil on lui doit de nombreuses réformes dont le Code Napoléon, le Concordat entre l'Eglise catholique et le gouvernement français, le baccalauréat... Mais c'est aussi lui qui est responsable du rétablissement de l'esclavage (aboli une première fois en 1794) à partir de 1802. C'est aussi Napoléon qui négocia la vente de la Louisiane aux jeunes Etats-Unis d'Amérique.

Exil, mort et retour en France

Napoléon est accompagné à Sainte-Hélène par quelques fidèles, reçoit de visites et écrit ses mémoires. Cependant sa santé se dégrade et il tombe malade. Il s'éteint le 5 mai 1821 à l'âge de 52 ans, officiellement d'un cancer de l'estomac. Son médecin affirme que les mauvaises conditions de vie sur l'île ont causé sa mort. On a aussi avancé la théorie d'un empoisonnement à l'arsenic, ce qui semble confirmé par un article de 2007 montrant la présence d'arsenic dans les cheveux de l'empereur. Cet article est cependant constesté et la cause officielle du décès reste le cancer de l'estomac.

En 1840, dix-neuf ans après la mort de Napoléon, le roi Louis-Philippe fait rapatrier ses cendres en France. Il est enterré sous le dôme des Invalides dans un sarcophage de porphyre rouge.

Chronologie

  • 15 août 1769: Naissance à Ajaccio
  • septembre 1785: Admission à l'Ecole militaire de Paris
  • 1789: Début de la Révolution Française
  • 1796: Napoléon épouse Joséphine. Début de la campagne d'Italie
  • 19 mai 1798: Début de la Campagne d'Egypte
  • 9 novembre 1799: Coup d'Etat du 18 Brumaire. Début du Consulat
  • 18 mai 1804: Napoléon est proclamé empereur. Il est sacré le 2 décembre
  • 2 avril 1810: Mariage avec l'archiduchesse Marie-Louise
  • 20 mars 1811: Naissance du "Roi de Rome", son unique enfant légitime
  • Octobre1813: Bataille de Leipzig
  • 11 avril 1814: Première abdication et exil à l'île d'Elbe
  • 18 juin 1815: Bataille de Waterloo. Seconde abdication et exil à Sainte-Hélène.
  • 5 mai 1821: Mort de Napoléon à 52 ans
  • 1840: rapatriement des cendres de Napoléon en France.

Sources

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Wikipedia contributors, "Napoleon," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Napoleon&oldid=774072062 (accessed April 6, 2017).
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 Biography.com article on Napoleon Bonaparte
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 Roberts, Andrew, Why We’d Be Better Off if Napoleon Never Lost at Waterloo, Smithsonianmag.com, June 2015. Accessed 6 April 2017. Contains an image of Bonaparte's birth record.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 This day in history: April 11. History.com
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 Napoleon Bonaparte: The Little Corporal Who Built an Empire, BBC.com, accessed 6 April 2017
  6. 6.0 6.1 Acte de baptême: Baptêmes 1771 Ajaccio, Archives de Corse cote 6 MI 4/21 (1770 - 1775) vue 25
  7. 13 Facts About Notre Dame Cathedral, by Allison C Meier, April 15, 2019: mentalfloss.com/article/556629/facts-about-notre-dame-cathedral
  8. Napoleon.org: https://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/places/cathedral-of-notre-dame-in-paris/
  9. Fire Mauls Beloved Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/15/world/europe/notre-dame-fire.html
  10. 10.0 10.1 Journal of Molecular Biology Research .Vol 5. No. 1 2015 Identifies the common Bonaparte DNA markers from Carlo (Charles) Bonaparte to 3 living descendants. It also contains the references of the work undertaken (tests ) on Napoleon's DNA .
  11. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Battle of Waterloo. History.com
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Battle of Leipzig. History.com
  13. Wikipedia: Siege of Toulon (accessed 16 June 2022).
  14. Sur cette période, voir Le séjour de Napoléon à Auxonne, Wikipédia
  15. Voir la Campagne d'Italie (Wikipédia)
  16. Voir la Campagne d'Egypte (Wikipédia)

See also:


Acknowledgements





Comments: 19

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Hello Profile Managers!

