| 1769 - |
August 18, Napoleon born at Ajaccio, Corsica |
 |
| 1784 - |
October, Napoleon secures appointment to Ecole Militaire
in Paris and a year later (September 1, 1785) is commissioned
a second lieutenant in the French Army |
| 1789 - |
July 14, the Bastille is stormed and events lead up to
the French Revolution |
| 1793 - |
September 16-December 19, Napoleon distinguishes himself
at the Siege of Toulon |
| 1794 - |
February 6, given command of artillery of the Army of
Italy |
| 1796 - |
March 2, appointed head of the Army of Italy |
| 1796 - |
March 9, marriage of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine
Beauharnais |
| 1798 - |
May 19, beginning of Napoleon’s campaign expedition
to Egypt, departs for Paris in August 1799 |
| 1798 - |
August 1, Battle of the Nile, English Admiral Nelson’s
naval forces decimate the French fleet at anchor in Abukir Bay |
| 1800 - |
June 14, Battle of Marengo, defeats the Austrian army |
| 1804 - |
May 18, Napoleon constitutes himself Emperor, confirmed
by plebiscite |
| 1804 - |
December 2, coronation ceremonies for Napoleon I and
Empress Josephine in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, with Pope
Pius VII in attendance |
| 1805 - |
October 21, Battle of Trafalgar effectively eliminates
threat of French Fleet |
| 1805 - |
December 2, Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon defeats Austrians
and Russians |
| 1807 - |
1 November 19, French army invades Portugal |
| 1808 - |
February 16, French army invades Spain, national revolts
by Spanish from May onwards |
| 1810 - |
April, marriage of Napoleon to Archduchess Marie Louise
of Austria; the Empress Josephine was divorced in 1809 |
| 1811 - |
March 20, birth of Napoleon’s heir, the King of
Rome |
| 1812 - |
June to December, invasion of Russia, Battle of Borodino
on September 7 and Napoleon enters Moscow on September 14,
city on fire until September 19, retreat from Russia begins on
October
19 |
| 1814 - |
April 6, Napoleon’s first abdication, he is exiled
to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean |
| 1815 - |
February 26 to March 1, Napoleon escapes from Elba,
start of the Hundred Days
|
| 1815 - |
June 16-18, Battle of Waterloo, the French forces
are defeated |
| 1815 - |
June 22, Napoleon’s second abdication |
| 1815 - |
October 15, Napoleon lands on the island where he is
to be interned, St. Helena in the South Atlantic |
| 1821 - |
May 5, death of Napoleon |
| 1840 - |
December 15, Napoleon’s remains are interred at
the D ôme des Invalides |