Why did Napoleon Bonaparte become such an important figure in his lifetime?

star_gazer

In the first decade of the nineteenth century, the French Empire under Napoleon engaged in a series of conflicts—the Napoleonic Wars—involving every major European power. After a streak of victories, France secured a dominant position in continental Europe and Napoleon maintained the French sphere of influence through the formation of extensive alliances and the appointment of friends and family members to rule other European countries as French client states. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France Jan 30 10, 6:09 PM