We are featuring this profile in the Connection Finder this week. Between now and Wednesday is a good time to take a look at the sources and biography to see if there are updates and improvements that need made, especially those that will bring it up to WikiTree Style Guide standards. We know it's short notice, so don't fret too much. Just do what you can.

Thanks!

Abby

posted by Abby (Brown) Glann
I wonder if Napoleone and his second wife were distant cousins. I ask this because my Ludovici, Ludovissie, Ludowese, Ludovicy, etc cousins have a male Y DNA of E-M35. That must be very close to Napoleone's E-M34.
posted by Betty (Theis) Flood
Check out this dedicated to Bonaparte https://youtube.com/shorts/aYLPSjLtI8I?si=5Q_fNYHMAckEnUAe
posted by Karen Jones
Di Buonparte-1 and Bonaparte-1 appear to represent the same person because: Di Buonparte-1 est un doublon isolé
posted by Bernard Vatant
This merge has been completed. You may want to review the profile to ensure that everything merged correctly.
Thanks!

While I'm here, may I nitpick something about this profile? The First Name, as for most Corsicans of the same period, was written in its Italian form in the birth record, and further "francisé". In this case, it was at birth Napoleone (without accent in Corsu-Italian), which became in French Napoléon (with the accent). "Napoléone" is a sort of in-between barbarism, so if you can get rid of the accent it would be cool. Thanks!

Samely, if on this case the LNAB on the birth record is actually spelled "Bonaparte", many other members of the family have "Buonaparte".

posted by Bernard Vatant
I’ve just acquired a large book:

"Napoléon Bonaparte et Sons Temps", par Roger Peyre, publié 1896. Page 445 is a one page genealogy, furnished by a M. Louisy. Might be worth cross-checking. E.g. death date of Marie-Laetitia is given as 1839. Tree goes from parents down as far as Bathilde, Comtesse de Cambacérès, b1840.

posted by Chris Little
edited by Chris Little
Link to article in Journal of Molecular Biology Research Vol. 1, No. 1; Dec 2011: https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jmbr/article/download/10609/9658
posted by Peter Roberts
Peter , Thank you , my direct paternal link is to Lucien Bonaparte ( Napoleon's Brother ) they share the same Halpogroup as can be seen in

https://austinpublishinggroup.com/genetics-genomic-research/fulltext/ajggr-v2-id1015.php . This is the link reference to the paper that shows in detail the matches and the other reference documents.

posted by [Living Clovis]
2011 DNA research on the House of Bonaparte (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bonaparte)

According to a study in 2011".[4], Napoleon Bonaparte, and therefore all the Bonaparte (males only), belonged to haplogroup E1b1b1c1* (E-M34*). Ref 4 www.ccsenet.org/jmbr Journal of Molecular Biology Research Vol. 1, No. 1; December 2011 MC Note : The same authors produced an update to their study in 2013 which further added the DNA link information to the current living descendant of Napoleon 1 –namely Alexandre Colonna-Walewski. Reference International Journal of Sciences Volume 2 September 2013 (9) www.ijsciences.com/pub/article/284

posted by [Living Clovis]
I wonder if Napoleone and his second wife were distant cousins? I ask this because the Ludovici, Ludovissie, Ludowese, Ludovicy, etc in my family have the Male Y DNA of E-M35. I have tested two cousins from different branches and this is what we got.
posted by Betty (Theis) Flood
I wonder if Napoleone and his second wife were distant cousins? I ask this because the Ludovici, Ludovissie, Ludowese, Ludovicy, etc in my family have the Male Y DNA of E-M35. I have tested two cousins from different branches and this is what we got.
posted by Betty (Theis) Flood
I wonder if Napoleone and his second wife were distant cousins? I ask this because the Ludovici, Ludovissie, Ludowese, Ludovicy, etc in my family have the Male Y DNA of E-M35. I have tested two cousins from different branches and this is what we got.
posted by Betty (Theis) Flood
I wonder if Napoleone and his second wife were distant cousins? I ask this because the Ludovici, Ludovissie, Ludowese, Ludovicy, etc in my family have the Male Y DNA of E-M35. I have tested two cousins from different branches and this is what we got.
posted by Betty (Theis) Flood