Napoléon I

(na-po'le-un,) (NAPOLÉON BONAPARTE,) Emperor of the French, B. in Ajaccio, 1769, was the 2d son of Charles Bonaparte and his wife LetiziaRamolino. Hewas sent to the military school of Brienne, 1777; became lieutenant of artillery, 1785; and for his services at the siege of Toulon, was appointed brigadier general of artillery, 1793. On the 13th Vendémiaire (4th Oct.), 1795, the Convention having made N. commander of the troops provided for its defence, he dispersed by a terrible cannonade the mutinied National Guard, and was immediately appointed to the command of the army of the interior. In 1796, he married Joséphine, the widow of Alex and rede Beau harn a is; was appointed almost immediately to the supreme command of the army of Italy, and after the victories of Montenotte, Mondovi, Castiglione, ., signed the celebrated treaty of Campo-Formio, April 16, 1797. On May 19, 1798, he sailed from Toulon for an expedition in Egypt, during which he took Malta and Alexandria; and gained the battles of the Pyramids, Aboukir, . Returning to France on the 9th of October, 1799, he hastened to Paris, soon mastered the state of affairs, overthrew the Directory on the famous 18th Brumaire, and (Dec. 22) was created First Consul for 10 years. In 1800, France being still at war with Austria, N. raised with wonderful rapidity an army of 36,000 men, began on the 13th May his magnificent and daring march acro the Alps, and gained the decisive victories ofMontebello and Marengo. He signed the treaty of Lunéville with Austria, Feb. 9, 1801; a concordat with the Pope on the 15th of July of the same year, and the peace of Amiens with England, March 27, 1802 reorganized the several departments of public administration; instituted the Bank of France; reopened the Catholic churches; recalled the émigrés, and superintended the drawing up of the admirable Code Napoléon. On the 18th of May, N. a umed the title of Emperor, was consecrated in Paris by the Pope Pius VII. (Dec 2), and was crowned king of Italy in Milan, May 26, 1805. [s. 630]