( 3) In essence, this verified the Bonaparte family’s claim to nobility and allowed Carlo to enroll both of his sons, Joseph, and Napoleon, in the French College d’Autun to perfect their French.Īfter a few years at d’Autun, Napoleon gained admission to a military college in Brienne in 1779, which he attended for five years, after which he transferred to the military academy in Paris graduating early from the Parisian military academy. However, when Paoli fled Corsica for his life, Carlo Buonaparte shifted his allegiance to France and effectively established connections with the French. ( 2) Imperatively, Napoleon’s father was a staunch supporter of the Corsican resistance leader, Pasquale Paoli.
( 1) The geography of Corsica was mountainous, coupled with poor rail and road construction that led to isolation with politics championed by familial loyalty and patronage. On the 15 th of August 1769 in the French-occupied capital of Corsica, Ajaccio, Napoleon was born to his father Carlo Maria di Buonaparte, and his mother, Maria Letizia Ramolino. The island of Corsica was formerly ruled by Genoa for nearly four hundred years before being ceded to France in 1768, however Corsica enjoyed a period of independence under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli.
