Napoleon's Life: A Timeline

A quick-reference timeline of Napoleon Bonaparte's life — from a minor Corsican noble family to Emperor of the French and back to exile.

1769–1795: Before the fame

• 1769 — Born in Ajaccio, Corsica, just months after France annexed the island.
• 1785 — Graduates as an artillery officer from Paris's École Militaire.
• 1793 — Flees Corsica with his family after a break with nationalist leader Pasquale Paoli; distinguishes himself at the Siege of Toulon and is promoted to brigadier general at 24. See The French Revolution and Napoleon's Rise for the fuller story.

1796–1804: The rise

• 1796 — Marries Joséphine de Beauharnais; takes command of the Army of Italy and wins a rapid string of victories.
• 1798–1799 — Leads the Egyptian campaign; abandons the stranded army to return to France.
• 1799 — Seizes power in the Coup of 18 Brumaire, becoming First Consul. See How Did Napoleon Rise to Power So Fast?
• 1804 — Crowns himself Emperor of the French.

1805–1812: The height of empire

• 1805 — Wins the Battle of Austerlitz, his most celebrated victory.
• 1806–1807 — Crushes Prussia, then fights Russia to a standstill; the Treaty of Tilsit makes Russia an ally.
• 1809 — Defeats Austria again at Wagram; divorces Joséphine for lack of an heir.
• 1810 — Marries Marie-Louise of Austria. See Who Did Napoleon Marry?
• 1811 — His son, styled King of Rome, is born.
• 1812 — Invades Russia with over 600,000 men; the campaign ends in catastrophic retreat. See Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia?

1813–1821: Collapse and exile

• 1813 — Defeated at the Battle of Leipzig by a reinvigorated coalition.
• 1814 — France itself is invaded; Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.
• 1815 — Escapes Elba, retakes power for the Hundred Days, and is defeated for the last time at Waterloo.
• 1815–1821 — Exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena. See Napoleon's Exile: Elba and St Helena.
• 1821 — Dies on Saint Helena on 5 May, at age 51. See How Did Napoleon Die?

This timeline spans his entire life, not one campaign or relationship — so rather than forcing a handful of tags onto a story this broad, the link above goes straight to the full, unfiltered map.