Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military and political leader and definitely the greatest general of his times. In contrast to other rulers before him, Napoleon had no advantage of birth or family wealth to help him to advance his career and all that he achieved was due to his own abilities. Napoleon started his career at Brienne military academy and later in 1784 at the Military school in Paris. At the academy young Bonaparte showed himself as a gifted at science and mathematics, which were crucial skills for any artillery officer of the time. Napoleon was known among his men not only as a brave and courageous fighter but also as a great strategist and a detailed planner who had unconventional approach to warfare. …show more content…
He strived for political power as well; however, there were some obstacles on his way. In French society, at that time, power and achievement was reserved only for the nobility. Luckily for Bonaparte French Revolution changed everything; the king was overthrown and executed and French was proclaimed a republic. Napoleon’s rise to power started when he and his men plotted a coup in November 1799 after which he stablished a new government, rewritten the Constitution, and made himself head of state under the title First Consul. As the year 1800 began, Napoleon Bonaparte was the most powerful man in France. Moreover, victory over the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo in 1800 made his political power even stronger. After the number of Napoleon’s achievements such as the Concordat of 1801 with the Catholic Church and the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, in 1804, the Senate declared him the Emperor of the French, thus setting the stage for the French