Why was Napoleon Able To Conquer Europe?
The reasons behind the successes of the Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte is widely regarded by historians and laics alike as one of the greatest military leaders of all time. In a meteoric career spanning over two decades, a young Corsican artillery officer rose to become the absolute ruler of France, who during the peak of his power, was the master of Europe.
His road to absolute power was through his sheer military brilliance. Nonetheless, we humans have this tendency to overstate the role of a single brilliant individual, and thus miss other key components that were also necessary and as crucial to the rise of the great man as was his genius.
In the following parts of this article, I will highlight the key reasons which played their part in the rise of Napoleon.
French Revolution
Had it not been for the revolution and had he remained in the service of the French crown, it is very likely that Napoleon would not have risen far enough to be given command over an army, let alone an entire empire.
The reason for this was simple, the pre-Revolution era French army was dominated by the high aristocracy, and although he was born into an aristocratic family in his native Corsica, Napoleon was most certainly not rich or blue-blooded enough to rise…
