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usergreenpixel · 2 years

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JACOBIN FICTION CONVENTION MEETING 30: CLISSON ET EUGÉNIE (2009)

1. The Introduction

Hello, Citizens, and welcome back to Jacobin Fiction Convention! So, today’s the day we get a rather unexpected author on the scaffold in the spotlight - Napoleon Bonaparte himself! Yes, THAT Napoleon, so you can bet that this is a bit of a unique book.

Turns out in his youth the guy wanted to be an author and wrote the short story we’re about to dissect. Granted, it’s a story he never finished and was apparently extremely embarrassed about it later (I can relate to that), so this is the second reason why this particular review is going to be a unique one. I don’t think we ever had anything unfinished as a topic.

Anyway, you might be asking yourself how exactly I found out about Napoleon’s writing in the first place. For that I have to thank one of the Neighbors, @tairin , who first brought up his writings in conversation long ago. Luckily, the unfinished drafts were published in English in 2009, so translation is available for those who don’t know French. HOORAY!

Unfortunately, the book is a bitch to find online but a website called archive.org came to my rescue like the proverbial cavalry. You do need to make an account there but afterwards it’s possible to borrow this book for 14 days like you would do in a library and read it free of charge. That’s how I read the book, considering the fact that negative reviews of my mutuals made me unwilling to pay money for an ebook or a physical copy.

Is it that bad though? Let’s find out.

This review is dedicated to @tairin , @theravenclawrevolutionary and @michel-feuilly .

Okay, let’s begin!

2. The Summary

The book tells a tragic love story of, well, Clisson and Eugénie. So it’s a romance novel. Also, apparently, a self insert fic with Clisson standing in for Napoleon himself. I have no idea who Eugénie might be though.

People who already know my preferences might remember that romance is my least favorite genre, but I still decided to give the story a chance, so let’s talk about how that decision turned out.

3. The Story

Honestly, it has a lot of romance clichés so the story just wasn’t for me. I didn’t detest it or anything, but I didn’t like it either.

I did, however, appreciate the beginning which shows us Clisson as a talented soldier who is tired of combat and looking for something else in life. It made the narrative just a tad more relatable, in my opinion.

Another point in favor of the story is the fact that Clisson and Eugénie don’t fall in love at first sight and the story takes time for them to develop proper chemistry. I’m not the biggest fan of the “love at first sight” trope so yay for avoiding it!

As for the ending… a bit depressing and anticlimactic but, as someone battling depression, I could relate to Clisson as I had moments where I was close to the headspace he has in the ending. Funny how depression has changed my opinion on some melodramatic moments in media…

4. The Characters

The characters are a bit flat, but not as much as in works of some beginner authors. Since it’s a short story, I’ll only focus on the main characters.

I honestly expected Clisson to be more of a Gary Stu, but I didn’t really get those vibes and could even relate to him towards the end. He has a more gentle, vulnerable side that few people get to see and, at the end of the day, simply craves love and happiness. He is more than just a hero obsessed with war.

Eugénie… I don’t like her and don’t care about her reasoning. I don’t like cheaters. End of story. But I like the fact that she fucked up this way and we didn’t get a blameless perfect love interest. She’s more than that.

Trust me, my first attempts at creating characters were much worse than what we have here.

5. The Setting

I liked some descriptions in the book and, for a short story, Napoleon managed to create settings in a way that’s not bad. Not excellent, but not bad either.

6. The Writing

Personally I don’t really like the writing style, but I tend to have that problem with many works of the past. There’s just too much purple prose for me, but I know that some people appreciate it so hey, you do you.

7. The Conclusion

Overall, maybe I just had really low expectations but… I didn’t hate the story, nor did I like it. Romance genre is just not for me and I’m the absolute last person who should review romance novels.

I went in fully expecting to hate the story, but I don’t. Maybe I just have more patience for beginner authors, maybe I’m just in a good mood. Either way, I can’t quite recommend the book, but I still think it’s an interesting read, if only to get a glimpse into a facet of Napoleon that isn’t talked about much.

On that note, let us finish today’s meeting. Stay tuned for updates, Citizens!

Love,

Citizen Green Pixel

#history #frev #frev art #obscure frev media #jacobin fiction convention #napoleon bonaparte #frev literature #frev media #frev books #clisson et eugenie

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napoleondidthat · 11 months

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This is very niche but I just wanted to say that Napoleon's short story "Clisson et Eugénie" is now available in Swedish. (Which is interesting given that Eugénie Désirée Clary, who the story is probably inspired by, became the queen of Sweden and Norway).

