Napoleon I

Reign: 1799 – 1804; 1804 – 1814; 1815 – 1815
Life: 1769–1821

He rose to prominence as a general during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across Europe and the Middle East during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. As a statesman, he implemented numerous legal and administrative reforms in France and Europe. He supported the French Revolution in 1789 and promoted its cause in Corsica. He rose rapidly through the ranks after winning the siege of Toulon in 1793 and defeating royalist insurgents in Paris on 13 Vendémiaire in 1795.

During Napoleon I's reign, Frederick William III of Prussia ruled Prussia, Alexander I of Russia ruled Russia, and Francis I of Austria ruled Austria.

Want to learn more? Further reading

The Cambridge Illustrated History of France by Colin Jones

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The World During Their Reign

The most notable rulers who held power elsewhere at the same time, from European courts to Ottoman, Mughal, and Chinese thrones.

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From the library

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