Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Corsica. His family had a gentle nobility and was well-off. After graduating from religious school, he entered military school to become an artillery officer. He was able to complete the two-year course in just one year due to financial reasons. He was appointed second lieutenant in a French artillery unit. This is when the French Revolution of 1789 began. Napoleon finally became a leader among the revolutionaries. After the revolutions, he became the leader of France and sought to conquer the entire European continent. The Siege of Toulon was when Napoleon gained his initial power within the French army. After this battle, he began to have more and more power and influence among the officers of the French army. In 1799, Napoleon led a coup d'état whose sole objective was to overthrow the government. The same government that Napoleon had fought for in the Revolution of 1789. He was granted the power of a dictator, but he ruled as a monarch rather than a dictator. Napoleon was supposed to be a leader with a consulate and advisors he was supposed to listen to, but he wanted all the power for himself and quickly got rid of his advisors. At the start of Napoleon's reign, Europe was at peace. But Napoleon became hungry for power and sought to conquer the European continent. Eventually, Britain, Russia and Austria became allies and formed the Third Coalition. Their goal was to prevent Napoleon from conquering the continent. Napoleon's only allies were those he had conquered, and they all eventually gained freedom and left him. Napoleon managed to lead his armies to victory thanks to his brilliant military mind and blind ambition for power and... middle of paper ...... interests of France” (The Rise and Fall of Napoleon ). If Napoleon had not been so greedy and power hungry, he would never have been defeated. Although he managed to escape exile and regain power, and "war resumed during Napoleon's 'Hundred Days,' his army was decisively defeated at the Battle of Waterloo (Biesinger) and he was exiled again, this time to St. Helena. , and he remained there until his death. His last words were "I wish that my ashes rest on the banks of the Seine, among the French people whom I loved so much... I die before my time, killed by the English oligarchy and its hired killers" (Godechot ).Napoleon was one of the greatest military leaders of all time. If he hadn't been so greedy, he could have ruled for a long time and been very successful, but alas, he wanted more than she could have done and that led to his downfall..