Heads up Sweden!

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thiswaycomessomethingwicked · 5 years

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I am worried and unhappy. I feel numb. Come to me without delay. Only the sight of you will cure me. Last night I dreamt you were on your deathbed. The life had gone out of your beautiful eyes, your mouth was lifeless, you had lost all your colour. I threw myself on your body: it was icy cold. I wanted to bring you back to life with my breath, to bring you warmth and life. But you could no longer hear me. You no longer knew me.

-- Clisson et Eugénie, Napoleon Bonaparte

#napoleon bonaparte #napoleon #fucking love his overwrought novellas #he needed to write more #it's such quality trash like Peak Yellow Back Lit #history #lit #Clisson et Eugénie

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evil-quartett · 3 years

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Fun Fact about Napoleon Bonaparte:

Before he and Josephine met, he wrote a romance novel called Clisson et Eugénie. In the novel, he fictionalised his relationship with Bernadine Eugénie Désirée as a young soldier.

@yanderepuck let him join the writer trio

#history #ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp napoleon

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leonardhoee · 3 years

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Matchup #3

Hi! @delicateikemenmemes here’s your matchup love!

So I was torn between Theo and Napoleon but I ultimately decided to match you up with...

Napoleon!

Your Song

When you first arrive at the mansion he was honestly mesmerized (he keeps it to himself though since he didn’t want to creep you out)

He immediately starts talking to you, asking how you are and if you need anything. His natural charisma and protective nature draw you in and you quickly become good friends.

He finds your shyness very endearing and loves talking to you about psychology and different stories you’ve read. If there's a book you like that is out during that time period, he will read it just so he can talk about it in more detail with you.

He loves sitting back and watching you teach basic psychology to the kids they teach. (His favorite look on you is when you get excited talking about a subject you love and there a big smile on your face.)

You also insist on teaching Jean how to read and write and Napoleon pretty much feels his heart melt at seeing how much you care about his friend.

One of the first stories you read to him is Napoleon’s Clisson et Eugénie and Jean goes and congratulates Napoleon on his writing career the next day. Napoleon finds it funny though he’s a little bit flustered that his self indulgent writing is still popular in your time period.

He takes you horseback riding with him the next day and if you don't know how he will spend as much time as he needs teaching you how to ride.

He admires the fact that you are so headstrong and assertive about your beliefs because in that way both of you are very similar. (You guys would honestly make the perfect superhero team.)

He thinks you're hilarious and the first time you told him about some of your story ideas, Monsieur de WHAHAHA laughed so hard he fell off his chair. Both of you have similar humor and we can always hear

Your first kiss happened when Sebastian asked you to go wake Napoleon up for breakfast. One minute you were shaking his shoulder trying to wake him and then suddenly you're wrapped in his arms with a tender kiss that sent sparks down your whole body.

Both of you just stared at each other for a moment when Napoleon buried his face in his arms apologizing for the awkward situation. He explain that its a habit and both of you laughed it off (though both of you secretly wanted it to happen again).

You got your wish when you lost a game of Blackjack to Arthur. He made a bet that if you lost the game you would agree to wake up Napoleon everyday (He’s just trying to play matchmaker). He told Sebastian that you volunteered to wake up Napoleon from and now here you are getting your daily kisses!

The more time Napoleon spent with you, the more he fell for you. He goes to sleep every night looking forward to being woken up by you and he plans your activities for the next day before he falls asleep.

Once he realizes how much he loves you, he creates a plan with the other residents to tell you how he feels.

He comes to your room in the evening with a bouquet of flowers and asks you to come with him. He takes you to the balcony where he set up a romantic candlelit dinner complete with a path of candles leading you to your seat. He trains Jupiter to fly above you, dropping rose petals around you as you sit down (That was Arthur’s idea). At the end of your date, he gives you a book of poetry he wrote about how much he loves you, and a beautiful sword (made by Leonardo) that he designed for you.

After you becomes a couple, you two write each other love letters back and forth every week. He saves all of your letters and puts them in a box, reading them whenever he has a nightmare or just feels upset in any way.

