| Emperor | Revolutionary |
- "To do all that one is able to do, is to be human; to do all that one would like to do, is to be a god."
Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution, first as consul of the French Republic from 1799 to 1804, then as emperor of the French Empire from 1804 to 1815. Considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, his campaigns and legal reforms left a lasting legacy in the history of Europe and the world. He is a leader in Civilization VII.
This is one of Napoleon's two alternate personas, the other being Napoleon, Emperor. He is available with the Persona Pack - Napoleon DLC which requires one 2K account linked to the platform account(s) used to play Sid Meier's Civilization VI and Civilization VII (the two games can be on the same or different platforms).
Intro[]
Napoleon Bonaparte remains one of history’s most famous leaders. Born in Corsica, his rapid rise through the French army culminated in a coup that made him France’s First Consul in 1799. Four years later, he crowned himself Emperor of the French and established the Continental System, meant to revitalize France and weaken its enemies. His reign was defined by major civic reforms and wars that raged across Europe from Spain to Russia.
In-Game[]
Napoleon, Revolutionary has the Cultural and Militaristic attributes. His default colors are dark red and light blue.
His leader ability is La Grande Armée. It grants +1 
Movement for all Land Units and 
Culture upon defeating an enemy Unit equal to 50% of its 
Combat Strength.
His agenda is Culture from Conquest. His relationship decreases by Small Amount for every Alliance made between other players, and increases by a Medium Amount with the player that has the highest Culture per turn.
Strategy[]
Napoleon’s Revolutionary persona sees players waging lightning speed wars. The extra Movement goes a long way, not only logistically, but also affords him more options when assaulting settlements. Cavalry units will have an easier time flanking enemies, softening up other defensible districts, or pillaging tiles to level the playing field. Ranged and siege units are better at seizing opportunities where enemy units are out in the open.
Combine easier wars with his ability to loot half Culture from vanquished opponents to blaze through the civics trees! With a leg up in culture, players will quickly unlock social policies that reduce military unit production costs, curtail happiness penalties from warfare, or support their economy to prevent unrest back home. This bonus is particularly noticeable in the Antiquity Age, but it could also make a few crucial one-turn differences in the Exploration Age. However, don’t expect it to show up much in the Modern Age.
(antiquity civ pairing?)
In the Exploration Age, consider pairing Napoleon (Revolutionary) with the Norman civilization. The Norman unique unit, the Chevaler, gets a +3 Combat Strength bonus versus units with lower Movement. Revolutionary Napoleon’s +1 Movement to all units ensures that the Chevaler will remain on top in the vast majority of cases. Additionally, the Normans’ +5 Combat Strength to land units’ coastal engagements makes Distant Lands war campaigns easier, as coastal defenders will fall in line for Napoleon to safely get his army on land. However, it is still a good idea to have a navy to limit risky amphibious battles, which still pose a -5/-10 Combat Strength penalty to your units.
In the Modern Age, consider pairing Napoleon (Revolutionary) with the Prussian civilization. The Prussian unique unit, the Hussar (Civ7) gets a +1 Combat Strength bonus for every Movement it has remaining. Revolutionary Napoleon’s +1 Movement to all units helps thus helps with getting precious Combat Strength.
(possible other picks for modern age?)
Lines[]
Napoleon is voiced by Sam Kalidi. He speaks Modern French with a Corsican accent.
| Line | Quote (English translation) | Quote (French) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote | To do all that one is able to do, is to be human; to do all that one would like to do, is to be a god. (lit. "To do all one is capable of doing, that is to be a man; to do all that one would like to do, that is to be a god.") | Faire tout ce qu'on est capable de faire, c'est être un homme; faire tout ce qu'on voudrait faire, c'est être un dieu. | |
| Greeting | I am Napoleon, and I am here to decide the fate of the world. (lit. "I am Napoleon, here on this earth to determine the fate of the world.") | Je suis Napoléon, sur cette terre pour déterminer le sort du monde. | |
| Attacked | The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast. (lit. "The bullet that is to kill me has not yet melted.") | Le boulet qui doit me tuer n'est pas encore fondu. | |
| Declares War | I have made all the calculations; fate will do the rest. | J'ai fait les calculs; le destin fera le reste. | |
| Accepts Player's Deal | The superior man is never in anyone's way. | ||
| Rejects Player's Deal | One cannot treat with all the world at once. | ||
| Defeat | Exile. I shall write my memoirs. Work is the scythe of time. (lit. "Exile. I will write my epics. The effort will cut the course of time.") | L'exile. J'écrirai donc mes épopées. L'effort tranchera le cours du temps. |
Leader Path[]
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 2 |  Artilleryman's Gloves |
| 3 | Cultural Attribute Node
|
| 4 | Exploration Cultural Legacy Card |
Exploration Militaristic Legacy Card
| |
| 5 |  Bicorne Hat |
| 6 | Napoleon Revolutionary Badge 1
|
Napoleon Revolutionary Banner
| |
| 7 | Militaristic Attribute Node
|
| 8 | Modern Cultural Legacy Card |
Modern Militaristic Legacy Card
| |
| 9 |  Legion d'honneur Grand Eagle and Cross |
| 10 | Napoleon Revolutionary Badge 2
|
Man of Destiny
|
Civilopedia entry[]
The French Revolution aggressively sought to implement a reimagined state, one that rested on new bureaucratic, scientific, and political principles. Months were renamed, new systems of measurement were created, and the clergy was actively targeted. The middle class saw their positions advance, but the Revolution ultimately hit a number of snags. Political chaos was not good for France’s economy, and the specter of rebellion terrified neighboring powers with established monarchies – nearly all of them. This chaos demanded order.
