From obscure origins, Napoleon Bonaparte rose rapidly through the ranks of the army during the first years of the Revolution, becoming a general by the age of 25. This talk examines Napoleon’s early military career and challenges the myth that his dramatic rise epitomizes the revolutionary principle of “careers open to talent.”
![Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, in the Uniform of a General in the Army of Italy](https://vmfa.museum/calendar/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2018/03/2018.8-talk-napoleon-rise-700x450.jpg)
Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul, in the Uniform of a General in the Army of Italy (detail), 1801, Andrea Appiani (1754–1817), oil on canvas. Private collection, Montreal. Photo MMFA, Christine Guest
Cost: $8 (VMFA members $5)
Napoleon’s Military & Political Rise to Power
with Dr. Rafe Blaufarb, Director and Ben Weider Eminent Scholar in Napoleonic Studies, Department of History, Florida State University
Fri, Aug 17, 2018, 6:30–7:30 pm
Leslie Cheek Theater