One time he walked in on you in your room, posing in the mirror with his red cape wrapped around you after you came back from the thermae. Suddenly he has a new kink. Pls wear his cape more often. He was staring at you absolutely enchanted for about 2 minutes before you noticed him and he snapped out of his trance. He wished he was a better artist because he wants the memory of his cape wrapped around your body saved for eternity. You can imagine what happened after that. 😉(Please let Comte know to buy you a wheelchair)

Speaking of his cape, it’s your favorite thing whenever you're cold. You could be walking down the street and if you're cold, Napoleon will wrap his cape around your shoulders and pull you close (Obviously cuz the cape isn't long enough haha)

He constantly tells you how beautiful he thinks you are and loves seeing you get flustered. He thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world and all he wants to do in that moment is kiss you till you’re both out of breath.

If you ever feel sad or upset, he is a very thoughtful person and will do his best to find out exactly what you need. Sometimes he will take you out for dessert and a date around town. Usually he will pull you in bed with him, cuddling you and making you laugh till you feel better.

He absolutely loves cooking for you and if he doesn't already know how, he will learn how to make your favorite recipes and will surprise you with his amazing food. (You are his queen and a queen deserves the absolute best)

Overall Napoleon is the sweetest most caring boyfriend you can find and he’ll always protect and take care of you. He’ll make you laugh and he’ll keep you on your toes. You’ll never get bored with him around and he will be your best friend for the rest of your life.

Hope you enjoyed it!❤️❤️

Here’s my Napoleon playlist! I’ll always be adding new songs to it so you won’t get bored.

#ikemen vampire #ikevamp #ikevamp napoleon #ikemen vampire napoleon #ikevamp arthur #ikevamp leonardo #ikevamp jean #ikevamp comte #ikevamp matchup #ikevamp sebastian

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arsnovacadenza · 4 years

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Napoleon’s Romance Novella headcanons ft. Jean, Sebastian, and MC.

@delicateikemenmemes you gave us Napoleon's embarassing love letters and I raise you his self-insert chick-lit.

So, irl Napoleon Bonaparte wrote a romantic novella titled Clisson et Eugenie based on a past relationship with an ex-fiancee, Eugénie Désirée Clary. It’s essentially a Wattpad novel before Wattpad even existed, and it gave me ideas™ for stupid reading circle headcanons with Jean, Sebastian, and MC:

Jean's gotten better at reading, thanks to the joint efforts between Napoleon and MC. He asks for more reading recommendations from MC one day.

Sebastian, who overhears them, comments "Oh, do you know Monsieur Napoleon wrote a romance novella?"

And Jean's like, "Sure, I'd read that."

So, Sebas whips out a copy of the manuscript (God knows where he got them) and gives it to Jean.

He excitedly offers to help Jean get through the whole thing (and offer unsolicited impressions about the book.)

But Jean decides to try reading it in full on his own, first.

To avoid getting caught by Napoleon, Jean reads the manuscript in his room at night. He gets weirdly engrossed by the novella, often mulling about plot elements and the characters (one of whom reminds him of Napoleon).

The story changes his view of Napoleon so much that Jean often finds himself staring at Napoleon, thinking "I can't believe you turn out to be this melodramatic."

He comes to Sebastian to discuss the novella with him. Their discussion often takes an overly passionate turn, and it draws MC's attention.

She asks Sebastian for a copy too.

All three of them accidentally form a book circle for Clisson et Eugenie. They often gather in the kitchen during their break and discuss the novella together.

Leonardo catches the trio one day and pokes around to see what they're gushing over. Sebastian shows him the manuscript. Leonardo being Leonardo takes it to his room to read later.

In a short time, the manuscript circulates throughout the mansion, and everybody knows about it BUT Napoleon.

Napoleon only discovers the manuscript's existence when Isaac comes up to him, saying "Hey, Dazai and Arthur said something about you writing a chick-lit. Is that true?"

Napo confronts the writers, and the two immediately jump on him, with Arthur saying stuff like "I never imagined you'd write something as sentimental as this." And Dazai says, "I can feel the emotions you poured onto the words. Truly, a fine masterpiece."

Napoleon gets to the bottom of the matter and goes to three original culprits.

He's not mad. He's just embarrassed that someone would dig up his semi-self-insert romance novella and read it.

When Napo confronts them, MC and Sebastian get all flustered and become speechless while Jean (surprisingly) stands to their defense.

