1. The Corsican, 1769–1796

Abstract

Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in Corsica, just after it came under the control of the Kingdom of France. ‘The Corsican, 1769–1796’ outlines Napoleon’s early life, including his enrolment at Brienne military boarding school at age nine. He developed a love of literature and considered life as an author, but after finishing Brienne, he went to the École Militaire in Paris, graduating in 1785. In 1786, after his father’s death, Napoleon returned home to Corsica to help with family affairs. He remained in Corsica after the start of the French Revolution, but his rise through the ranks of the French Army is described along with his marriage to Rose de Beauharnais (Joséphine) in 1796.