The Napoleonic Wars ravaged Europe for a decade and a half, from Bonaparte's accession to power in 1799 to his ultimate defeat at Waterloo in 1815. They stand out from other wars for their huge scale, the manner in which they were fought, and the centrality of a single protagonist. Napoleon established his reputation during the Revolutionary Wars, winning several engagements against the odds as an artillery officer, promotion to brigadier aged 24, and absolute power at 30. With most of Europe against him, he consolidated power at home, then tried to pick off adversaries one-by-one. After his bid to invade Britain - his most consistent foe - had to be called off in 1805, he unleashed his forces against Austria, Russia, and, a year later, Prussia. His earliest military victories were brilliant and, combined with strong-armed diplomacy, he had most of Europe under his sway by 1810. But tension over Poland led Napoleon to invade Russia in 1812. It was a gross error, and the disastrous campaign cost him half a million men. The battles were becoming bloodier, too. as Napoleon lost his tactical flair and his rivals wised up. Worn down by guerrillas ('small wars') in Spain, and never able to stop Britain funding his increasingly determined opponents, Napoleon found his authority and empire shrink around him. He held back the tide briefly, beating a larger army than his own at Dresden in August 1813, but he could not stop it, suffering a great defeat at Leipzig two months later. The Allies entered Paris in March 1814, and Napoleon was exiled to Elba, a Mediterranean island.