He assures Napo that it's perfectly alright to express himself through writing even if he ends up thinking that it's sappy.

Jean commends Napo even further, saying "It moved me knowing that soldiers with filth and blood and our hands can experience something so beautiful even if it's momentary, just like Clisson."

If he were his old self, Napoleon would scoff and point that that's not even the point of the novel, but because it's Jean, well, of course, he couldn't help but be touched.

He forgives the three. Even so, MC suggests that they should try reading something else next week to let the thing die.

Jean continues to tease Napoleon by citing Clisson et Eugenie when they're alone together, earning him a pinch on the cheek (hair ruffles just don't quite cut it anymore).

Meanwhile, Mozart keeps a copy which he got through MC. They're filled with annotated comments and feedback.

I can’t get my own Clisson et Eugenie PDF and it pisses me off

#ikevam napoleon #ikevam jean #ikevam sebastian #ikevam mc #ikevam hc #I wish MC had an official name so I can properly tag her #riri tries ikevam

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valinaraii · 4 years

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Allison Pataki’s novel about Désirée Clary is godawful, but I am debating with myself if it reaches the level of godawfulness of her two previous books about Sissi or if it’s even worse. I am in the middle of the book that contains:

Completely inaccurate descriptions of Napoleon Bonaparte in completely wrong periods. Example, in this universe he’s supposed to be plump during the fucking Italian Campaign. As in 1796-97

Also his eyes are described as green (?)

Also his novel, I mean Clisson et Eugénie, is not only published but also a best-seller.

By the way, he calls her Désirée instead of Eugénie, the name he preferred to adress her in real life.

Her sister calls her Desi, because of reasons. I am reminded of this (Spanish kids will understand):

General Duphot (born in September 1769) is described as an extremely old gentleman. He manages to get killed in Rome in 1797, though, so one point for that last accurate fact I guess.

The Flight to Varennes never existed; at least is never suggested that this happened between Louis XVI and Marie Antoniette being brought from Versailles and the storming of the Tuileries in August 1792.

In her first conversation with Désirée, Josephine is vocal in her condemnation of slavery... Okay...

Also her house in the Rue Chantereine is described as having vaste salons. Let’s take a look at such huge mansion:

(Not exceedingly impressive, eh? I mean my flat is way worse but in no universe is this little hôtel vaste)

Until now, that is, half of the book, Désirée’s personality is practically reduced to tell us readers what Napoleon and wife are doing, apart of how annoying Napoleon’s sisters and mother are. And oh, Bernadotte is also there and she just had a baby.

#bad historical fiction #i am not dead #just uninspired #napoleon bonaparte #desiree clary

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yukina-otome · 5 years

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Ikevamp suitors pt.1

Since some of us might have never heard of some of the ikevamp suitor i decided to introduce them all one by one, and give some little fun facts about their real life contrepart.

1-Napoleon Bonapart

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French statesman and military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was Emperor of the French as Napoleon I from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. Napoleon's political and cultural legacy has endured as one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in human history.

Date and place of birth :15 August 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, France.

Date and place of death : 5 May 1821 (aged 51) Longwood, Saint Helena, United Kingdom.

Cause of death : Stomach cancer (confirmed)

Love life : Napoleon married Joséphine de Beauharnais in 1796, when he was 26 and she was a 32-year-old. She had an affair with many lovers during Napoleon's Italian campaign. But he had his own affairs too: during the Egyptian campaign he took Pauline Bellisle Fourès, the wife of a junior officer, as his mistress. While Napoleon's mistresses had children by him, Joséphine did not produce an heir. Napoleon chose divorce so he could remarry in search of an heir. Despite his divorce from Josephine, Napoleon showed his dedication to her for the rest of his life. When he heard the news of her death while on exile in Elba, he locked himself in his room and would not come out for two full days. Her name would also be his final word on his deathbed in 1821. On 11 March 1810 by proxy, he married the 19-year-old Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, and a great niece of Marie Antoinette. Napoleon and Marie Louise remained married until his death, though she did not join him in exile on Elba and thereafter never saw her husband again. The couple had one child, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles (1811–1832), known from birth as the King of Rome. He became Napoleon II in 1814.

Fun Facts :

1- Judging from letters between the two, Napoleon was desperately infatuated with his wife Josephine and expressed an insecure neediness.

2- He wasn’t actually short. He was probably around five-foot-six(152 cm)—which was actually just about average for the era.

