Napoleon Bonaparte is regarded as one of the greatest military masterminds in the history of mankind. He was born in 1769 in a family of minor nobles who lives in Corsica, an Island off the coast of Italy. He grew up enrolled in a military academy, and later was commissioned as an artillery officer. .
The Revolution was the ultimate key to his high and famous status as a military leader; it gave him, and many others as young as him, many opportunities to show their ability. Napoleon, who started off aligned with the Jacobins, began by playing a major role in the campaign to retake the French port of Toulon from the British and earning himself the position as a general. Desperate for more victories, he was sent to Italy to fight against the Austrians and Sardinians. Soon after, Paris took control over northern and central Italy. His main target now was Great Britain, now that Prussia and Austria were out of the war. So Napoleon goes to Egypt to cut off Great Britain's ties with its colony, India. Napoleon's abortive attempt into taking over Egypt failed for Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated a French fleet at the battle of Abukir on August 1, 1798.
After the revolution The Directory, a five-member executive, took control, and when royalist rebels threatened the new government, Napoleon Bonaparte put down the riot and was given, as a reward, the right to take control of the French armies for fighting against the Austrians in Italy. On November 10th, 1799, Napoleon ended the regime of the Directory by force. By influencing the two Houses of the legislature he got a law passed by which the office of the consul was to be created. There were to be three consuls. The first consul was Napoleon Bonaparte while the two others elected were Abe Sieyes and Ducos.
Napoleon used the Continental System as an attempt to starve the British by closing the ports of the continent to British commerce. Unfortunately for him, this attempt was unsuccessful.