Military career of Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte
	Bonaparte at the Pont d'Arcole by Antoine-Jean Gros
Nickname(s)	"General Vendémiaire"; "The Little Corporal"; "Napoleon the Great"
Born	15 August 1769; Ajaccio, Corsica
Died	5 May 1821 (aged 51); Longwood, Saint Helena
Allegiance	France
Service / branch	Trained as an artillerist
Years of service	1785–1815
Rank	Commander in Chief (head of state)
Commands	Army of the Interior; Army of Italy; Army of England; Army of the Orient; French Army; Grande Armée
Battles / wars	French Revolutionary Wars War of the First Coalition; French invasion of Egypt and Syria; War of the Second Coalition; ; Napoleonic Wars War of the Third Coalition; War of the Fourth Coalition; Peninsular War; War of the Fifth Coalition; French invasion of Russia; War of the Sixth Coalition; War of the Seventh Coalition; ;
Awards	Grand Master of the Legion of Honour; Grand Master of the Order of the Reunion; Grand Master of the Order of the Iron Crown
Relations	House of Bonaparte
Other work	Sovereign of Elba, writer

The military career of Napoleon spanned over 20 years. He led French armies in the French Revolutionary Wars and later, as emperor, in the Napoleonic Wars. Despite his rich war-winning record, Napoleon's military career ended in defeat. Napoleon has since been regarded as a military genius and one of the finest commanders in history. His wars and campaigns have been studied at military schools worldwide. He fought more than 80 battles, losing only ten, mostly towards the end when the French army was not as dominant.^[1] The French dominion collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. Napoleon was defeated in 1814 and exiled to the island of Elba, before returning to France. He was finally defeated in 1815 at Waterloo. He spent his remaining days in British custody on the remote volcanic tropical island of Saint Helena. In his long military career, Bonaparte celebrated 70 victories and suffered 10 defeats.^[2]

Battle record summary


Date	Battle	Conflict	Location	Outcome
August 29, 1793 - December 19, 1793	Siege of Toulon	War of the First Coalition	French Republic	Victory
April 24, 1794 - April 28, 1794	Saorgio	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
September 21, 1794	First Dego	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
October 5, 1795	13 Vendémiaire	French Revolution	French Republic	Victory
April 11, 1796 - April 12, 1796	Montenotte	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 12, 1796 – April 13, 1796	Millesimo	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 14, 1796 – April 15, 1796	Second Dego	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 16, 1796	Ceva	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
April 21, 1796	Mondovi	War of the First Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
May 7, 1796 - May 9, 1796	Fombio	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
May 10, 1796	Lodi	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
May 30, 1796	Borghetto	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
July 4, 1796 - February 2, 1797	Siege of Mantua	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
August 3, 1796 - August 4, 1796	Lonato	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
August 5, 1796	Castiglione	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 4, 1796	Rovereto	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 8, 1796	Bassano	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
September 14, 1796 - September 15, 1796	San Giorgio^[3]	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
November 6, 1796	Second Bassano	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Defeat
November 12, 1796	Caldiero	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Defeat
November 15, 1796 – November 17, 1796	Arcole	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
January 14, 1797 - January 15, 1797	Rivoli	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
January 16, 1797	La Favorite [fr]	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
March 16, 1797	Valvasone	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
March 21, 1797 - March 23, 1797	Tarvis	War of the First Coalition	Habsburg Italy	Victory
June 10, 1798 - June 12, 1798	Malta	Mediterranean Campaign	Malta	Victory
July 2, 1798	Alexandria	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Mameluk Egypt	Victory
July 13, 1798	Shubra Khit	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Mameluk Egypt	Victory
July 21, 1798	Pyramids	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Mameluk Egypt	Victory
October 21, 1798 - October 22, 1798	Revolt of Cairo	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	French-occupied Egypt	Victory
January 11, 1799 – January 19, 1799	Siege of El Arish	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Mameluk Egypt	Victory
March 3, 1799 - March 7, 1799	Siege of Jaffa	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Ottoman Empire	Victory
March 20, 1799 – May 21, 1799	Siege of Acre	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Ottoman Empire	Defeat
April 16, 1799	Mount Tabor	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	Ottoman Empire	Victory
July 25, 1799	Abukir	French invasion of Egypt and Syria	French-occupied Egypt	Victory
May 14, 1800 – June 1, 1800	Siege of Fort Bard	War of the Second Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
May 26, 1800	Chiusella River	War of the Second Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
May 31, 1800	Turbigo	War of the Second Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
June 14, 1800	Marengo	War of the Second Coalition	Kingdom of Sardinia	Victory
October 15, 1805 – October 20, 1805	Ulm	War of the Third Coalition	Electorate of Bavaria	Victory
December 2, 1805	Austerlitz	War of the Third Coalition	Archduchy of Austria	Victory
October 14, 1806	Jena	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
October 24, 1806	Berlin	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
December 23, 1806	Czarnowo	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
February 3, 1807	Allenstein	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
February 7, 1807 – February 8, 1807	Eylau	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Disputed
June 14, 1807	Friedland	War of the Fourth Coalition	Kingdom of Prussia	Victory
November 30, 1808	Somosierra	Peninsular War	Spain	Victory
December 1, 1808 – December 4, 1808	Siege of Madrid^[4]	Peninsular War	Spain	Victory
April 19, 1809	Teugen-Hausen	War of the Fifth Coalition	Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 20, 1809	Abensberg	War of the Fifth Coalition	Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 21, 1809	Landshut	War of the Fifth Coalition	Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 21, 1809 – April 22, 1809	Eckmühl	War of the Fifth Coalition	Kingdom of Bavaria	Victory
April 23, 1809	Ratisbon	War of the Fifth Coalition	Principality of Regensburg	Victory
May 21, 1809 – May 22, 1809	Aspern-Essling	War of the Fifth Coalition	Austrian Empire	Defeat
July 5, 1809 – July 6, 1809	Wagram	War of the Fifth Coalition	Austrian Empire	Victory
July 10, 1809 - July 11, 1809	Znaim	War of the Fifth Coalition	Austrian Empire	Victory
July 26, 1812 - July 27, 1812	Vitebsk	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Victory
August 16, 1812 – August 18, 1812	Smolensk	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Victory
September 5, 1812	Shevardino	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Victory
September 7, 1812	Borodino	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Disputed
November 15, 1812 – November 18, 1812	Krasnoi	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Defeat
November 26, 1812 – November 29, 1812	Berezina	French invasion of Russia	Russian Empire	Disputed
May 2, 1813	Lützen	War of the Sixth Coalition	Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
May 20, 1813 – May 21, 1813	Bautzen	War of the Sixth Coalition	Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
May 22, 1813	Reichenbach	War of the Sixth Coalition	Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
August 26, 1813 – August 27, 1813	Dresden	War of the Sixth Coalition	Kingdom of Saxony	Victory
October 16, 1813 – October 19, 1813	Leipzig	War of the Sixth Coalition	Kingdom of Saxony	Defeat
October 30, 1813 - October 31, 1813	Hanau	War of the Sixth Coalition	Duchy of Frankfurt	Victory
January 29, 1814	Brienne	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 1, 1814	La Rothière	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Defeat
February 10, 1814	Champaubert	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 11, 1814	Montmirail	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 12, 1814	Chateau-Thierry	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 14, 1814	Vauchamps	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 17, 1814	Mormant	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
February 18, 1814	Montereau	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
March 5, 1814	Berry-au-Bac	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
March 7, 1814	Craonne	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
March 9, 1814 - March 10, 1814	Laon	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Defeat
March 12, 1814 - March 13, 1814	Reims	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
March 20, 1814 - March 21, 1814	Arcis-sur-Aube	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Defeat
March 26, 1814	Saint-Dizier	War of the Sixth Coalition	French Empire	Victory
June 16, 1815	Ligny	Hundred Days	United Kingdom of the Netherlands	Victory
June 18, 1815	Waterloo	Hundred Days	United Kingdom of the Netherlands	Defeat

