Rise of Napoleon
Napolean Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio in Corisca on 15 August 1769 shortly after the island was to free fom Genoa. In his youth his great ambition was to free Corsica from French control. He was educated at the military school of Brienne and Paris. At sixteen he became a sub-lieutenant of artillery. By 1793 he was a Colonel. In the struggle between the Girondists and the Jacobins, Napoleon sided with the latter. In 1793 he distinguished himself by driving the english from Toulon. It was his first victory, the presage of his future greatness. He was given the rank of Brigadadier-G eneral. He further made his mark in 1795 by defending the Convention aganist the royalist insurrection. Nepoleon impressed the Directory with his military skill and in 1796 he was appointed commander-in- chief of Italy where he laid the foundation of his imperishable military fame. His Italian campaign lasted a year from April 1796 to April 1797. He was a military genius. His policy was to see that his enemies did not unite and then to beat each in turn With amazing speed and brilliant tactics, Napoleon led his forces across the Alps, humbled the Sardinians and occupied every fort in Northern Italy. Sardian was compelled to cede Nice and Savoy to France. When Bonaparte's army approached Vienna, Austria sued for peace. By the Treaty of Capo Formio (October 1797) Austria gave up Belgium to France and abandoned to her the left bank of the Rhine. In reurn Venice was Handed over to Austria.
On his return to France, Napoleon was received with wild enthusiasm. But the time was not ripe for him to impose his authority upon the people. Napoleon, therefore, persuaded the Directory that it was in the best intrests of Francethat England should be ruined. She was the soul and purse of the continental opposition. He tok his army to Egypt and thereacross the desert of Sinai toward to East. But he never reached India He actually lost most of his fleet, failed to conquer Syria and barely got back to France (October 1799) through Nelson's fleet after abandoning his army. He arrived in Paris at the most opportune moment.