Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica to a family of Italian origin. He was a military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814, and again briefly in 1815.
Early Life
Napoleon initially attended a religious school in France but then transferred to a military academy at Brienne. After graduating from the academy, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant of the artillery regiment in the French army. He participated in the siege of Toulon 1793 against British forces where he distinguished himself for his bravery and leadership abilities. This allowes him to rise through the ranks quickly and he becomes brigadier general. He became one of France’s youngest generals at age 24.
Rise To Power of Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1796, Napoleon becomes second-in-command of an army which was sent to Italy in order to overthrow local monarchies there and establish republican governments instead. This campaign led to the First Italian Campaign which lasted until 1797 when it ended with Treaty of Campo Formio. In 1799 after returning from an expedition in Egypt and seeing France in freefall, he saw an opportunity for power. He seized it becoming the absolute ruler of France.
The Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars began in 1803 with the War of the Third Coalition, when France under Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte declared war on Britain and Austria. The war was dominated by a large number of campaigns in both Europe and elsewhere; for example at sea, or on land in Germany where armies marched up and down across Bavaria until they reached their target at Ulm or Austerlitz respectively. The war ended with the defeat of Napoleon at Leipzig in October 1813. After Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia Napoleon was exiled and his rule as emperor of France ended on April 6, 1814. After a few months of exile he returned to Paris with some loyal soldiers and he was eventually welcomed back into power.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s Final Battle & Death
After hearing of his return to power, the allied powers united to bring down Napoleon again. Finally in the aftermath of the battle of Waterloo (28 June 1815), Napoleon abdicated again on 22 June 1815—this time for good. He then goes into exile in St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, where he died on 5 May 1821.
This silver 25 pence coin set from St. Helena contains six coins from the Napoleonic Wars series. The coins contain colored depictions of key battles in the Napoleonic Wars. The bust of Queen Elizabeth II is on the reverse side. Each coin has a value of 25 pence, weighs 25 g, and has a diameter of 38.6 mm. The coins in the set are in mint condition. In addition you can find an image of Napoleon Bonaparte on the obverse side of the France 100 Nouveaux Francs, 1961.
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