Napolean Bonaparte
, a man whose stature did not define his strengths, an inspiration
to many,a great leader. Although he possessed a small stature but he is now
recognised as one of world’s greatest military leaders. Born in 1769 on the
Mediterranean island of Corsica, he was sent to a military school at the age of
nine.He was mocked by his peers for his small stature and thick accent but he
refused to grace his tormentors’ behaviour with any kind of grace. At school,
he proved to be a poor soldier ,except when it came to artillery. In October
1795,fate gave him a chance to prove himself when he was asked to defend the
delegates of National Convention against the royalists who had marched against
them. He along with his gunners made the attackers flee with panic and
confusion. This was the first time he had displayed his military skills and was
hailed throughout Paris as the Saviour of the French Republic and became the”
Hero of the Hour”.By 1799,the Directory began to lose control over political
situation in France,Napolean took action in early November and seized political
power.He took the title of first consul and assumed the powers of a Dictator.He
worked to strengthen the central government and achieve some of the goals of
the Revolution.He also set up an efficient sytem of tax collection and
established a national banking system to stabilise economy.His greatest work is
considered to be the comprehensive system of
law called “Napoleonic Code”. It limited liberty and promoted order and
authority over individual rights. The code also restored slavery in French
Republic.Napoleans battlefield successes forced the rulers of Ausrtia, Prussia
and Russia to sign peace treaties and also enabled him to build the largest of
European empires.Napolean was able to maintain this great extent only for a
period of five years after which it suddenly collapsed which was caused partly
by Napolean’s actions.
References:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
www.history.com/topics/napoleon
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