Napoleon Bonaparte

1769 – 1821 · died at about 52^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon Bonaparte was not short. At about 5 feet 6 inches he was of average height, but the British press mocked him as a short-tempered small man.^[1]
• French was not Napoleon's first language. He grew up speaking Corsican and Italian, and he spoke French with a Corsican accent and spelled it poorly.^[1]
• "This boy would make an excellent sailor," a school examiner wrote of the young Napoleon, who stood out in mathematics.^[1]
• At his 1804 coronation, Napoleon was anointed by Pope Pius VII but crowned himself, using a replica of Charlemagne's crown.^[1][3][4]
• Napoleon took 167 scientists with him on his invasion of Egypt. Their discoveries included the Rosetta Stone.^[1]
• Arsenic in Napoleon's hair once fueled a poisoning theory, but his childhood hair had high arsenic levels too. Autopsies and a 2021 study concluded he died of stomach cancer.^[1]
• Beethoven dedicated his Third Symphony to Napoleon, then withdrew it after Napoleon made himself emperor.^[1][2][5][6]
• Napoleon Bonaparte was alive at the same time as Carl Linnaeus — their lives overlapped for 9 years (1769–1778).^[1][2][7][8]

Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across Europe during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1796 to 1815. He led the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then ruled the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814, and briefly again in 1815. He was King of Italy from 1805 to 1814, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine from 1806 to 1813, and Mediator of the Swiss Confederation from 1803 to 1813.^[1]

Contemporaries

Thomas Jefferson

52 yr overlap

Francisco Goya

52 yr overlap

Edward Jenner

52 yr overlap

Hokusai

52 yr overlap

John Adams

52 yr overlap

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

52 yr overlap

Andrew Jackson

52 yr overlap

James Madison

52 yr overlap

John Quincy Adams

52 yr overlap

Ludwig van Beethoven

51 yr overlap

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

51 yr overlap

James Watt

50 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Napoleon Bonaparte

When was Napoleon Bonaparte born?

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, and died on May 5, 1821.

How old was Napoleon Bonaparte at death?

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, and died on May 5, 1821, at age 51.

What was Napoleon Bonaparte known for?

Napoleon Bonaparte was known for: Emperor of France, military genius. Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across Europe during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1796 to 1815. He led the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then ruled the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814, and briefly again in 1815. He was King of Italy from 1805 to 1814, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine from 1806 to 1813, and Mediator of the Swiss Confederation from 1803 to 1813.

Who was alive at the same time as Napoleon Bonaparte?

Napoleon Bonaparte's closest contemporary was Thomas Jefferson. Their lives overlapped for 52 years.