He wasn't born in France though, was he? He wasn't born in mainland France, no. He was born in Corsica, an island owned by France. And he moved to mainland France after he completed his studies at the Ecole Royale Militaire de Paris. Yes, but he talked to people in high places and managed to stay in Corsica most of the time. Did you know that he completed his course in just one year? It should have taken three! Well, he certainly was strong-willed. While he was in Corsica he played an active part in political and military matters, initially supporting the Corsican rebel Pasquale Paoli, a former patron of Napoleon's father, Corlo Buonaparte. The French Revolution was an important time for Napoleon. By December 1793 Buonaparte was the hero of Toulon, a general and favourite of Augustin Robespierre. Yes, but shortly after Napoleon was arrested for treason. He got out of it because of tremendous political flexibility. He was saved by Paul de Baras, who would later become one of France's Directors. It's a good thing that he was saved. Military history as we know it would be very different indeed!