3- He once wrote a romance novel called Clisson et Eugénie.

4- He was afraid of cats

5- Beethoven originally planned to dedicate his 3rd symphony to napoleon.

6- He attempted suicide before his exile in Elba

7- He would disguise himself and walk the streets

8- He was tone deaf

9- He carried a vial of poison, attached to a cord he wore around his neck, that could be swiftly downed should he ever be captured.

If you liked this format pls give a like and tell me which one of the ikevamp suitors would you want next ! I’ll choose the most asked one. Of course sebastian is impossible because he is not a historical figure.

Pt.2 Mozart \ Pt.3 Arthur \ Pt.4 Leonardo \ Pt.5 Newton

#ikemen series #ikevamp #ikemen vampire #ikemen vampires #ikevamp napoleon #ikevam napoleon #napoleon bonaparte

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francepittoresque · 5 years

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[ANECDOTE] Bonaparte romancier, auteur de « Clisson et Eugénie » ► http://j.mp/2DMURGg En 2007, les éditions Fayard publiaient « Clisson et Eugénie », roman que fit paraître pour la première fois en 1929 l’historien polonais Simon Askenazy, composé à 25 ans par le futur empereur et narrant l’histoire de Clisson, jeune général corse misanthrope épris d’une certaine Amélie avant d’aimer Eugénie et d’être ainsi impliqué dans un triangle amoureux : une fiction mêlée d’éléments autobiographiques

#roman #Clisson #Eugénie #Napoléon #Bonaparte #romancier #manuscrit #littérature #Désirée #Clary

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empirearchives · 2 years

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Book cover of Clisson et Eugénie by Napoleon Bonaparte

Featuring Napoleon Bonaparte on the back cover and Désirée Clary on the front cover

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ic-napology · 1 year

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Were you chillier than Naps on this Valentine's Day?

Happy (belated, I'm sorry I was so busy today) Valentine's Day to you all! 🩷

#napoleon bonaparte #french revolution #josephine #junot #murat #napoleon x junot #napoleon × desiree #clisson et eugénie #napoleon x murat #napoleon x josephine #i have crackships >.<#drama #love story #bonaparte

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usergreenpixel · 2 years

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Citizens and Neighbors, here’s a question. Do you want me to review “Clisson et Eugénie” in the future?

For those who don’t know, it’s a romance novel that Napoleon wrote when he was young, but got embarrassed later and destroyed his writings so the version that is available now is based on drafts.

I think it would be interesting to review. What do you think?

#napoleon bonaparte #frev media #obscure frev media #frev #french revolution #frev art #frev literature

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historybehindassassinscreed · 7 years

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In Game:

In 1792, Napoleon infiltrated the Tuileries Palace in order to acquire a key, which would unlock a First Civilization Temple beneath Saint-Denis, that had been placed in a chest and hidden in a secret vault by King Louis in the latter's study. At the same time, the Palace was under attack by several revolutionary extremists led by Napoleon's subordinate, Frédéric Rouille.

The Assassin Arno Dorian had also infiltrated the Palace to search for compromising documents belonging to Honoré Mirabeau. Napoleon released him, remarking upon Arno’s “sinister appearance” before going back to search the desk. Arno thought that, judging by Napoleon’s uniform, he had been hiding from the chaos, though Napoleon corrected him on by saying that he was taking advantage of Rouille’s attack to search the study.

The two located the King’s hidden vault with the aid of Arno’s Eagle Vision. Distracted by destroying the documents, Arno failed to notice Napoleon taking the casket which contained the key to open the Saint-Denis Temple, which Napoleon claimed was a cornucopia. At that moment, the office was attacked by Rouille's men who were searching for Mirabeau's documents. As Arno held them off, Napoleon opened up a secret passageway hidden in the office for them to escape, expertly shooting down the last charging revolutionary.

After Napoleon witnessed Arno's combat abilities, he offered the Assassin a future position in the military, an offer which Arno turned down. The pair was then aided by Bonaparte's soldiers, who managed to blow a hole in the palace's wall and provide them with an escape route.

Later on, he met with Arno and informed him of Rouille's location. Thanks to Napoleon's information, Arno was successful in assassinating Rouille in the Grand Châtelet prison.

