Was Napoleon Bonaparte descended from Charlemagne?

All three French emperors named Napoleon Bonaparte have documented descents from Charlemagne—at least 2 for Napoleon I, at least 252,539 for Napoleon III, and at least 177,123,052 for the not-actually-ruling Napoleon II. read more

He was also descended from Charlemagne through countless lines of descent, but at least 252,539 of these lines can be documented, all but the above 2 through his maternal grandmother Joséphine de Beauharnais (Napoleon I’s 1st wife), who was born in the French Caribbean. read more

One of the most powerful tools in Napoleon Bonaparte’s intellectual arsenal was the connections he drew between his own life and that of great figures from history. read more