"The Lion of the Field"
by David Bernard Robert
Like a mot juste giving vibrant life to the sentence it adorns, Napoleon's life fulfilled the meaning of his name "Lion of the Field". He was destiny's child, birthed by a revolution, chosen by his people, and hailed as the messiah of France. How and why was Napoleon able to come to power, build his empire, and meet his fate? Would France have been better off if he had never attained political power? Why or why not? This essay will explore the answers to these questions.
As destiny would have it, Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica in the town of Ajaccio on August 15, 1769 just mere months after Corsica became a French possession. He was born to parents of Italian descent, and timing allowed him to be a French man by birth.
Napoleon's father, Carlos, sent him and his brother to school in France. Young Napoleon was picked on because of his strong accent. So, Napoleon spent much of his time alone reading the works of the philosophies. Napoleon attended three schools in France including a military academy. He studied tactics and strategies.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, was the vehicle to Napoleons success. Without the French Revolution there would have been no Napoleon. Most notable in Napoleon's initial rise to recognition as a hero of the Revolution took place in Toulon. Napoleon was a junior officer who was called upon to replace the injured artillery commander at Toulon. The royalists were revolting with the aid of a British fleet. Young Napoleon placed the artillery on the high ground overlooking the water where he fired down upon the British fleet causing them to withdraw. Napoleon was hailed as a hero and appointed to the rank of brigadier general at the tender age of 24.
Napoleon continued to have military successes and was given power to execute treaties and administer territories. He saved the Revolution not just once, but several times.
One such time was the engineering of the coup d'état of 18 Fructidor when Napoleon collaborated with General Pierre Augereau to overthrow the Royalists attempting to seize power.
It was the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in which Napoleon seized the rule of the country through a constitution that established a Consulate as the new form of Government.
Napoleon maintained imperial expansionism through out his rule. But once in governmental authority, Napoleon instituted many domestic programs that improved France. Many of Napoleon's domestic programs still exist to this day.
Napoleon ruled with an iron fist. Perhaps his greatest weakness was his need for excessive control. However, France has benefited by the many domestic initiatives of Napoleon. Because of these positive initiatives, France is better off having known Napoleon rather than if they would have never known him.
Finally, when destiny was through with Napoleon, he met defeat at the battle of Waterloo. After this he was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic where he died on May 5, 1821. Of interesting note, Napoleon was exiled to die a natural death where as Maximillian Robespierre, who championed Napoleon in his early days , was guillotined. Napoleon showed mercy by exiling dissenters. Robespierre showed no mercy during his reign of terror and ultimately met the same fate he dished out. Napoleon likewise met a gentler fate.
Napoleon lived an extraordinary life. His destiny seemed to have been meant to be. He was, by all means, "the Lion of the Field" fulfilling his destiny and living up to the meaning of his name.
the end
copyright © 2001 by David B. Robert
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