| DATE | BRIEF DESCRIPTION |
| 1769 | Born in Ajaccio, Corsica. |
| 1785 | Graduates from the École Militaire in Paris. |
| 1795 | Saves Paris from a mob determined to bring down the National Convention and the Republic. |
| 1796 | Marries Joséphine de Beauharnais, formerly the mistress of Barras. Barras makes him commander of the French army in Italy, which he conquers. |
| 1798 | Conquers Egypt. |
| 1799 | Fails to conquer Syria, and the British reverse his gains in Egypt. Returns to France. November 9-10. He and his colleagues seize power in a coup d'etat and establish the Consulate. Napoleon is First Consul, and shares power with two others, but in reality he is master of France. |
| 1800 | Battle of Marengo. Austrians defeated, in one of Napoleon's greatest victories. Consolidates territorial gains in northern Italy, and establishes France's borders. Internal reforms codify rights gained during the French Revolution (the Code Napoléon) . |
| 1802 | Made Consul for life. |
| 1804 | Made Emperor. |
| 1805 | Battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon decisively defeats an alliance of Austrian and Russian forces. |
| 1806 | Makes his brothers kings of Holland and Naples, establishes the Confederation of the Rhine (most of modern Germany), of which he is Protector, and enters Warsaw, effectively controlling Poland. Imposes the Continental blockade, closing Europe to British trade, in an attempt to bankrupt Great Britain. |
| 1807 | Seizes Portugal. |
| 1808 | Makes his brother Joseph King of Spain. The Peninsular War begins and lasts five years, with British troops allied with the Spanish against Napoleon. |
| 1809 | Defeats Austria again at the Battle of Wagram, and annexes the Illyrian provinces. |
| 1810 | The Empire reaches its greatest extent. Napoleon divorces Josephine, in favour of Marie-Louise, the daughter of the Austrian Emperor. |
| 1812 | Napoleon begins his unsuccessful invasion of Russia. After the disastrous retreat from Moscow all Europe unites against him. |
| 1814 | Napoleon abdicates unconditionally and goes into exile on the island of Elba, in the Mediterranean. |
| 1815 | Escapes from Elba, and marches on Paris. The French rally to him, and the allies, Britain and Prussia, join to crush him. He is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, and later exiled to St. Helena. |
| 1821 | Dies, on May 5. His body is taken to Paris and buried in state.
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