Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, born Napoleone di Buonaparte (August 15, 1769 - May 5, 1821), was a general during the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18 1804, Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français) under the name Napoleon I (Napoléon 1er) from May 18, 1904 to April 6, 1814, and was briefly restored as Emperor from March 20 to June 2 1815.

Over the course of little more than a decade, the armies of France under his command fought almost every European power, often simultaneously, and acquired control of most of continental Europe by conquest or alliance. The disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 marked a turning point. Following the Russian campaign and the defeat at Leipzig in October 1813, Napoleon abdicated in April 1814 after the Allies invaded France. He was exiled to the island of Elba. He staged a comeback known as the Hundred Days (les Cent Jours), but was defeated at Waterloo on June 18 1815. He spent the remaining six years of his life on the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean under British supervision.

Although Napoleon himself developed few military innovations, apart from the divisional squares employed in Egypt and the placement of artillery into batteries, he used the best tactics from a variety of sources, and the modernized French army reformed by several revolutionary governments, to score several major victories. His campaigns are studied at military academies all over the world and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest commanders ever to have lived. Aside from his military achievements, Napoleon is also remembered for the establishment of the Napeoleonic Code.

He also appointed several members of the Bonaparte family and close friends as monarchs of countries he conquered and as important government figures (his brother Lucien was Minister of the Interior of France during the Consulate). Although their reigns did not survive his downfall, a nephew, Napoleon III, ruled France later in the nineteenth century.

In France, Napoleon is seen by some as having ended lawlessness and disorder, and the wars he fought as having served to export the Revoluation to the rest of Europe. The movements of national unification and the rise of the nation state, notably in Italy and Germany, may have been precipitated by the Napoleonic rule of those areas.

Napoleon is my hero. He always has been. I don't even know why; it's not like I'm French or anything. But I've always been fascinated by Napoleon and his achievements. He's done so much and he was only one person. He's my role model :)

Here are the reasons why I love Napoleon:

1. He proves short people can kick butt!

He was 5'6" but incredible!

2. He well-rounded (even literally...haha beer bellies).

He was a husband, son, father, military leader, and emperor :D He addressed a variety of issues as a leader, published newspapers, and was a great swing dancer. Just kidding. Maybe.

3. He was the model of tenacity.

For everything he did he showed how far you can get in the world even if you're just one person. Too cool.

4. He was so awesome arsenic didn't kill him.

He was administered arsenic over time but stomach cancer is supposedly what caused his death.

5. Napoleon Dynamite is named after him.

And if he's not, he should be.