How one reckless gamble ended an emperor’s career
Lasting from 1804 to 1814, Napoleon built an empire that covered vast swathes of the continent and by 1810 it was easier to list the regions he didn’t dominate – Portugal, Sicily, Sardinia, and the British, Russian and Ottoman Empires. This was not bad for the ‘Petit Corporal’ from Corsica, who only secured a commission in the French artillery in 1787.
Napoleon enjoyed a series of accelerated promotions as a result of the French Revolution. By early 1796, he was the commander of all the French forces manning the Italian frontier. Gifted with extraordinary tactical genius, he won a string of great victories that knocked both Austria and Piedmont out of the War of the First Coalition. Similar success in Cairo fighting the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798, during a doomed attempt to conquer Egypt, cemented his reputation as one of Revolutionary France’s greatest heroes.
However, while Napoleon was enjoying these personal victories, France as a whole was struggling.
While he was off gallivanting in Egypt, Austria and Russia had rejoined the War of the Second Coalition and had retaken Italy. It was clear that France needed a much stronger government than the one that had emerged from the bloody chaos of the Revolution.
Denne historien er fra Issue 64-utgaven av All About History.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Issue 64-utgaven av All About History.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
Guy Ritchie's entertaining WWII thriller throws light on Operation Postmaster
SURVIVING A FINANCIAL CRISIS
Jame DiBiasio explores how financiers can learn from the mistakes of the past
FORT KNOX BULLION DEPOSITORY
United States 1937-present
MUSSOLINI HAD JOINED THE ALLIES?
Driven by ambition, Italy's participation in the Axis war effort led to the collapse of its empire, the fall of the Fascist Party and Mussolini's death Interview
BATTLE OF DETTINGEN
DETTINGEN (MODERN-DAY KARLSTEIN AM MAIN, GERMANY), 27 JUNE 1743
THE USSR's FAKE OLYMPICS,
Having boycotted the 1984 games in Los Angeles, the Soviet Union hosted its own competition
Hürrem Sultan
From slave girl to imperial consort, how one girl captured the heart of an emperor to become the most powerful woman in Ottoman history
OVERTHROWING THE MONGOLS
How a Buddhist rebellion toppled the mighty empire and began the rise of the Ming dynasty Written
MAKING A MONSTER
Natalie Lawrence explores the creation of enchanted creatures through 15,000 years of history Interview
SECRETS OF THE PYRAMIDS
From sacred rituals to hidden treasure, uncover why these world wonders were built