LIS 385T.16 - Fall 1997: The Napoleon Project
User-System Interface Design Course

Napoleon's Youth

Napoleon
Napoleon at Brienne
About this painting
Napoleone Buonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, Corsicana, to Carlo and Letizia Buonparte. Corsica had been sold to France slightly over a year earlier and the Buonapartes acted quickly to gain favored with the French royalty. In 1779, thanks to Louis XVI's offer of free education to the children of financially-strapped noble families, Napoleon was able to attend the Brienne military academy.

His experiences there were not idyllic. History notes that his classmates teased him because of his appearance and "backwards" manners. Consequently, Napoleon devoted his attention to his studies. In 1784, his strong academic record lead him to be selected to attend the Ecole Militaire in Paris. He graduated one year later at the age of 16 and was commissioned a second lieutenant of artillery.

Napoleon Project Index

Youth | Toulon | Tuileries | Italian Campaign  | Egyptian Campaign | Emperor 
March Through Russia | Waterloo | Napoleon: The Myth