Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) has long held a “seductive” appeal for artists, says Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. He ranks third behind Jesus and Hitler in the number of books written about him, says Simon Schama in the Financial Times, and outdoes them both in the number of films.
Just what kind of person sits at the centre of this cult is in the eye of the beholder. In Sergei Bondarchuk’s film Waterloo, he was a “world-weary gang boss”; in King Vidor’s War and Peace, a “dwindling absurdity”. But in Ridley Scott’s “outrageously enjoyable” epic biopic (starring Joaquin Phoenix), he is the “arch satirist and grinning mastermind, the outsider, the brilliant observer and exploiter of other people’s weaknesses, the proto-capitalist entrepreneur”.
Born Napoleone di Buonaparte on Corsica, he graduated from a military academy in Paris, serving in the Corsican resistance to French rule, and rising to power in the aftermath of the French revolution, seizing power in a coup in 1799. As emperor, he transformed French society, ushering in the Napoleonic Code, which still serves as the basis of civil codes around the world today, and conquering vast territories across Europe, reshaping the political landscape. Most of his wealth was acquired through his military campaigns, which brought him the spoils of war, including gold, precious artefacts, and land. His net worth in today’s money has been estimated at around $400m.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
What we learn from Scott’s film, says Janan Ganesh in the FT, is that Napoleon did “a lot of bad sh*t” to acquire that wealth. And the film has provoked a lot of “as bad as Hitler” talk among talking heads. But really, he was more a “necessary autocrat” – the kind of leader who centralises in order to enact broadly liberal reform. If that seems distasteful today, it is because “those who were early to modernity can be hopeless at giving directions to the place”. Scott gives a "more textured portrait” of this “monster-liberator” than the trailers and reviews would have you believe.
This article was first published in MoneyWeek's magazine. Enjoy exclusive early access to news, opinion and analysis from our team of financial experts with a MoneyWeek subscription.
-
The top stocks in the FTSE 100After a year of strong returns for the UK’s flagship index, which FTSE 100 stocks have posted the best performance in 2024?
-
A junior ISA could turn your child’s pocket money into thousands of poundsPersuading your child to put their pocket money in a junior ISA might be difficult, but the pennies could quickly grow into pounds – and teach them a valuable lesson about money
-
Trump picks Scott Bessent to lead Treasury – will he succeed?Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is an odd pick for Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary, but he is seen as the more reasonable and pragmatic of the candidates
-
Justin Sun: China’s revolutionary crypto visionaryJustin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain and cryptocurrency made his fortune young from bitcoin trades. Now he wants to change the world
-
Rouble hits two-year low against the dollar – what does it mean for Russia's economy?New US sanctions have plunged the rouble to its lowest level since 2022. Why are investors spooked and how will this affect Putin's economy?
-
Why Gary Lineker's Match of the Day exit mattersFormer England captain Gary Lineker is stepping down from hosting the football programme Match of the Day, after 25 years.
-
Henry Keswick: the plutocrat who fell for ChinaProfile Henry Keswick, a scion of the Jardine Matheson trading company, rebuilt the firm's fortunes after the upheavals of the 1990s. He died aged 86.
-
Has Javier Milei succeeded in transforming Argentina's economy?Javier Milei won an election last year on an “anarcho-capitalist” platform, promising to take a chainsaw to the overbearing and bloated state. How’s it going?
-
Brazil booms – but why do investors remain wary?Brazil is booming, but you wouldn’t think so from looking at the stock market. What's behind the market paranoia?
-
Elon Musk enters the White House – what happens now?Elon Musk has achieved the seemingly impossible many times before in the business world. But will he be able to cut the US government down to size?
