Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. He was a young, determined man, and he rose through military ranks very quickly. Napoleon was a great leader and Europe benefited greatly from his reign. The great things he did were quickly undone by his growing ego. The more he accomplished, the more he wanted to and thought he could do anything. "Napoleon was one of the greatest military strategists of all time. What factors led to his downfall, and why were these factors critical to his reign."

Napoleon was a very determined young man and as a result he went up in military rank very quickly. In 1791 he was Lieutenant colonel in Corsica National Guard, 1796 he was named commander of the French arm in Italy, he led the expedition to Egypt to strike a trade in 1798 and in 1799 he captured the Consulate. In...