His father, Charles Bonaparte, was, he had heard them say at home, a count, but of what good was it to be a count, or a duke, if one had not palaces and treasure to show for it?
Napoleon knew that the big and bare four-story house in which he lived was by no means a palace; and so far from having any treasures to spend, he knew, instead, that if it were not for the help of their uncle, the Canon Lucien, they would often go hungry in the big house on the little park.
But there was one consolation.

If he was badly off, so, too, were many other boys and girls in that Mediterranean island.

For when Napoleon Bonaparte was a boy, there was much trouble in Corsica.

That rocky, sea-washed, forest-crowned island of mountains and valleys, queer customs and brave people, had been in rebellion, against its masters--first, the republic of Genoa, and then against France.
[Illustration: House In Which Napoleon Was Born] [Illustration: The Mother of Napoleon] [Illustration: The Father of Napoleon] [Illustration: Room In Which Napoleon Was Born] Napoleon's father, Charles Bonaparte, had been a Corsican politician and patriot, a follower of the great Corsican leader, Paoli, who had spent many years of a glorious life in trying to lead his fellow-Corsicans to liberty and self-government.

But the attempt had been a failure; and three months before the baby Napoleon was born, Charles Bonaparte had, with other Corsican leaders, given up the struggle.