Napoleon Bonaparte was a famous French general and a military mastermind. He was the emperor of France from 1802-1814, and famously short, rising to power from the chaos of the French Revolution.
He is most famous for his campaigns in Europe. His innovative victories achieved control over modern-day Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Croatia, and Benelux before finally failing in Russia, due to the bitter winter weather. In 1814 he was removed from power, but was able to return the next year and overthrow the restored monarchy. His subsequent effort to retake Brussels was defeated by an Anglo-Prussian army at the Battle of Waterloo.
Napoleon's ambition and drive inspired the term "Napoleonic Complex", which is used to describe a power hungry person who wants to "conquer" everything in sight.