Commanders

Napoleon Bonaparte

Also Known As Bonaparte

Modern, Revolutionary and Napoleonic France

Citation Formats

General Reference

War and Military Atlas. "Napoleon Bonaparte." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-military.interactiveatlas.org/commanders/napoleon-bonaparte.

APA Style

War and Military Atlas. (n.d.). Napoleon Bonaparte. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-military.interactiveatlas.org/commanders/napoleon-bonaparte

BibTeX

@misc{warandmilitaryatlas-napoleon-bonaparte,
  author = {War and Military Atlas},
  title = {Napoleon Bonaparte},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-military.interactiveatlas.org/commanders/napoleon-bonaparte},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A French military officer who rose to prominence during the crisis and warfare surrounding the French Revolution in the 1790s, leading French armies to major victories against Austrian forces in Northern Italy in 1796 and 1797. He went on to seize political power and build an empire across continental Europe, commanding roughly a million soldiers by 1812, the largest armed force assembled up to that time.

Facts

Birth Date

1769-08-15 1

Death Date

1821-05-05 1

Birthplace

Ajaccio, Corsica, France 1

Death Place

Longwood, Saint Helena 1

Rank

Emperor of the French (1804-1814, 1815); previously First Consul of the French Republic (1799-1804) 1

Defining Contribution

Reorganized the Grande Armee around the corps system and won a decisive victory over the Third Coalition at Austerlitz in 1805. 2

Cross-Tradition Connections

Battles and Wars Led

Battle of Austerlitz

Source Wikipedia: Battle of Austerlitz

Battle of Waterloo

Source Wikipedia: Battle of Waterloo

Napoleonic Wars

Source Wikipedia: Napoleonic Wars

War of the Third Coalition

Source Wikipedia: Battle of Austerlitz

Doctrines Developed

Corps System

Precedents existed in Jourdan's Army of Sambre and Meuse (1795, three corps) and Moreau's four-corps division (ordered 1800); Napoleon fully developed and systematized the corps d'armee for the 1805 campaign.

Source Wikipedia: Corps

Grand Battery (Massed Artillery Tactic)

Napoleon employed and expanded the grand battery tactic in his later campaigns.

Source Wikipedia: Grand battery

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Napoleon

Wikipediainfobox, Born field

Quote, infobox, Born field

Ajaccio, Corsica, France

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Napoleon

Wikipediainfobox, Died field

Quote, infobox, Died field

Longwood, Saint Helena

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Napoleon

Wikipediainfobox, Reign field

Quote, infobox, Reign field

Emperor of the French...18 May 1804 - 6 April 1814 / 20 March 1815 - 22 June 1815

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: Napoleon

Wikipediathroughout, early-life and military sections

Quote, throughout, early-life and military sections

Bonaparte was commissioned

View the Source

2. Wikipedia: Battle of Austerlitz

Wikipediainfobox/lead

Quote, infobox/lead

decisive French victory, ended the War of the Third Coalition

View the Source

2. Wikipedia: Battle of Austerlitz

WikipediaBattles and Wars Led: War of the Third Coalition, Commanders and leaders section

Quote, Battles and Wars Led: War of the Third Coalition, Commanders and leaders section

French - Napoleon I

View the Source

2. Wikipedia: Battle of Austerlitz

WikipediaBattles and Wars Led: Battle of Austerlitz, Commanders and leaders section

Quote, Battles and Wars Led: Battle of Austerlitz, Commanders and leaders section

French - Napoleon I, Marshals Davout, Soult, Bernadotte, Lannes

View the Source

Western Civilization: A Concise History (Brooks)

Christopher Brooks, Portland Community College (Humanities LibreTexts)Western Civilization III, Chapter 1, Napoleon, section 1.1 The Rise of Napoleon's Empire

Quote, Western Civilization III, Chapter 1, Napoleon, section 1.1 The Rise of Napoleon's Empire