Napoleon Bonaparte Timeline

(1769 - 1821)

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) was a French military general and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and became Emperor of the French. He conquered much of continental Europe before his defeat at Waterloo and exile to Saint Helena. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Rise to Power

Birth of Napoleon Bonaparte in Corsica

Aug 15, 1769

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica, shortly after the island was annexed by France. Born to minor Corsican nobility of Italian descent, he was the second surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino.

Image source: Napoleon

Napoleon graduates from École Militaire

Oct 28, 1785

Napoleon graduated as a second lieutenant of artillery at age 16, completing a compressed course at the École Militaire in Paris after excelling at the military school in Brienne-le-Château.

Image source: École Militaire

Siege of Toulon

Aug 29, 1793 - Dec 19, 1793

As an artillery commander during the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleon devised the plan that recaptured the port of Toulon from British and royalist forces. His success earned him promotion to brigadier general at just 24 years old and launched his meteoric rise.

Image source: Siege of Toulon (1793)

Suppression of royalist uprising with 'whiff of grapeshot'

Oct 5, 1795

Napoleon defended the National Convention against a royalist insurrection by firing cannon into rebel ranks in Paris. The decisive action saved the Directory and made Napoleon one of France's most prominent military figures.

Image source: 13 Vendémiaire

Suppression of royalist uprising with 'whiff of grapeshot'

Marriage to Joséphine de Beauharnais

Mar 9, 1796

Napoleon married Joséphine, a widow six years his senior, in a civil ceremony in Paris. Their passionate but turbulent marriage ended when Napoleon annulled it in 1810 to secure an heir.

Image source: Joséphine de Beauharnais

Coup of 18 Brumaire

Nov 9, 1799 - Nov 10, 1799

Returning from Egypt, Napoleon overthrew the Directory in a bloodless coup and established the Consulate, installing himself as First Consul with near-dictatorial powers over France.

Image source: Coup of 18 Brumaire

Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French

Dec 2, 1804

At Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor rather than receiving the crown from Pope Pius VII, symbolizing that his authority came from his own achievement. Joséphine was crowned Empress beside him.

Image source: Coronation of Napoleon and Joséphine

Napoleonic Wars

Italian campaign begins

Apr 12, 1796

Taking command of the ragged Army of Italy, Napoleon stunned Europe with a brilliant series of victories over Austrian and Piedmontese forces, including Lodi, Arcole, and Rivoli. The campaign made him a national hero and showcased his genius for maneuver warfare.

Image source: Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars

Egyptian expedition begins

May 19, 1798

Napoleon sailed for Egypt with a large army and corps of scholars, aiming to threaten British interests and build an eastern empire. He won the Battle of the Pyramids but lost his fleet to Nelson at Aboukir Bay.

Image source: French campaign in Egypt and Syria

Battle of the Pyramids

Jul 21, 1798

Napoleon's forces decisively defeated Mamluk armies near Cairo using innovative square formations. Though victorious on land, the destruction of the French fleet soon after stranded the army in Egypt.

Image source: Battle of the Pyramids

Crossing of the Alps

May 15, 1800

Napoleon led his reserve army across the Great St Bernard Pass through the Alps, catching Austrian forces by surprise and setting up the victory at Marengo. Jacques-Louis David's famous painting immortalized this feat.

Image source: Napoleon Crossing the Alps

Battle of Marengo

Jun 14, 1800

In a dramatic battle in northern Italy, Napoleon nearly lost before Desaix's timely reinforcements turned defeat into victory against Austria. The win cemented his political power and forced Austria out of northern Italy.

Image source: Battle of Marengo

Battle of Austerlitz

Dec 2, 1805

Known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, this masterpiece of tactical brilliance saw Napoleon crush the combined Austro-Russian army in Moravia. Often considered his greatest victory, it dissolved the Holy Roman Empire's coalition and made Napoleon master of Central Europe.

Image source: Battle of Austerlitz

Battle of Jena–Auerstedt

Oct 14, 1806

Napoleon decisively defeated Prussia in a double battle, occupying Berlin within weeks. The crushing victory exposed the obsolescence of the old Prussian military system and led to sweeping reforms.

Image source: Battle of Jena–Auerstedt

Continental Blockade against Britain decreed

Nov 21, 1806 - Apr 11, 1814

Napoleon attempted to strangle Britain economically by banning trade between Britain and continental Europe under his control. The blockade proved difficult to enforce, damaged European economies, and contributed to tensions leading to war with Russia.

