Napoléon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in his native island of Corsica. Napoleon was the second son of Carlo and Letizia. Corsica and France were at war. France had easily crushed Corsican resistance and conquered Corsica. Thus, when Napoleon was born, he was considered a French citizen. When Napoleon was nine years old and it was time to go to school, he was sent to a school in Autun, France. At school he was teased and tormented because he was from Corsica, but he was determined and he eventually learned enough French to attend the Brienne military academy. There, he was treated with the same attitude as a Corsican. Napoleon did very well at school and was recommended to a military school in Paris. In 1784, Napoleon's father, Carlo, died. Letizia had to raise Napoleon and his 7 brothers and sisters alone. Napoleon did not let the death of his father get him down. He had already shown that he was hardworking, determined and motivated. In the fall of 1785, he graduated from military school after only one year of study instead of the normal 2 or 3. Skipping numerous ranks, Napoleon was assigned as a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment. His generals, and others above him, began to recognize his skills and abilities. Napoleon spent much of the next 8 years in his native Corsica. There he played an active role in political and military affairs and began supporting the Corsican rebel Pasquale Paoli. Due to the famine and poverty of the French people, and French leaders too busy attending parties, the French Revolution began in 1789. Napoleon began to be promoted in the army, but he began to lose oppose Paoli. When civil war broke out in 1793 in Corsica, Bonaparte ...... middle of paper ...... surrendered to enemy forces without fighting. Napoleon faced massive betrayal and impossible military difficulties, so he renounced his title as Emperor of France and was exiled to the island of Elba. Napoleon, bored and aware of continuing discontent in France, made a stunning return to power in 1815. He traveled to France in secret, attracted widespread support, and reclaimed his throne. He also reorganized the army and the government. However, Napoleon was defeated at the great Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon had to abandon his title a second time on June 25, 1815, when British forces forced him into further exile. Living on St. Helena, a small rocky island far from Europe, Napoleon's health and character withered. Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, at the age of 51. The causes of his death have since been debated and conspiracy theories involving poison are widely accepted..