1. Talents/Character
1.1. Vision and imagination
1.2. Won over the public
1.2.1. Fought with the soldiers
1.2.2. Personable
1.2.3. Relationships with the French
1.3. Persistent
1.3.1. When he was exiled he came back for his 100 days
1.4. Absorbed information quickly
1.4.1. When he went into battle he studied countries history and geography in depth, including previous invasion attempts
1.4.1.1. More prepared = more successful
1.5. Charming
1.5.1. Charmed Tsar Alexander I
1.5.1.1. And addressed men directly, winning further support
1.6. Efficient organiser
1.6.1. Good at logistics
1.6.1.1. E.g. wrote many letters just about shoes so his army would be able to march
1.7. Brilliance
1.7.1. Compartmentalise his mind so in the middle of war he could put the present situation behind him and think with clarity
1.7.2. Immense capacity for work
1.7.2.1. Didn't need a lot of sleep so could work and organise wars
1.7.2.1.1. Led to stress and breakdowns later on
1.8. Charisma
1.8.1. Exceeded confidence to his troops
1.8.1.1. Crucial for victories
1.8.2. Napoleon seemed able to demand and win feats of endurance and sacrifice from his soldiers
1.9. Insecure
1.9.1. Seen in his desire to extract as much money from his defeated opposition as possible
1.9.1.1. Harsh against his enemies
1.9.2. Wasn't born to the Throne so had to justify being Emperor
1.10. Daring and military talent
1.10.1. Used to good effect
1.10.2. Devised well-planned nobility strategies
1.10.2.1. Surprised the enemy, caught them off guard
1.11. Prone to self-promotion
1.11.1. Exaggerate his successes
1.11.1.1. Sent false reports back to Paris inflating his importance
1.12. Supreme confidence and readiness to abandon pre-prepared ideas and improvise at crucial stages of the fight
1.12.1. All factors in his success
2. Rewards
2.1. Extra rations, an honour or even land
2.1.1. Winning further support makes them more willing to fight
2.1.2. Have greater loyalties to Napoleon
2.1.2.1. Increased military success
2.2. Took a personal role in directing battles once troops were engaged
3. Military Genius
3.1. Devised tactics years ahead of his time
3.1.1. Rivals struggled to keep up
3.2. Fought 60 battles and lost only 7
3.2.1. Talented strategically and tactically
3.3. Cared for his soldiers
3.3.1. Meant that they respected him more so were willing to do what he asked
4. Training of Napoleon
4.1. Warfare and Tactics
4.1.1. Showed considerable interest in studying tactics and military matters for himself
4.2. Military Commander
4.3. Already benefited from formidable experience before taking power
5. Position
5.1. Advantage of being Head of State, Head of Government and Commander in Chief
5.1.1. Gave him knowledge, resources and capabilities needed to prepare and support his campaigns
5.2. Absolute authority
5.2.1. Draw whatever he needed, e.g. money and resources
5.2.1.1. Forced loans from satellite states
5.2.1.1.1. Showed his power, influence and control
5.3. Could control Propaganda
5.3.1. Get more people onside
5.3.1.1. Rode the tide of public opinion and control what people thought
5.3.2. Got the French people to accept him as the embodiment of the revolution
5.3.3. Very involved with the French Press