Napoleon Bonaparte dissolving the Council of Five Hundred Napoleon enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of the French Revolutionary army In he led a coup to overthrow the government the Directory and became first consul and effective dictator of France In he declared himself Emperor and embarked on a series of military campaigns across Europe the Napoleonic Wars Victories such as Austerlitz and Jena led to France establishing its power across much of the continent In however Napoleon embarked on a disastrous invasion of Russia and defeat at Leipzig in led to his abdication and exile to Elba He ecaped in raised another army but was finally defeated by Wellington at Waterloo and was exiled again to St Helena where he died