The Last Interview of Napoleon Bonaparte by Erica M. Historian

1331 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Napoleon Bonaparte rise and fall

For this interview, I went to visit the St. Helena home of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was the former Emperor of France before he was exiled to this small island. He was to spend the rest of his life here. I was lucky enough to get this interview just a few days before his passing on May 5th, 1821. Erica M. Historian: Hello, Mr. Bonaparte. It is a pleasure to meet you. How are you this evening? Napoleon Bonaparte: Hello. I am doing very well, thank you. Erica M. Historian: May I call you Napoleon? Napoleon Bonaparte: You may, but I rather you call me Emperor. Erica M. Historian: Of course. So, what got you interested in a military career? Napoleon Bonaparte: Around the age of nine, my father had sent me to a military academy in Brienne, France (The Dublin Penny Journal 394). That experience lead me to a career in military and I then became an officer around 1785 (Encyclopedia 2001). Erica M. Historian: I know that you were promoted to a general rank in 1793. You were only twenty- four correct? That is a very young age to become a general. How did you achieve that? Napoleon Bonaparte: That is correct. I became a general by proving I was made to be a leader. I had a countless amount of energy and ambition. I learned how to make the best with what I had and take advantage of opportunities. I successfully defeated the British at the siege of Toulon. After that I even had a few astonishing victories as commander in chief for the army of Italy. This was one of my many achievements (Encyclopedia, 2001). Erica M. Historian: Some refer to you as a military genius. What do you think your most successful battle was? Napoleon Bonaparte: I would have to say the siege of Toulon because this battle really showed my military expertise. If I did no... ... middle of paper ... ...ee cents an acre or even leading my troops into a Russian winter. If I dwelled on my mistakes I made, I would never have time to reminisce about my great accomplishments. Erica M. I was lucky to get this interview when I did. Napoleon, once the Great Emperor of France, passed away just three days after this interview. He passed away on May 5, 1821 of stomach cancer but some believe it was arsenic poising. Most historians do not believe this theory. It was said his last wish was for his son to become emperor (Thompson 436). Works Cited "Napoleon Bonaparte." The Dublin Penny Journal 3.154 (1835): 393-94.JSTOR. Web. 03 May 2014. "Napoleon, Bonaparte." Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts. Oxford: Elsevier Science & Technology, 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 4 May 2014. Thompson, J. M. Napoleon Bonaparte. New York: Oxford UP, 1952. Print.

Show More
Related

  • A History of the 714th Tank Battalion

    3836 Words  | 8 Pages

    A month after graduating from high school in June of 1940, young Othal T. Parsons joined the army to "serve my country, beat the draft, and become a bigshot." He was lured by the Army recruiting posters clarioning "I WANT YOU." Parsons worked his way up through four different armored divisions as an enlisted man until he became Second Lieutenant Othal T. Parsons, Mortar Pla...

    Read More

  • Why Is Napoleon Bonaparte Considered A Tyrant

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    Napoleon was an emperor, military officer, husband, and father to many. He ruled France before being exiled and lived a long life, leaving behind a lasting legacy and impression that most people will not forget.

    Read More

  • DBQ On Napoleon Bonaparte's Rule In France

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    Napoleon Bonaparte ruled in France from 1789 to 1815. Napoleon came to power in 1789 and immediately became a powerful figure in the French government. However, some thought Napoleon was such a great leader. The Napoleonic Empire started to grow France’s territories. Some might have believed that Napoleon was too eager with his rule, while losing and failing to succeed against the power of England, in an attempt to blockade their trade, and of Russia, where he led his army to a defeat and retreat back to France. Even in his success over Spain, the battle still costed Napoleon and his army in men and resources. Napoleon was mostly viewed as a powerful and militaristic leader in some aspects, but others saw him as a coward and terrible leader in other ways.

    Read More

  • Napoleons Farwell Address Speech Analysis

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    A truly dramatic moment in history occurred on April 20, 1814, as Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and would-be ruler of Europe said goodbye to the Old Guard after his failed invasion of Russia and defeat by the Allies.

