General Summary

The most important source for the life of Napoleon is his Correspondence. This was published in 1858–1869 by a commission appointed by Napoleon III, then emperor of the French. There are over twenty thousand letters, dispatches, and proclamations in the collection, which fills thirty-two volumes. The Correspondence covers the period 1793–1815; it is not complete, for some letters have been omitted, and others more or less garbled by the editors. Even in its present form the work affords an idea of the prodigious activity of Napoleon, who in twenty-two years, despite incessant campaigning and the heavy burden of administration, found time to dictate so many documents. As might be expected, these throw light upon almost every aspect of the emperor’s career.

Historical Summary

Napoleon’s success in quelling the Parisian mob gained for him the favor of Barras, the most prominent member of the Directory, and an appointment to the command of the French army of Italy. To his soldiers Napoleon addressed from Nice in 1796 the thrilling proclamation which follows.

Napoleon’s campaigns in Italy revealed his surpassing generalship. He soon liberated Lombardy from the yoke of Austria and compelled that country to agree to the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797), thus bringing the war to an end. England, however, still remained an enemy, and Napoleon determined to strike at her through her Oriental possessions. The conquest of Egypt, he believed, would be a deadly blow to English commerce and might become a stepping-stone to the conquest of India. "This little Europe," Napoleon remarked to his secretary, "does not supply enough glory for me. I must seek it in the East: all great fame comes from that quarter." The Directory was easily persuaded to intrust him with a strong expedition, which landed in Egypt in 1798. Before the soldiers embarked at Toulon, he issued the following proclamation.

The French rapidly overran Egypt and organized it as a colony, but they could proceed no further with their schemes of conquest. Nelson at the battle of the Nile (1799) destroyed Napoleon’s fleet, and the Turks repulsed his attack on Syria. Obliged to give up his grandiose plans for the foundation of an empire in the East, Napoleon began to think of returning home, where his services were badly needed. During his absence in Egypt, Austria and Russia had again declared war on France, and the Directory had shown itself to be both corrupt and incompetent. Napoleon now secretly quitted Egypt and made his escape to France. Within a month of his landing (1799), he had overthrown the Directory and had become the virtual ruler of the French, with the title of First Consul. This position he retained for the next five years.