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Napoleon II
Napoleon II 1811-32, son of Napoleon I and Marie Louise , known as the king of Rome (1811-14), as the prince of Parma (1814-18), and after that as the duke of Reichstadt. Napoleon's abdication in 1815 was in favor of his son, so that he was known to the Bonapartists as Napoleon II, although he nev...
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Napoleon I
Napoleon I , 1769-1821, emperor of the French, b. Ajaccio, Corsica, known as "the Little Corporal."
Early Life
The son of Carlo and Letizia Bonaparte (or Buonaparte; see under Bonaparte , family), young Napoleon was sent (1779) to French military schools at Brienne and Paris. He recei...
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Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1769-1815, marshal of France. Called "the bravest of the brave" by Napoleon I, Ney, a cooper's son from Saarlouis, rapidly rose to glory in the French Revolution. He distinguished himself in the campaigns of 1794 and 1795, commanded the army of the Rhine briefly in 1799, seized Elch...
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Louis Nicolas Davout
Louis Nicolas Davout , 1770-1823, marshal of France. One of Napoleon's ablest generals, Davout defeated a Prussian army at Auerstedt (1806) and played a brilliant part in the victory at Wagram (1809). He also fought (1812) in the Russian campaign. Napoleon made him duke of Auerstedt, prince of Eckm&...
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Marie Louise
Marie Louise 1791-1847, empress of the French (1810-15) as consort of Napoleon I and duchess of Parma, Piacenza, and Guastalla (1816-47), daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II (later Emperor of Austria as Francis I.) She was married (1810) to Napoleon I and was the mother of Napoleon II . Wh...
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Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars 1803-15, the wars waged by or against France under Napoleon I. For a discussion of them see under Napoleon I .
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Bonaparte
Bonaparte , Ital. Buonaparte , family name of Napoleon I , emperor of the French.
Parentage
Napoleon's father, Carlo Buonaparte, 1746-85, a petty Corsican nobleman, was a lawyer in Ajaccio. He supported (1768-69) Pasquale Paoli , then changed sides and became one of the staunchest lea...
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Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat , 1767-1815, marshal of France, king of Naples (1808-15). He left his theological studies to enter the army and fought in Egypt under Napoleon, whom he helped (1799) in the coup of 18 Brumaire. Having married (1800) Napoleon's sister Caroline Bonaparte , he was made grand duke of Berg...
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Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Louis Napoleon Bonaparte), 1808-73, emperor of the French (1852-70), son of Louis Bonaparte (see under Bonaparte , family), king of Holland.
Early Life
The nephew of Napoleon I, Louis Napoleon spent his youth with his mother, Hortense de Beauharnais , in Switzerland and Ge...
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Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché , b. 1759 or 1763, d. 1820, French revolutionary and minister of police. A teacher in the schools of the Oratorian order, he joined the French Revolution and was elected to the Convention (1792). There he sided at first with the Girondists , but then became a Jacobin . As a Ja...
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