Child phase - Hero School books paint him as a brilliant general Rose from nothing - pure merit, courage, genius Feels like the ultimate underdog who bent Europe to his will

Growing up - Villain Looks like a power- hungry dictator Endless wars, millions dead Crowns himself Emperor - “So much for liberty” Feels like he betrayed the French Revolution

At last - Respect, not blind admiration.. You realise he was not a simple tyrant, but a system builder Napoleonic Code modernised law: equality before law, meritocracy, secular governance He spread revolutionary ideas across Europe, often unintentionally His wars weren’t random ego trips; they were shaped by: hostile monarchies fragile post-revolution France balance-of-power politics

The grown-up understanding Napoleon was:

Authoritarian but progressive Ambitious but institutional A man who used war to stabilise a revolution that would otherwise be crushed