He was born on an island that had been French for barely a year, and he
could hardly speak French. Twenty years later he ruled most of Europe.

This is the complete life of Napoleon Bonaparte in one sitting - Corsica
to Saint Helena. Toulon, Italy, Egypt, the coup of Brumaire, the Civil
Code, Austerlitz, Russia, Elba, Waterloo, and the rock in the South
Atlantic where it ended.

Three things we didn't skip:

1: He was not short. At around 1.69 m he was average or a little above for
a Frenchman of his time. The tiny tyrant comes largely from British
cartoonists and a mix-up between French and English inches.

2: The famous painting of him crossing the Alps on a rearing stallion is
by Jacques-Louis David. He actually crossed on a mule, led by a local
guide, which is how Paul Delaroche painted it fifty years later.

3: His Civil Code still shapes the law for millions of people. He also
silenced the newspapers and brought back slavery in the French colonies
in 1802.

CHAPTERS
00:00  A boy from Corsica
00:24  Act One — The Boy from Corsica
02:50  Act Two — The Rise: Toulon and the whiff of grapeshot
04:45  Italy, 1796 — the campaign that made him
06:19  Egypt — the pyramids, Nelson, and the Rosetta Stone
07:39  Act Three — The Emperor: Brumaire and the Civil Code
09:24  Austerlitz — the masterpiece
11:18  Act Four — The Overreach: Russia, 1812
13:19  Act Five — The Last Act: Elba, Grenoble, Waterloo
14:52  Saint Helena — death and legacy

Next time on Before the Legend: Toulon, 1793 - the siege that made him.

#Napoleon #History #Documentary