Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He had 7 brothers and sisters, and his father was a lawyer whose family stemmed from the Florentine nobility. His original nationality was Cursican-Italian. In 1779 Napoleon went to school at Brienne in France. There he took a great interest in history, especially in the lives of great ancient generals. He studied very hard. Napoleon attended the Ecole Military School in Paris in 1784 after receiving a scholarship. This is where he received his military training. He studied to be an artillery man and an officer. Napoleon finished his training and joined the French army when he was 16 years old.
             Napoleon was a supporter of the French Revolution. In 1793, Corsica revolted against the Republic, and Napoleon's family had to Flee to France. At the age of 25, only one year after becoming captain, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. In August of 1794 Napoleon was arrested. He was accused of treason. Although he was released his career seemed to be over. Then in October of 1795, the government was threatened with a revolt in Paris. Paul Barras appointed Napoleon to defend the capital. Napoleon saved the nation and one year later at the age of 26 was rewarded with the position of commander in chief of the interior French army in Italy.
             Once Napoleon gathered up followers and he took over it didn't take long for him to turn a group of ill-disciplined soldiers into an effective fighting force. Throughout his Italian fights, Napoleon won the confidence of his men by his energy, charm, and ability to comprehend complex issues quickly and make decisions rapidly. These qualities, combined with his keen intelligence, ease with words, and supreme confidence in himself, enabled him throughout the rest of his life to influence peoples and win their firm support. On March 9, 1796, Napoleon married Josephine and two days later left to command th...