In 1793, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, young army officer Napoleon Bonaparte witnesses the tragic beheading of Marie Antoinette via guillotine. Later that same year, Revolutionary leader Paul Barras appoints Napoleon to manage the Siege of Toulon. Demonstrating his military prowess, he takes the city and adeptly drives back British forces using artillery.
As the tide of the Revolution shifts following the fall of Maximilien Robespierre, French leaders, including Napoleon, strive to restore order. Once again deploying his artillery, Napoleon quashes a royalist uprising on 13 Vendémiaire, a pivotal moment in 1795.
In the midst of this turmoil, Napoleon pursues the aristocratic widow Joséphine de Beauharnais, portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, and the two eventually enter into marriage. Their personal lives, vibrant with passion, remain unfulfilled in terms of children. In 1798, during his military campaign in Egypt, Napoleon achieves a stirring victory at the Battle of the Pyramids, yet returns home hastily upon learning that Joséphine has taken a lover, the younger Hippolyte Charles.
Though the Directory criticizes him for abandoning his troops, Napoleon boldly condemns their ineffective leadership. Alongside key collaborators like Talleyrand, Fouché, Sieyès, and Ducos, he orchestrates a coup, rising to the position of First Consul.
In 1804, the ambitious Napoleon is crowned Emperor of the French by the pope—an event marked by his defiant act of placing the crown upon his own head. In a strategic bid for power, Talleyrand proposes an alliance to Austria, though the Austrians dismiss this overture. Undeterred, Napoleon showcases his military talent a year later at the Battle of Austerlitz, decisively defeating both Austrian and Russian forces and forcing a retreat over treacherous, frozen lakes.
Following his military triumphs, Napoleon's mother pressures him to impregnate a mistress, proving that Joséphine is incapable of bearing children. In 1810, their marriage ends in divorce, culminating in a public confrontation where Napoleon slaps Joséphine when she initially refuses to acknowledge the decree. Despite this, they maintain an amicable relationship, exchanging letters filled with warmth. Subsequently, Napoleon marries Marie Louise of Austria, who shortly after gives birth to a son.
The year 1812 sees Napoleon invade Russia after Alexander backtracks on their peace agreement. Despite facing fierce resistance during the Battle of Borodino, he finds Moscow deserted and shortly thereafter set ablaze. With a significant loss of life on his retreat, Napoleon returns to France, having suffered a grave blow to his forces.
By 1814, a coalition of forces compels Napoleon to abdicate and sends him into exile on Elba. In 1815, upon hearing troubling news regarding Joséphine’s health, he makes a daring escape and returns to reclaim power in France. Tragically, Joséphine, now confined to the Château de Malmaison, passes away before he can reach her. King Louis XVIII dispatches the Fifth Regiment to detain him, but Napoleon's charisma turns them to his cause.
At the Battle of Waterloo in June, Napoleon assembles an army to confront the British under the leadership of Rupert Everett](/actor/rupert-everett). However, French cavalry assaults meet fierce resistance from British infantry formations. In a desperate bid, Napoleon urges his remaining soldiers forward, but they are met with devastation inflicted by reconstituted enemy lines. As the situation deteriorates, the forces of Prussian Marshal Blücher arrive to support Wellington, breaking the French lines. In his retreat, Napoleon respectfully salutes Wellington.
Ultimately, Napoleon is exiled once more, this time to the remote island of Saint Helena. There, he engages with children, reflects on his life while penning memoirs that would later gain worldwide acclaim, and crafts a narrative of history portraying himself in a favorable light.
In 1821, Napoleon passes away, hearing the voice of Joséphine calling him to reunite. An epilogue poignantly notes the staggering toll of the Coalition Wars, which claimed around 3 million lives between 1792 and 1815.
