| |
KF5JRV > TODAY 11.04.19 12:26l 41 Lines 2335 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 34299_KF5JRV
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Apr 11
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IW0QNL<JH4XSY<N3HYM<KF5JRV
Sent: 190411/1122Z 34299@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA BPQ6.0.18
On this day in 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of
the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in
the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of
Elba.
The future emperor was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769.
After attending military school, he fought during the French Revolution
of 1789 and rapidly rose through the military ranks, leading French
troops in a number of successful campaigns throughout Europe in the late
1700s. By 1799, he had established himself at the top of a military
dictatorship. In 1804, he became emperor of France and continued to
consolidate power through his military campaigns, so that by 1810 much
of Europe came under his rule. Although Napoleon developed a reputation
for being power-hungry and insecure, he is also credited with enacting a
series of important political and social reforms that had a lasting
impact on European society, including judiciary systems, constitutions,
voting rights for all men and the end of feudalism. Additionally, he
supported education, science and literature. His Code Napoleon, which
codified key freedoms gained during the French Revolution, such as
religious tolerance, remains the foundation of French civil law.
In 1812, thinking that Russia was plotting an alliance with England,
Napoleon launched an invasion against the Russians that eventually ended
with his troops retreating from Moscow and much of Europe uniting
against him. In 1814, Napoleon’s broken forces gave up and Napoleon
offered to step down in favor of his son. When this offer was rejected,
he abdicated and was sent to Elba. In March 1815, he escaped his island
exile and returned to Paris, where he regained supporters and reclaimed
his emperor title, Napoleon I, in a period known as the Hundred Days.
However, in June 1815, he was defeated at the bloody Battle of Waterloo.
Napoleon’s defeat ultimately signaled the end of France’s domination of
Europe. He abdicated for a second time and was exiled to the remote
island of Saint Helena, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, where he lived
out the rest of his days. He died at age 52 on May 5, 1821, possibly
from stomach cancer, although some theories contend he was poisoned.
73 de Scott KF5JRV
Pmail: KF5JRV@KF5JRV.#NWAR.AR.USA.NA
email: KF5JRV@GMAIL.COM
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