^[a]

References

^ For comprehensive coverage, see Chandler (1973).^[5] For an overall view of the military history of the era see Trevor N. Dupuy and R. Ernest Dupuy, The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd ed., 1970) pp. 730–770.

^ Roberts says his losses came at Siege of Acre (1799), Battle of Aspern-Essling (1809), Battle of Leipzig (1813), Battle of La Rothière (1814), Battle of Laon (1814), Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube (1814), and Battle of Waterloo (1815). Andrew Roberts, "Why Napoleon merits the title 'the Great,'" BBC History Magazine (1 November 2014)
^ Andrew Roberts, Napoleon: A Life (2014)
^ Michael V. Leggiere; Phillip R. Cuccia. Napoleon and the Operational Art of War. BRILL, Leiden (2020). p. 166
^ United States Military Academy. Summaries of Selected Military Campaigns. West Point, New York (1953). p. 22
^ David G. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon (1973) excerpt and text search

v t e Napoleon
Napoleonic era timeline First French Empire
Family	Wives: Joséphine de Beauharnais Marie Louise Children: Charles Léon Alexandre Walewski Napoleon II Father: Carlo Maria Buonaparte Mother: Letizia Ramolino Brothers: Joseph Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte Sisters: Caroline Bonaparte Pauline Bonaparte Elisa Bonaparte
Life and career	Stay in Auxonne [fr] Coup of 18 Brumaire Consulate Assassination attempts Le souper de Beaucaire Constitutions 1799 1802 1804 1815 Napoleonic Wars Coronation Sale of Louisiana Planned invasion of the United Kingdom Holland Mesures usuelles Looting of art Tactics Weaponry and warfare 1st abdication 1st exile Route Napoléon 2nd abdication 2nd exile Death [fr] mask
Battles and wars	French Revolutionary Wars Siege of Toulon French Revolution 13 Vendémiaire Battle of Lodi Battle of Bassano Battle of Rivoli French campaign in Egypt and Syria Battle of the Pyramids Siege of Jaffa Battle of Marengo War of the Third Coalition Battle of Austerlitz War of the Fourth Coalition Battle of Eylau War of the Fifth Coalition Battle of Eckmühl French invasion of Russia Battle of Borodino War of the Sixth Coalition Battle of Leipzig Battle of Vauchamps Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube Hundred Days Battle of Ligny Battle of Waterloo
Views	Catholic Church Concordat of 1801 Tiara Jewish people Grand Sanhedrin Infamous Decree Protestants Organic Articles Slavery Law of 20 May 1802 Saint-Domingue expedition Women [fr]
Homes and honours	Arc de Triomphe Column of the Grande Armée Equestrian statue Palace of Fontainebleau Les Invalides Longwood House Maison Bonaparte Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker Milan Rue de la Victoire Warsaw monument
Legacy and memory	Bank of France Bonapartism Cultural depictions Napoleon complex "China is a sleeping giant" quote German Romanticism Napoleonic Code Propaganda Tomb Retour des cendres Penis Studies Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)
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Battle record summary

References

Further reading