    Read More

  • Napoleon and the Enlightenment

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    (the writer could not help herself) Napoleon is a timeless example of an enlightened despot. The Bible still has not fully recovered from the rationality of his church. His codified law system is still active in France and the great state of Louisiana. Mankind today clutches desperately at his social ideologies.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Bonaparte: Restoration After the Revolution

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most controversial figures in European History, Napoleon Bonaparte has never ceased to be a generator of debate and analysis among historians, authors, and students. Napoleon has been closely scrutinized by many in attempts to defend or demote his motives, ambitions, and actions as Emperor of France. Nonetheless, those with true qualities of a ruler are few and far between – and Napoleon possessed the drive and ambition to bring these qualities to their full potential. Napoleon was the hero of nineteenth-century France, restoring the country to its former glory after the violence, instability, and turmoil of the French Revolution. Napoleon was the classic underdog, originally viewed as a “second-class Frenchman” due to his Corsican origins, but rising to success based on his own hard work and determination. He demonstrated the most improbable capacity for resilience; although he faced defeat on multiple occasions, he persevered and continually refused to surrender. As well, Napoleon was a protector and enforcer of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” through the promotion of religious freedom and the nationwide application of French laws throughout his rule.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Bonaparte Despot Analysis

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lyons, Martin. Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution. London: Macmillen, 1994. Print.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Betrayed the Revolution

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    Napoleon was an outstanding military commander and enjoyed many successful campaigns. Napoleon maintained the Revolutionary syst...

    Read More

  • Napoleon

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    The British shipped Napoleon to St. Helena, a remote Island in the South Atlantic. There he lived in lonely exile for six years writing his memoirs. Napoleon had died in 1821 of a stomach cancer. Napoleon is mostly known as a tyrant now, but some people believe he is a hero. He’s done too many mistakes to keep his spot as a hero, but enough to make him a tyrant. That is why is mostly called a tyrant now.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Bonaparte

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica on August 15th, 1769 (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). Napoleon was a complex man who served in the revolutionary war working his way up in rank and ultimately using his military successes to gain political popularity and power (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). In 1799, Napoleon became the First Consul by overthrowing the directory and he would control France, eventually, making himself Emperor (Kishlansky, Geary, and O'Brien). This essay is going to expand on domestic and military accomplishments of Napoleon, as well as his greatest success and failure.

    Read More

  • Reasons for Napoleon's Success

    7672 Words  | 16 Pages

    · One Admiral at that time exclaimed, "If he had an obtained an interview with His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, in half an hour they would have been the best friends in England! " · His contemporaries had no doubt about the charismatic quality of leadership. His great adversary Wellington said to him that the moral effect of his presence in the field and worth an additional force of 40,000 men to the French army. This he ascribed to Napoleon's dual position as both head of state and commander-in-chief, which gave him unparalleled control over events, but also to his great personal popularity with the army. · One of Napoleon's own generals explained this popularity by saying that it "was by familiarities that the Emperor made his soldiers adore him, but it was a means available to only to a commander whom frequent victories had made illustrious; any other general would have injured his reputation by it".

    Read More

  • Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité: The French Revolution

    2154 Words  | 5 Pages

    Kirchberger, Joe H. The French Revolution and Napoleon. New York: Facts on File inc, 1989.

    Read More

  • Napoleon's Return to France

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e and he is captured. Marshal Ney is shot and Grouchy is hung. The Empire is dissolved and the European countries that were conquered by Napoleon, reclaim their borders. Also the congress of Vienna was reestablished. Napoleon tells them he does not want to go back to Elba, that instead he would like to go to America to see Thomas Jefferson and meet the Indians there. The British agree and they even put him on a ship. Napoleon sensed something was wrong but it was too late, they had set him out on St Helen Island with only two guards. He was basically told to have a nice life. Some say he died of a stomach cancer and others say that it was arsenic in the wallpaper that was in his one room house that had started leaking through the walls, either way it was a slow death. This was the ending the great Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military minded men ever.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleonic Code Analysis

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    Given his significance throughout the late 1700s and the early 1800’s, Napoleon Bonaparte has been deemed a controversial figure by many historians. Born Napoleone di Buonaparte, he was a French military leader and a political figure who was feared by many and hailed as a military genius by others. Notwithstanding the praise, Napoleon disguised policies of his own interests as reforms that served the needs of the state. An analysis of the Napoleonic Code, Napoleon Bonaparte’s excessive use of military force and his reintroduction of Catholicism through the Concordat of 1801, provides a balanced overview of Napoleon as a corrupt leader. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest masters of propaganda.

    Read More

  • Napoleon Bonaparte's Internal Reforms

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the famous figures in French history by the importance of his internal reforms. However, he remains primarily in global memory as one of the greatest military commanders in history. Indeed, Napoleon Bonaparte delivered more battles than Alexander the Great, Hannibal, or Caesar. His campaigns covered all Europe from Spain to Russia, without forgetting the East with Egypt and Syria. The French Emperor entered in the prestigious capitals of Europe, Milan, Vienna (twice), Berlin, Madrid and Moscow. Napoleon has greatly influenced the Western way of war, not only by the new organization of armies, but also by the optimization of different capabilities and the combination between leadership and creativity in the battlefields.

    Read More

More about The Last Interview of Napoleon Bonaparte by Erica M. Historian

Open Document