name ______date ______
Napoleon Bonaparte- fill in
Directions:Fill in each blank with the word that best completes the reading com
Despite his many accomplishments, Napoleon Bonaparte may be best known for what he almost did. Napoleon almost, but not quite, became ruler of all of Europe.
Napoleon was born in 1769 on the island of Corsica, which had just become a part of France. Napoleon learned French at an early age, and at the age of nine he attended a French military school.
Upon his graduation from his first (1)______school, he (2)______in the Ecole Royale Militaire in Paris, where he trained to become an artillery man. In that same year, Napoleon's father died, and Napoleon put all of his energies into his studies. He graduated from his artillery training in just one year, and he had made good use of his short time in the Ecole. Napoleon had studied all of the important military (3)______and (4)______. He stored the knowledge away for future use.
After his graduation, Napoleon was commissioned second lieutenant in an (5)______regiment of the French army. He was just sixteen years old.
Soon, the French Revolution broke out in France. Napoleon sided with the (6)______and joined the (7)______group known as the Jacobins.
In the Revolution, Napoleon quickly made a name for himself when he faced down a (8)______against the new revolutionary leaders at Toulon. He set up his troops on high ground overlooking the harbor and from there fired on the British ships that were supporting the rebels. Napoleon was (9)______, and at the age of twenty-four, he was named brigadier general.
After the Revolution, Napoleon went on to more and more military campaigns. He fought many of the countries in Europe. For a while, he enjoyed more and more victories as well. He took control of much of Europe, some by military victories and some by alliances. Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
During his time as ruler of France, Napoleon modernized and strengthened the French army. He became known as a great military strategist. His strategies and campaigns are still studied by historians and war buffs today.
He also instituted the system of laws known as the Napoleonic Code. It became the law in France, where it brought the government up to date and made it more efficient. It also became the law in many other countries of Europe.
The Napoleonic Code organized laws that were already on the books, many of them laws that went back to ancient Roman times. It also made the government more responsible to the citizens of the country. It made it easier for everyday people to own land. It provided for freedoms like freedom of (10)______. It set up basic rights including the right to vote. It also (11)______for a system of education so that boys could go to school. The Napoleonic Code also set up basic government systems like a (12)______and a judicial system.
Napoleon married twice, first to Josephine and then to Marie-Louise. He had one son, who was known as Napoleon II.
For the first part of the (13)______century, Napoleon seemed invincible. Then, just as quickly as he had risen to power, it was all over. In 1815, he suffered his final military defeat at the battle of Waterloo. For the last six years of his life, the once (14)______emperor lived in (15)______. Today, he is remembered as the (16)______who almost conquered all of Europe, but he is also recognized for his military (17)______skills and for the Napoleonic Code.