Napoleon was born into an Italian-Corsican family who had fought for Corsica’s independence after it was conquered by France in 1769. Educated at a military school on the mainland, Napoleon rose to become an artillery officer in the French army just before the Revolution struck. He was sympathetic to the Revolution’s ideals, but in the midst of such chaos, fortunes changed swiftly, and Napoleon soon found himself arranging artillery against royalists seeking to reclaim Paris.
His fortunes really soared during his command of the Army of Italy – a front in those wars that inevitably broke out when neighboring monarchies (Austria and its allies) moved to halt the revolutionary fire in its tracks. Napoleon launched a series of aggressive campaigns against Austrian forces to devastating effect. With central authority in France deteriorating, Napoleon had broad latitude to do what he liked in the realms he conquered, setting up his own republics in Italy under new models of administration. Flush with success, Napoleon sought to stop British ambitions in India by seizing their holdings in Egypt and, he hoped, allying with the British East India Company’s enemies on the subcontinent. True to the principles of the Revolution, Napoleon dealt with Egyptian subjects as fellows, advocating citizenship for all regardless of their religion.
The Egyptian campaign led to defeat for France, but not for Napoleon. Upon his return to Paris, he received a hero’s welcome and played a major role in the construction of the new government, of which he became the First Consul – a term originally used in the Roman Empire. Napoleon was in theory elected, but exploited the corruption of the regime and the chaos of France to inflate his numbers. The ongoing wars ended abruptly, for now, and France emerged victorious, gaining territories abandoned by the Austrians.
The interwar period was tense. Napoleon consolidated his power as ruler for life and sought to revitalize the flagging French economy. In doing so, he reinstating slavery in overseas colonies, a move that sparked the Haitian Revolution. He also sold the French claims to much of North America – the Louisiana Purchase. The Napoleonic Code (le Code civil des Français) enshrined rights to property and an end to aristocratic privileges, marking a transition from a system governed by status to one governed by skill, merit, and order. Famously, Napoleon invited the pope to attend his coronation as emperor...and crowned himself.
But neighboring European powers would not go quietly. War resumed just a few years later. Again, Napoleon seemed invincible, outflanking and outmaneuvering coalition forces wherever he could. At the Battle of Austerlitz, he tricked the coalition into believing his army was weak and demoralized, and when they took the bait, he slaughtered them. This defeat, and those of a later Prussian campaign, neutralized Austria, Russia and Prussia and drove the Ottomans into the French orbit. It also allowed for the establishment of the Continental System, a Europe-wide boycott of the British in an attempt to starve out France’s oldest enemy.
Once again, a tense peace took hold. European powers chafed at the Continental System, and at Napoleon’s constant threats to monarchies everywhere. In one egregious move, he installed his brother as King of Spain – a decision that, along with subsequent wars in Spain, set the stage for Latin American revolutions in the years to come.
As before, the peace was soon shattered. Napoleon’s short-lived conquests and asymmetrical peace treaties were quickly broken as Austria and its allies launched new wars. His campaign in Russia proved to be his undoing. As Napoleon marched toward Moscow to end this threat for good, the Russians turned the land against the French. They burned crops in advance of Napoleon and let the Russian weather work its magic. When the French entered Moscow, the Russians set it ablaze. Napoleon remarked that the French were worthy of victory, but the Russians were worthy of invincibility. Bolstered by seeing the dictator defeated, the rest of Europe rallied, and in 1814 a coalition force finally took Paris and exiled Napoleon to the Mediterranean island of Elba.
Less than a year later, Napoleon escaped and marshaled his former allies into a campaign to take back what he had lost. But his sun had set. After a devastating defeat at Waterloo, he abdicated in favor of his son, tried to flee, and ultimately surrendered. This time, Napoleon was sent to Saint Helena, a remote island in the Atlantic Ocean, where he remained until his death. During his lonely years in exile, he wrote a book about Caesar, the man who he admired and who, for a time, he was.
Trivia[]
- Napoleon, Revolutionary's leader ability is the name of the main military component of the French army, while his agenda is a term used used to describe the imposition of the culture of one nation over another's through war, colonialism and imperialism.
- This persona represents Napoleon as consul of the French Republic from 1799 to 1804.
- Napoleon's release in Civilization VII marks the fourth time he has led France in the Civilization franchise (including the Civilization Revolution games). He was only absent in Civilization II, Civilization III, and Civilization VI, where France was led by Louis XIV, Joan of Arc, Catherine de Medici, and Eleanor of Aquitaine instead, respectively. Although, he was featured in Civilization III as the French Military Leader and as well as the French leader in the Napoleonic Europe scenario, and appeared as a Great General in Civilization VI.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Civ Paths - From Rome (Civ7).jpg (761 KB)")
.jpg "Napoleon personas promo (Civ7).jpg (150 KB)")
Videos[]
First Look- Napoleon - Civilization VII
First Look: Napoleon
See also[]
- Napoleon (Bonaparte) in other games