In August of 1794, Napoleon secretly hired Phillippe Rose to excavate the Precursor Temple underneath Saint-Denis in order to obtain an Apple of Eden that was hidden there. On August 3rd, Napoleon personally came to check up on Rose. When shown a carving of the Temple, Napoleon noted that a part of the carving resembled the key to the Temple door. He ordered Rose to find the door, promising to pay the captain handsomely. He then took note of a young boy, Léon, who was captured by the raiders. Napoleon instructed Rose to escort the boy back to the surface, but once Bonaparte had left, the raiders intended to murder Léon.

One of the soldiers had convinced Rose to take the Apple of Eden to a higher bidder, without Napoleon’s knowledge. Sent on a mission by the Marquis de Sade, Arno Dorian became involved with Napoleon's quest for the artifact, and in the process killed Rose. He managed to retrieve the Apple first and sent it to Al Mualim in Egypt, where Napoleon could never acquire it.

On August 6th, Napoleon was placed under house arrest on charges of treason, desertion and supporting Maximilien de Robespierre during the Reign of Terror. Eighteen days later, due to his influence in politics, Napoleon was soon released and acquitted of all charges.

Even after the event at Saint-Denis, Arno accepted to help Napoleon and the French Army in some missions to protect Paris from the last remaining royalists. He even ran some personal errands for Napoleon, such as investigating a secret romance between Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and Désirée Clary.

In 1798, Napoleon embarked on a campaign to Egypt and Syria, with the intention of claiming the Apple of Eden from the Saint-Denis Temple. After successfully retrieving the artifact, he returned home in 1799. Using his newfound power, Bonaparte seized power for himself during the coup of 18 Brumaire, becoming the First Consul of France.

On December 24th, 1800, the last remaining Royalists of the 13 Vendémiaire coup, led by François-Joseph Carbon, plotted to use "The Infernal Machine" against Napoleon. Arno was able to eliminate all of the snipers who fired on Napoleon's carriage as it headed towards the opera. The plan backfired when the Infernal Machine detonated too early, far away from Napoleon's carriage. Napoleon's men then escorted the Consul to safety while Arno and a team of Assassins tracked down Carbon and eliminated him, preventing any further assassination attempts. Napoleon himself remained oblivious to the Assassins presence.

In Real Life:

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15th, 1769 in on the island of Corsica to Carlo Maria di Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino, in his family's ancestral home Casa Buonaparte. He was their fourth child and third son. Although his parents were members of the minor Corsican nobility, the family was not wealthy.

This was a year after the island was transferred to France by the Republic of Genoa. He was christened Napoleone di Buonaparte, probably named after an uncle (an older brother who did not survive infancy was the first of the sons to be called Napoleone). In his 20s, he adopted the more French-sounding Napoléon Bonaparte.

When he was a child, he attended school in mainland France, where he learned the French language, and went on to graduate from a French military academy in 1785. He then became a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment of the French army, rising in rank quickly.

The French Revolution began in 1789, and within three years revolutionaries had overthrown the monarchy and proclaimed a French republic. During the early years of the revolution, Napoleon was largely on leave from the military and home in Corsica, where he became affiliated with the Jacobins, a pro-democracy political group. Eventually, in 1793, the Bonaparte family fled their native island for mainland France, where Napoleon returned to the military.

In France, Napoleon became associated with Augustin Robespierre, the brother of revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre, a Jacobin who was a key force behind the Reign of Terror (1793-1794), a period of violence against enemies of the revolution. Around this time, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the army. However, after Robespierre fell from power and was guillotined (along with Augustin) in July of 1794, Napoleon was put under house arrest for two weeks for his ties to the two of them.

(Image source)

By 1795, Bonaparte became engaged to Désirée Clary, daughter of François Clary, although the two never ended up married (Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796, and then Marie Louise in 1810 when his first wife did not provide him with any children). Désirée's sister Julie Clary had married Bonaparte's elder brother Joseph. In April 1795, he was assigned to the Army of the West, which was engaged in the War in the Vendée—a civil war and royalist counter-revolution in Vendée, a region in west central France on the Atlantic Ocean. As an infantry command, it was a demotion from artillery general—for which the army already had a full quota—and he pleaded poor health to avoid the posting.

In 1796, Napoleon commanded a French army that defeated the larger armies of Austria, one of his country’s primary enemies at the time, in a series of battles in Italy. In 1797, France and Austria signed the Treaty of Campo Formio, resulting in territorial gains for the French.

