Napoleon I Emperor of France and King of Italy. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. He was the de facto leader of the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again in 1815. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. Copperplate engraving from the 'Encyclopaedia Londinensis, or universal dictionary of arts, sciences, and literature' Volume VII. Edited by Wilkes, John. Published in London in 1810.