Napoleon I. Was born in 1769 in Ajaccio. The second son of Charles Bonaparte, a Corsican advocate. He was educated at Brienne, and entered the French Army in 1785. He first became notable for his conduct at the siege of Toulon in 1793, when he commanded the artillery. Two years later he led the troops of the Convention against the Sections, and in 1796, soon after his first marriage, received the command of the army of Italy. After his great successes in this war, he set out for Egypt in May of 1798, where he defeated the Mamelukes and invaded Syria, but was checked at Acre. Having left Egypt secretly, he reached France in October of 1799, overthrew the Directory, and became first consul. He again invaded Italy, and made peace with Austria and England in 1801 and 1802, reconstructing the German Empire in the interests of France, while he also concluded a concordat with the pope, and remodeled the French constitution and legal system. War broke out again with England in 1803, and Austria in 1805. He crushed the latter at Ulm and Austerlitz, but failed in his designs on the former. Next year Prussia was conquered at Jena and Auerstadt and, in 1807, after an indecisive campaign, the Peace of Tilsit was made with Russia. The continental system was now organized against England, and the crown of Spain given to Joseph Bonaparte. The second great attempt of Austria ended wit the defeat of Wagram in 1809, after which Napoleon divorced Josephine Beauharnais, and married Maria Louisa, daughter of the emperor. Meanwhile, however, in the Iberian Peninsula, the French arms had been held in check, and a breach with Russia occurred in 1812, the results of which were the invasion of that country, the disastrous retreat of the Grand Army and the rising of Germany. After the battle of Leipzig, France was invaded from east and south, and on April 11, 1814, Napoleon abdicated, and was banished to Elba. Next year he escaped, held France at his feet, but after a hundred days met his final defeat at Waterloo (June 18, 1815). He passed the rest of his life in exile at St. Helena, where he dictated his "Memoirs." Died 1821.