He was moved to the Bureau of Topography of the Committee of Public Safety and sought unsuccessfully to be transferred to Constantinople in order to offer his services to the Sultan. During this period, he wrote the romantic novel, Clisson et Eugénie, about a soldier and his lover, in a clear parallel to Bonaparte's own relationship with Désirée. On September 15th, Bonaparte was removed from the list of generals in regular service for his refusal to serve in the Vendée campaign. He faced a difficult financial situation and reduced career prospects.

In November 1799, in an event known as the coup of 18 Brumaire, Napoleon was part of a group that successfully overthrew the French Directory. The Directory was replaced with a three-member Consulate, and Napoleon became first consul, making him France’s leading political figure. In June 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon’s forces defeated one of France’s perennial enemies, the Austrians, and drove them out of Italy. The victory helped cement Napoleon’s power as first consul.

From there, Napoleon worked to restore stability to post-revolutionary France. He centralized the government by instituting reforms in banking and education, supported science and the arts, and sought to improve relations between his regime and the pope (as Catholicism was France’s primary religion), which had suffered during the revolution. One of his most significant accomplishments was the establishment of the Napoleonic Code, which streamlined the French legal system and continues to form the foundation of French civil law to this day.

In 1802, a constitutional amendment made Napoleon first consul for life. Two years later, in 1804, he crowned himself emperor of France in a lavish ceremony at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

(Image source)

From 1803 to 1815, France was engaged in the Napoleonic Wars, a series of major conflicts with various coalitions of European nations. In 1803, partly as a means to raise funds for future wars, Napoleon sold France’s Louisiana Territory in North America to the newly independent United States for $15 million, a transaction that later became known as the Louisiana Purchase. During these years, Napoleon also reestablished a French aristocracy (eliminated in the French Revolution) and began handing out titles of nobility to his loyal friends and family as his empire continued to expand across much of western and central continental Europe.

In 1810, Russia withdrew from the Continental System. In retaliation, Napoleon led a massive army into Russia in the summer of 1812. Rather than engaging the French in a full-scale battle, the Russians adopted a strategy of retreating whenever Napoleon’s forces attempted to attack. As a result, Napoleon’s troops went deeper into Russia despite being ill-prepared for an extended campaign. Napoleon’s forces marched on to Moscow, only to discover almost the entire population evacuated. After waiting a month for a surrender that never came, Napoleon, faced with the onset of the Russian winter, was forced to order his starving, exhausted army out of Moscow. During the disastrous retreat, his army suffered continual harassment from a suddenly aggressive and merciless Russian army. Of Napoleon’s 600,000 troops who began the campaign, only an estimated 100,000 made it out of Russia.

At the same time of the Russian invasion, France was also involved in the Peninsular War, which drove France from the Iberian Peninsula. This loss was followed in 1813 by the Battle of Leipzig, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by Austrian, Prussian, Russian and Swedish troops. Napoleon then retreated to France, and in March 1814 coalition forces captured Paris.

On April 6th, 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate the throne. With the Treaty of Fontainebleau, he was exiled to Elba, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Italy. He was given sovereignty over the small island, while his wife and son went to Austria.

A little bit less than a year into his exile, Napoleon escaped Elba and sailed to the French mainland with a group of more than 1,000 supporters. The new king, Louis XVIII (1755-1824), fled, and Napoleon began what came to be known as his Hundred Days campaign. Napoleon raised a new army and planned to strike preemptively, defeating the Austrian, British, Prussian and Russian forces one by one before they could launch a united attack against him.

In June 1815, his forces invaded Belgium, where British and Prussian troops were stationed. On June 16th, Napoleon’s troops defeated the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny. However, two days later, on June 18th, at the Battle of Waterloo near Brussels, the French were crushed by the British, with assistance from the Prussians.

On June 22, 1815, Napoleon was once again forced to abdicate and was exiled to the remote, British-held island of Saint Helena, in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died there on May 5, 1821, at age 51, most likely from stomach cancer. Napoleon was buried on the island, despite his wishes, though in 1840, his remains were returned to France and entombed in a crypt at Les Invalides in Paris, where other French military leaders are interred.

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/napoleon

https://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-9420291

http://www.pbs.org/empires/napoleon/n_war/campaign/page_15.html

https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-Biography-Frank-McLynn/dp/1611450373

https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-Path-Power-Philip-Dwyer/dp/0300151322

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