Napoleon’s major battles

From the Siege of Toulon (August 28–December 19, 1793) to the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815), Napoleon shaped France’s military fortunes for a generation. As a young officer in the French Revolutionary wars, Napoleon demonstrated his talents on the battlefield, but he was almost undone by the Thermidorian Reaction and the fall of his ally Maximilien Robespierre. Napoleon’s military and political influence increased under the Directory, a process that culminated in the Coup of 18–19 Brumaire. Napoleon abolished the Directory, established the Consulate, and seized dictatorial powers. At that point the wars of the French Revolution became the Napoleonic Wars; Napoleon’s ambitions would be realized with the creation of the French Empire.