Who was Napoleon?
Napoleon was born on the French island of Corsica. He became a general in the French army and achieved several military successes. After an unsuccessful campaign against the British in Egypt, Napoleon returned to France in 1799 and took complete control of the country with the backing of the army.
Napoleon ruled France for 15 years, and in 1804 he crowned himself emperor. He governed effectively, and increased the power of the French army enormously by setting up a system of conscription. It meant that every adult Frenchman had to do military service for a time.
How did Napoleon try to conquer most of Europe?
Napoleon had created a massive army, which he used to try and conquer Europe. The French armies conquered huge land territories including Austria and part of Russia, and proposed to invade Britain. Napoleon’s navy was finally defeated by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, however, and the invasion never took place. Instead, Napoleon turned his attention to Spain and Portugal, which were given the support of Britain in their wars again the French.
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