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Who was Napoleon? |
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French army general and French emperor (ruler of a large group of people and areas) who lived during the late 1700s and early 1800s. He became an army officer when he was only a teenager and led other French soldiers to many victories throughout his life. Napoleon also helped develop a piece of law called the Napoleonic Code that defined and improved people's rights.
Before Napoleon's rule, ideas about freedom and politics in Europe were very different. Political systems were not organized, and people did not enjoy the same rights that they do today. While his military activities were sometimes considered harsh, Napoleon did try to make Europe into a unified power and to give its citizens greater order, peace, and freedom. For that, people still remember and celebrate him today.
One of Napoleon’s nicknames is the “Little Corporal.” When Britain was fighting with France, the British newspapers would sometimes display Napoleon as being very short. In reality, Napoleon was probably about five feet seven inches tall, which was an average height for the time.
