Your Life as Every Rank in Napoleon's Army (From Private to King)

In Napoleon's army, a cooper's son became a marshal of France, an innkeeper's son became a king, and a sergeant ended up on the throne of Sweden, where his family still sits today. The top was open. The catch was surviving long enough to reach it. Here is your life as every rank in Napoleon's army, 1805 to 1815: from the conscription lottery to Austerlitz, Eylau, Spain, the retreat from Moscow, the Old Guard at Leipzig and the last evening at Waterloo. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 A private could climb to the top 0:26 Level 1: The conscript 1:40 Level 2: The fusilier 2:46 Level 3: The corporal 3:59 Level 4: The sergeant 5:15 Level 5: The lieutenant 6:29 Level 6: The captain (Russia, 1812) 7:56 Level 7: The Imperial Guard 9:00 Level 8: The marshal 11:04 Level 9: The king 📚 SOURCES A. Forrest, Conscripts and Deserters (1989). J. Elting, Swords Around a Throne (1988). D. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon (1966). A. Zamoyski, 1812: Napoleon's Fatal March on Moscow (2004). M. van Creveld, Supplying War (1977). A. Roberts, Napoleon the Great (2014). Fondation Napoléon, "La conscription sous le Premier Empire" (napoleon.org). Map borders: historical-basemaps by A. Ourednik (GPL-3.0), github.com/aourednik/historical-basemaps. Coastlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Font: Patrick Hand (SIL Open Font License). 🏛️ The Roman version, where the top was locked: Your Life as Every Rank in a Roman Legion: [   • Your Life as Every Rank in a Roman Legion ...  ] 🔔 Subscribe and tell us which army's ranks we should climb next. #Napoleon #NapoleonicWars #MilitaryHistory