Napoleon Bonaparte

Cultural  

1. A French general, political leader, and emperor of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Bonaparte rose swiftly through the ranks of army and government during and after the French Revolution and crowned himself emperor in 1804. He conquered much of Europe but lost two-thirds of his army in a disastrous invasion of Russia. After his final loss to Britain and Prussia at the Battle of Waterloo, he was exiled to the island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean.

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Because Napoleon was short, overly aggressive men of short stature are sometimes said to have a “Napoleon complex.”

Napoleon's name is often connected with overreaching military ambition and delusions of grandeur.

Example Sentences

The ceremony took place at the historic Les Invalides national monument, the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the presence of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, top left-wing politicians, and other high-profile guests.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

This historic fortress is where Napoleon Bonaparte stayed in 1799.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

Later, the Duke of Wellington would cite Verres’ campaign of excess as he returned Italian antiquities that had been stolen by the forces of Napoleon Bonaparte.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

She was mesmerized by the smooth-talking Sonny, who raffishly claimed to be a descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte.

From Salon • Nov. 23, 2024

He’d made what Charles Krauthammer described in Time magazine, somewhat facetiously, as the greatest comeback since Napoleon Bonaparte sailed a single-masted fleet from the island of Elba in 1815.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady