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Napoleon: Corsica
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In the late 1780s, Napoleon was a garrison officer, largely untouched by the French Revolution of 1789. He spent most of the early years of the Revolution in Corsica; despite his early leanings, he joined the pro-French faction. By 1793 the whole family was forced to flee to Toulon and never returned. The years 1792 to 1794 marked the Reign of Terror and the ascendancy of the Committee of Public Safety, dominated by the radical Maxmilien Robespierre. In Toulon, Napoleon accepted the patronage of his brother, Augustin Robespierre, and distinguished himself with his mastery of artillery when the British besieged Toulon. When the Committee fell from power in August 1794, Napoleon was jailed and faced execution but was reprieved.
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Napoleon was born Napoleone di Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica to Carlo Buonaparte, a lawyer and politician, and his wife, Marie-Letizia Buonaparte. The Buonapartes were a wealthy family from the Corsican nobility. Napoleon changed his name so it sounded more French.
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Now a second lieutenant, Napoleon continued his education on his own, but he was distracted by Corsica. Until 1793 his thoughts, desires, and ambitions centered on the island of his birth. Following the death of his father, he received an extended leave (1786) to return to Corsica to settle his family's affairs. After rejoining his regiment at Auxonne, he again spent more than a year on his native island (1789-1790), during which time he was influential in introducing the changes brought about by the Revolution. Returning to France, Napoleon was transferred to Valence in June 1791. But by October he had returned to Corsica, where he remained for 7 months.
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When the French Revolution erupted in 1789, Napoleon became a politically active Jacobin as he advanced in rank and responsibility within the army. When Corsica declared its independence in 1793, Napoleon broke all ties with his home island and remained loyal to France. He joined the siege of British forces at Toulon, and although he suffered a bayonet wound himself, he took command of the French artillery after its commander was seriously wounded. His rallying of the cannoneers and his concentrated fire led to a victory for France as well as fame and a promotion to brigadier general for the twenty-six-year-old Napoleon.
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Napoleon was born on Corsica, which had been occupied by the French. His father arranged for an education of Napoleon in France. Napoleon moved to France at the age of nine; he initially considered himself a foreigner and outsider and hated the French. He had become an officer in the French army when the French revolution began in 1789. Napoleon returned to Corsica, where a dictator was trying to separate from France. Civil war broke out, and Napoleon's family had to flee to France.
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Corsica is boring as hell, so Napoleon joined the French Army as soon as he could. He originally wanted to be in the cavalry, but his superiors told him that the Army didn't use Shetland ponies. Unfortunately, Napoleon didn't realize that they were insulting his height until they were out of the room, so he couldn't deliver a snappy comeback. He next tried the infantry, which turned out to be a bust as well, as everyone assumed he was a drummer boy and wanted to put him up front with the other drummer boys where he would make for a convenient target.
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