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Napoleon Bonaparte: The Greatest General in History

In the shade of olive trees, they said Italy could never be conquered. They said the great German Empire could never be tamed. They said Russia was un-invadable. But he was the one who conquered all. The men who never feared war now feared his tactics. They say he was so great at battle that even God himself had to descend to Earth to make him kneel. This is the story of the great Emperor and God of France—the God who walked the Earth in human form, the greatest general in all of mankind: Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon grew up on the nearby island of Corsica, which at the time was part of Italy. The island was later sold to France by Italy to support its holy war. In his early life, he was a rebellious youth, opposing France to defend his homeland. His father favored the French Empire, hoping to secure a noble title, and indeed, Napoleon became a lower-class nobleman in France. While in France, he attended a military school, where he learned the tactics that would later define his career. According to his teachers, he was a rebellious student. He slowly rose through the ranks of the military. Achieving an officer rank was difficult despite his talents, due to the French nobility system, which favored the wealthy and powerful over the skilled. His abilities came to light during a battle against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where he led his outnumbered army to victory after the French generals fled in fear of capture. Once he became a general of France, over the span of twenty years, he won four wars of coalition, fighting seven different European superpowers with a relatively small army. Some say he was even greater than Alexander the Great; others disagree. But turning a battle around with an outnumbered army is no small feat. He declared himself Emperor of France and even invaded Russia in the dead of winter. His army, designed for speed, was weakened by the harsh conditions, and he eventually lost the campaign. Because Napoleon fought enormous wars against multiple countries and emerged victorious in most of them, he is rightly labeled the greatest general of all time.