A Life of Napoleon (french: ) is a book written by Marie-Henri Beyle, better known under his usual pseudonym of Stendhal, in 1817-1818. It was one of two essays that Stendhal devoted to the Emperor, with (1836-1837) being the second. Stendhal followed Napoleon's campaigns in Italy, Germany, Russia and Austria. After the fall of Napoleon, he retired to Italy. He was appointed Consul at Civitavecchia after the 1830 revolution, but his health deteriorated and six years later he was back in Paris working on his Life of Napoleon. It would not be published until long after his death by Romain Colomb, friend, cousin and legatee of Stendhal.