Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. This was only a few months after France had annexed the island. Napoleon grew up in a unique situation, he a citizen of a conquered nation. This may have played a role in his fierce will to always win at whatever he set his mind to. He had seven brothers and sisters, and his father was a lawyer whose family stemmed from the Florentine nobility. His original nationality was Corsican-Italian. In 1779, Napoleon went to school at Brienne in France. There he took a great interest in history, especially in the lives of great ancient generals. Napoleon was often badly treated at Brienne because he was not as wealthy as his fellow classmates and came from a conquered nation. He also did not speak French well being from Corsica he spoke Italian, he was just beginning to learn the French language. He studied very hard so that he could do better then those who snubbed him. I found all aspects that examined the roots of his personality in the book very interesting. The works show how Napoleon was shaped into a fearless man. I believe Napoleon was naturally inclined to be the type of person that always has to win, but the training he received at military school, along with the somewhat harsh environment further emphasized and equipped him for the future as a great military leader. Napoleon attended the Ecole Military School in Paris in 1784 after receiving a scholarship. The school was a cold, somewhat brutal learning environment. Students were never allowed to go home during the six year program. This would shape anyone into a person that could command and demand from society, but rarely fit completely in to it. This is he received his military training. He studied to be an artillery officer. Napoleon finished his training and joined the French army when he was 16 years old. He was appointed to an artillery regiment, and commissioned as a lieutenant. He was not...
