He was born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica 35 years previously into a noble family of Italian descent. He would become one of the greatest military strategists in world history. He rose rapidly through the ranks of the French Revolutionary Army during the 1790’s. In the latter years of that century France was at war with most of Europe. Napoleon had been waging war in Egypt in an attempt to gain ground over the British in that region before leading an assault on the British in India. His plan however went astray and he was never able to fully succeed with the first part of that plan and had to return to France in a hurry.

 The French nation was on the verge of collapsing and Napoleon seized his chance to take over the country installing himself as the emperor. He first reorganized his armies and defeated Austria in 1800. Two years later he established the Napoleonic code, a new system of French law, in 1804 he established the French Empire. By 1807 his empire stretched from the River Elbe (now Germany) in the north, as far south as Italy. The Pyrenees were the natural border from Spain in the south west and stretching across Europe to the Dalmatian coastline (today’s Croatia).

It was not until 1812 before Napoleon began to feel the first signs of defeat. A disastrous campaign when attempting to invade Russia, followed by defeat by the hated British under the control of the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular War. European armies combined against him ensuring total defeat by 1814. He was ousted from power and exiled to the island of Elba off the Italian coast.

In early 1815 he escaped his captors and returned to France, he raised a new army and enjoyed at first success before suffering from a crushing defeat at Waterloo. It was an allied force again under the command of Wellington on June 18 1815.

Napoleon was exiled again. This time to the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the most remote islands on earth, surrounded by the ocean and over 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometres) from the nearest land mass. He was placed on the island under house arrest with a few of his closest followers. He died in May 1821 at the age of 51. In 1840 his body was returned to Paris, where a belated but magnificent funeral was held. His body was carried through the Arc de Triomphe and later entombed beneath the dome of Les Invalides.