•seized power by engineering
a coup d’etatin
1799 that effectively ended
the French Revolution
•instituted a number of reforms that were in line with Enlightenment ideals.
Napoleon
Bonaparte had been a soldier since the age of 16, after having spent his
early years in a military academy. He came to prominence as a young officer
in 1795 when he defended the National Convention against royalist forces. He
rose quickly after that and eventually seized power by engineering a coup
d’etat in 1799 that effectively ended the French Revolution; later, in
1804, he had himself crowned emperor.
Napoleon
wasn’t really an “enlightened monarch” like Frederick, Catherine, Joseph,
Gustav, or Maria Theresa. Those rulers had avidly read important
Enlightenment works and consciously sought to implement Enlightenment
principles. Napoleon did not share this affinity for the works of
Enlightenment writers; however, he did institute a number of reforms that
were in line with Enlightenment ideals.
