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1769 was a distinct year in France. With the French Revolution just 20 years away, France was beginning to experience social and political unrest. This also marked the beginning of Europe’s industrial revolution and the Battle of Ponte Novu was fought on May 8th. This battle was important because it was the end of the Corsican War, which resulting in France occupying the island. The 1770s saw a period of greater social unrest and political turmoil. The American Revolution began in 1776 and thoughts of liberty and justice were also making their way across the Atlantic to France. France’s participation in the American Revolution had also left the country financially drained and the national debt was high. Versailles, where the royal court lived, was somewhat isolated from the rest of the country’s problems and the French people felt that the monarchy was not understanding of their needs. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Corsica to Charles Bonaparte and Letitia Romalino. His father, who was of noble Genoese ancestry, had married 14 year old Letitia at the age of 18 and the couple had little money. “Letitia’s background differed considerably from that of her husband. Raised in the country with almost no formal education, she had early matured as an attractive, hard working, naturally shrewd and intelligent woman…” (Asprey 8). The Bonaparte’s had eight children but Napoleon was the problem child. “I was a little handful…I feared no one” (Asprey 9). Napoleon also was not well educated, though he was very outgoing and made friends with sailors who would come to the docks. Despite the Bonaparte’s lack of money and education, Charles Bonaparte worked very hard to have his sons eligible for appointment, so that the... ... middle of paper ... ...ws of France by removing laws that made them inferior to Catholic citizens. Works Cited Asprey, Robert B. The Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Basic, 2000. Print. Kidder, David S., and Noah D. Oppenheim. The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class. New York: Rodale, 2006. Print. McLynn, Frank. Napoleon: A Biography. New York: Arcade Publishers, 2002. Print. Schneider, John. “Napoleonic Literature.” Napoleonic Literature. 30 May 1996. Web. 21 June 2011. http://napoleonic-literature.com/ Schom, Alan. Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life. New York: Harper Perennial, 1998. Print. Wilde, Robert. “Napoleon Bonaparte – Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte.” European History – The History of Europe. Web 21 June 2011.
Bibliography D. M. G. Sutherland, France 1789-1815 Revolution and Counterrevolution (London 1985). Tom Holmberg, “Napoleon and the French Revolution”, 1998, www.napoleonbonaparte.nl/html/body_nap_and_revolution.html. www.chesco.com/artman/napoleonbonaparte.html (Quotes by Napoleon Bonaparte). George Orwell, Animal Farm, Middlesex, England 1945. Colin Jones, The Longman Companion to the French Revolution, (New York, 1988).
Only a year before Napoleon was born, Genoa had been forced to sell Corsica to France. In one of history’s amazing coincidences, this would forever tie Napoleon to France, even going so far as to change his name to a more French sounding name. Had Genoa kept hold of Corsica, Napoleon would have been born an Italian, and the thousands of books since written about him would have ceased to exist. Alas, fate had a role to play, and Napoleon found himself a part of a minor noble family in an island wishing for independence. From a young age Napoleon would wish to be a part of the struggle to regain sovereignty for Corsica. Here is where he would become fascinated with history in an attempt to write a history of his homeland. At that time one could not learn about history without learning about the great empire of Rome. This knowledge of Rome would influence Napoleon’s actions for the rest of his life.
The French Revolution, also known as the revolution of 1789, was a movement that helped shape France into what it is today. The Revolution may have started in 1787 but it wasn’t till 1789 when the revolution actually started to become worse. The Revolution had many reasons for why it started, but it was only a few major things that really made it happen.
Georges Lefebvre, Napoleon From 18 Brumaire to Tilsit, 1799-1807, (New York: Columbia University Press, 1969). Martyn Lyons, Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution, (London: The MacMillan Press, 1994), pp. 26.
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, to a well-off Corsican family . Legend says that, in a rush to enter the world and fulfill his destiny, Napoleon was delivered abruptly in the Bonaparte household on a threadbare rug that depicted heroic scenes from The Iliad. This story has been dismissed, explaining that the Bonapartes were not wealthy enough to have luxuries such as rugs in their home, and even so, any rugs would have been put away during a hot summer in Corsica . Nonetheless, the legend illustrates that, from birth, Napoleon possessed the drive and ener...
Lyons, Martin. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution. London: Macmillen, 1994. Print.
Europe Under Napoleon 1799-1815. Arnold, London, 1996. Ellis, Geoffrey. Profiles in Power: Napoleon, Longman, New York, 1997. Encyclopaedia Britannica, CD Rom, Standard Edition, 1999.
Napoleon was born in Corsica and went to military school where at that time France was at war with Britain, Austria and Russia. Being in the military he led the French army and achieved victory from the Austrians in 1797 who also negotiated with other nations such as Britain (MORAN 6-22). He established a new Napoleon code which had traditional laws resembling the new revolution in France. He later crowned himself emperor of France and combined social rehabilitation with his own arbitrary power. He also worked a covenant with the Catholic Church where there was a purification of Napoleon and Empress Josephine, who was from a wealthy family. His rise created a new empire which covered much of Europe apart from Britain (MORAN 6-22). He used his family, relatives and friends to power the European countries, hence to why his pride and aspiration led Europe to unite against him. His fall was brought by the detested of French rule all over
For one the monarchy was making decisions not in the favour of its people and inevitably leading French to its death. The wealthy didn’t have to pay taxes that were unfair and bringing down the middle class. 97% of French were middle class and were struggling to survive. In Europe the quality of life was determined on the status you held, and to get an upper class status you had to born into it. You couldn’t earn a higher status no matter how hard you tried. France was in debt at this time because of losing the wealth in the Seven years’ war this is the same circumstances as the American Revolution. In 1788 the French government went bankrupt. The lower class were getting annoyed with the upper class wasting money while the poor go hungry and are offcourse poor. The peasant was also hungry because all the harvest was wiped out by bad weather and all that was left was expensive food and very little of it. The French Revolution in a way was similar to the American Revolution because its was an argument that went out of control resulting in these historical events and there government going bankrupt.
Bonaparte was born in Corsica and trained as a military officer in. He became a commander
Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 15: Europe and the Superior Being: Napoleon." The History Guide Main. 28 Feb. 2006. 28 Apr. 2009
Kreis, Steven. “Europe and the Superior Being: Napoleon.” The History Guide: Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History. 13 May. 2004. 6 Dec. 2004.
There were many causes and events leading up to the French Revolution in 1789. Before the Revolution, France had been involved in many expensive wars, especially the American War of Independence, causing financial difficulties and debts which were increased through the expensive upkeep of the Royal Family and their courts. At this time the Age of Enlightenment was occurring and new ideas, challenging the Ancien Regime and the Absolute right to rule, were emerging. The monarch of the time, King Louis XVI, was a weak monarch who was incapable of making decisions and sticking to them. King Louis XIV was also incapable of using his powers in a way to spark fear and gain control of those under his power. As a result of the high debts held by the French Government, the King decided to start taxing the First and Second Estates. They objected causing the Third Estate to question why the first two estates were given choice in paying taxes when the Third Estate, who were so heavily taxed, paid all their taxes. These were the major causes leading up to and, in some cases, triggering, the French Revolution.
Sire, J. W. (2000). Habits of the mind: Intellectual life as a Christian calling. IL: InterVarsity Press.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the son of Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte, was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15, 1768. In 1779, he was sent to a military school in Paris. He was made fun of by the French there, and gave him the dream of power. Napoleon was waiting for the right time to achieve greater power, and that moment came when the French monarchy was overthrown.