Napoleon I

Introduction & Top Questions
Early life and education
The Revolutionary period
- The Jacobin years
- The Directory
The Consulate
- Consolidation of power
- Program of reforms
- Military campaigns and uneasy peace
The empire
- Founding the empire
- War with Britain
- Blockade and the peninsular campaign
- Consolidation of empire
- Disaster in Russia and its aftermath
- Downfall and abdication
Elba and the Hundred Days
Exile on St. Helena
The Napoleonic legend

Quotes References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries

Eighteenth-century painted portrait of Maximilien de Robespierre wearing a brown striped coat, high collar, and white cravat, set against a plain background.

Lithograph portrait of Empress Josephine of France wearing a jeweled crown, veil, and elaborate gown with a necklace, shown from the waist up.

At a Glance

Painting by Jacques-Louis David showing Emperor Napoleon standing in his study at the Tuileries, dressed in a military uniform, with papers and a clock behind him.

Napoleon summary

Napoleon I Timeline

Napoleon I’s Achievements

Quizzes

France: A History Quiz

Who Did That? A Historical Bio Quiz

The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David, 1812. Oil on canvas, 80 1/4 x 49 1/4 in. (203.9 x 125.1 cm) The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Napoleon I, Napoleon Bonaparte.

All About Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte. General Bonaparte on the bridge at Arcole, 17 November, 1796, by Antoine-Jean Gros, Musee National, Chateau de Versailles. The first emblematic image of the Napoleonic myth. Napoleon I

Exploring French History

Vikings. Viking warriors hold swords and shields. 9th c. AD seafaring warriors raided the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering and killing. Marauders or pirates came from Scandinavia, now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. European History

European History

Related Questions

How did Napoleon Bonaparte become Emperor Napoleon I of France in 1804?
How did Napoleon Bonaparte first gain attention at the Siege of Toulon in 1793?
How did Napoleon Bonaparte’s Corsican background shape his early life?
How did Napoleon I centralize local government in France?
How did Napoleon I change the political map and military strategy of Europe?
How did Napoleon I regain power during the Hundred Days?
How did Napoleon I’s legacy influence his nephew Louis-Napoléon’s rise to power?
How did Prussian forces under Gebhard Blücher affect the Battle of Waterloo?
How did plebiscites help Napoleon Bonaparte strengthen his power?
How did the Battle of Marengo help Napoleon Bonaparte secure his rule?
How did the Constitution of the Year VIII give Napoleon Bonaparte most of the government’s power?
How did the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire end the Directory’s rule in France?
How did the French invasion of Russia contribute to Napoleon I’s downfall?
How did the Napoleonic Code affect property rights in France?
How did the Napoleonic Code limit the legal rights of women?
How was the Continental System intended to weaken Great Britain?
What did Napoleon I and Tsar Alexander I agree to in the Treaties of Tilsit?
What did the Concordat of 1801 change about relations between France and the Catholic Church?
What did the Treaty of Amiens accomplish in 1802?
What duties did prefects perform under Napoleon I’s government?
What subjects did Napoleon Bonaparte study as a young artillery officer?
What was the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire?
What were the results of the Treaty of Pressburg for Austria and the Holy Roman Empire?
When and where was Napoleon Bonaparte born?
Which institutions created by Napoleon I had a lasting influence on modern France?
Which schools did Napoleon Bonaparte attend in France?
Who were Napoleon Bonaparte’s parents?
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte become First Consul for life in 1802?
Why did Napoleon Bonaparte become the head of his family while still a teenager?
Why did Napoleon I abdicate for a second time in June 1815?
Why did Napoleon I begin the Peninsular War in 1808?
Why did Napoleon I divorce Joséphine and marry Marie Louise of Austria?
Why did Napoleon I emphasize speed and mobility in military strategy?
Why did Napoleon I escape from Elba and return to France in 1815?
Why did Napoleon I negotiate the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII?
Why did Napoleon I suppress the Tribunate in 1807?
Why did the Battle of Waterloo end Napoleon I’s return to power?
Why did the British send Napoleon I to St. Helena instead of allowing him to go to the United States?
Why did the French government send Napoleon Bonaparte on an expedition to Egypt?
Why is the Battle of Austerlitz considered one of Napoleon I’s greatest victories?
Why were Napoleon I’s remains returned from St. Helena to Paris in 1840?
Who was Napoleon?
How did Napoleon become emperor of France?
What did Napoleon accomplish?
What happened to Napoleon?
Was Napoleon short?
How did Maximilien Robespierre come to power?
What is Maximilien Robespierre known for?
When and how did Maximilien Robespierre die?
When did Charles de Gaulle become famous?
What were Charles de Gaulle’s policies as president of France?

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External Websites

World History Encyclopedia - Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon.org - 1769-1793: Napoleon BonaparteÂ’s early years
Humanities LibreTexts - Napoleon
Live Science - Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)
The Ohio State University - ehistory - Napoleon Bonaparte
Jewish Virtual Library - Biography of Napoleon Bonaparte

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Napoleon - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Napoleon I - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Napoleon I

emperor of France

Also known as: Le Corse, Le Petit Caporal, Napoléon Bonaparte, Napoleone Buonaparte, the Corsican, the Little Corporal(Show More)

Written by

Jacques Godechot

Former Professor of Modern and Contemporary History and Dean, Faculty of Letters, University of Toulouse II, France. Author of Les Révolutions, 1770–1799; Napoléon; and others.

Jacques Godechot

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

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Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026 •History

Napoleon I (born August 15, 1769, Ajaccio, Corsica—died May 5, 1821, St. Helena Island) was a French general, First Consul (1799–1804), emperor of France (1804–1814/15), and one of the most celebrated personages in the history of the West. He revolutionized military organization and training; sponsored the Napoleonic Code, the prototype of later civil-law codes; reorganized education; and established the long-lived Concordat with the papacy. He was the moving spirit behind the intertwined series of conflicts...

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