Image source: Continental System

Treaties of Tilsit signed

Jul 7, 1807 - Jul 9, 1807

Meeting on a raft on the Niemen River, Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I divided Europe into spheres of influence. Prussia was humiliated, and Russia joined the Continental System against Britain, marking the height of Napoleon's dominance.

Image source: Treaties of Tilsit

Peninsular War begins in Spain and Portugal

May 2, 1808 - Apr 17, 1814

French occupation of Spain triggered a brutal guerrilla war that drained French resources for years. Combined with Wellington's British intervention, the Peninsular War became Napoleon's 'Spanish ulcer' and a key factor in his eventual downfall.

Image source: Peninsular War

French invasion of Russia

Jun 24, 1812 - Dec 14, 1812

Napoleon marched over 600,000 men into Russia, winning the bloody Battle of Borodino and occupying Moscow, only to see the city burn and face a catastrophic winter retreat. Fewer than 100,000 soldiers returned, shattering the Grande Armée's aura of invincibility.

Image source: French invasion of Russia

Battle of Leipzig (Battle of Nations)

Oct 16, 1813 - Oct 19, 1813

The largest battle in Europe before World War I saw Napoleon defeated by a coalition of Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Sweden in Saxony. The loss destroyed French power east of the Rhine and opened Germany to liberation.

Image source: Battle of Leipzig

Empire and Rule

Concordat of 1801 signed with Pope Pius VII

Jul 15, 1801

Napoleon negotiated an agreement restoring relations between France and the Catholic Church after the revolutionary rupture, giving him religious legitimacy while keeping state control over church affairs.

Image source: Concordat of 1801

Louisiana Purchase sold to United States

Apr 30, 1803

Needing funds for war and unable to defend New World possessions after naval defeats, Napoleon sold the vast Louisiana territory to the United States, doubling American size and abandoning French imperial ambitions in North America.

Image source: Louisiana Purchase

Napoleonic Code enacted

Mar 21, 1804

The Civil Code of the French established legal equality, property rights, and secular authority, replacing feudal laws. It became one of the most influential legal documents in world history, shaping civil law systems worldwide.

Image source: Napoleonic Code

Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire

Aug 6, 1806

After Austerlitz, Emperor Francis II abdicated and formally dissolved the millennium-old Holy Roman Empire, reorganizing German states under French influence through the Confederation of the Rhine.

Image source: Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire

Annulment of marriage to Joséphine

Jan 10, 1810

Lacking an heir, Napoleon had his marriage to Joséphine annulled. In April he married Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, forging a dynastic tie with the Habsburgs.

Birth of Napoleon II, King of Rome

Mar 20, 1811

Marie Louise gave birth to Napoleon François Charles Joseph, styled King of Rome, securing the Bonaparte dynasty's future — though his reign would prove brief and symbolic.

Image source: Napoleon II

Fall and Exile

Abdication and exile to Elba

Apr 6, 1814 - May 4, 1814

With Allied forces entering Paris, Napoleon abdicated unconditionally and was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba, where he retained the title of Emperor and governed the tiny principality for ten months.

Image source: Abdication of Napoleon, 1815

Hundred Days: return from Elba

Feb 26, 1815 - Jul 8, 1815

Napoleon escaped Elba and landed in France, rallying troops sent to arrest him and marching to Paris, where he reclaimed power without a shot fired. His dramatic return began the period known as the Hundred Days.

Image source: Hundred Days

Battle of Waterloo

Jun 18, 1815

In Belgium, Napoleon faced the Duke of Wellington's Anglo-allied army and Blücher's Prussians. A day-long struggle ended in decisive defeat as the Prussians arrived late in the day, ending Napoleon's rule forever.

Image source: Battle of Waterloo

Exile to Saint Helena

Oct 15, 1815

Surrendering to the British, Napoleon was banished to the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, 1,900 km from any major landmass. Guarded by a garrison under Governor Hudson Lowe, he spent his final years dictating memoirs and complaining of his captivity.

Image source: Saint Helena

Death of Napoleon on Saint Helena

May 5, 1821

Napoleon died at Longwood House at age 51, likely from stomach cancer, after years of declining health. He was buried on the island; in 1840 his remains were returned to Paris and interred at Les Invalides.

Image source: Death mask of Napoleon

Key Facts

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsica, just a year after France acquired the island from Genoa.
He rose rapidly during the French Revolution, becoming a general by age 24 after his success at the Siege of Toulon in 1793.
Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804, at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
His disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, with the loss of hundreds of thousands of troops, marked the beginning of his downfall.
After his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.

Source

This Napoleon Bonaparte timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Create a timeline like this one for free

Generate yours with AI, or build it from scratch.

Try It for Free