Nature Books Published This Summer

Best Science/Nature Books Published This Summer Forget the amorphous, ridiculous concept of a beach read summer is the time for great science! Here are some of my favorite books about science and nature published in the summer of 2016. On the science side: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong  (8/9 from Ecco) It isnt just any writer who could take the subject of microbes and make it fascinating, engrossing, and even funny. Microbes are mind-bogglingly ubiquitous and necessary to life as we know it. This book  covers topics like the history of microbial research,  the place of microbes in the human body, the co-evolution of microbes and animals, and the potential future of microbial engineering. Yong approaches a complex topic with enthusiasm, making it a compelling, enjoyable read. Seven Skeletons: The Evolution of the Worlds Most Famous Human Fossils by Lydia Pyne  (8/16 from Viking) This is the story of our search for our human ancestors as told by our seven most famous fossils, such as the Neanderthal of La Chapelle, the Piltdown hoax, the Peking man, the Tuang Child, and Lucy. Each chapter of the book gives the reader the biography of a different famous skeleton, exploring  the discovery of the fossils, the impact of each fossil on our understanding of human evolution, the cultural significance of each find, the ways that the fossils are understood by and displayed to the public. The Unknown Universe: A New Exploration of Time, Space, and Modern Cosmology by Stuart Clark  (7/5 from Pegasus Books) Cosmology is a complicated, mind-bending problem. When I read about theories of space and time I admit that usually my eyes  glaze over and my brain quickly hits a sticking point. Clarks book, however, does a superb job making cutting edge new discoveries about the universe understandable to the lay reader. This book takes the issues on the forefront of the field, puts them in historical context for the reader, and explains their importance. It is extremely readable and entertaining, which is no small feat considering the subject matter. Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets by Luke Dittrich  (8/9 from Random House) This is the story of the most famous patient in the history of psychology and neuroscience, Patient H.M., or Henry Molaison. In 1953, suffering from chronic epilepsy, Molaison was one of many patients to receive a radical lobotomy in an attempt to stop his seizures. Instead, Molaison wound up unable to create new memories. This is the story of Patient H.M. but also the story of the  lobotomy as a neurosurgical technique, the use of human research subjects, and the history treatment of those suffering from mental illnesses and disease. The authors personal connection to the content adds a compelling twist: Dittrichs own grandfather was the surgeon who performed the botched operation on Patient H.M. Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach (6/7 from W.W. Norton and Company) The science of war gets the full Mary Roach treatment: how does the military design uniforms that can withstand the heat of battle? How do medics prepare to handle the chaos and gore of treating wounds during combat? How do soldiers handle their ahem bodily functions in the field? Can bad smells be used as a weapon? The answer to this, and loads more questions you never thought to ask, can be found here. Also check out Book Riots own Kim Ukuras interview with Mary Roach about the book. The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee (5/17 from Scribner) Okay *technically* this book came out in May, not in the summer, but I am going to give it a pass because it is just that good. Ill be brief, but if you are interested in  books about science, this one cannot be missed. Mukherjee takes a deep dive into the history of our understanding of genetics, bringing us all the way up to present day in this epic, incredible  book. On the nature side: On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor (7/12 from Simon and Schuster) While hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2009, Moor got to thinking about the nature of trails themselves. How are they made? How do they survive and endure? What makes us follow them? Moor combines science, history, technology, and philosophy on his thoughtful journey to understand the trails. It is profound and interesting, it dwells on big questions and brings together an engaging collections of facts and stories. Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube: Chasing Fear and Finding Home in the Great White North by Blair Braverman (7/5 from Ecco) Braverman  tells her story of leaving  California at age 19 to follow the call of the North, a brutal landscape not usually thought of as the realm of a young woman. This is a story of independence, of growing up and coming into ones own, of being a woman in a mans world,  all set against the unforgiving arctic. It is full of dogsleds, glaciers, and freezing cold waters. It is entertaining and wild and deeply personal. Raising Wild: Dispatches from a Home in the Wilderness by Michael Branch (8/23 from Roost Books) This book is a refreshing departure from the nature writing trope of man goes out to wilderness, lives alone in solitude. Here Branch reflects on living in the wilderness with a family and raising daughters. As Branch puts it, In perpetuating an understanding of wildness that depends upon the far-flung exploits of men heroically working alone (or with other men), we overlook the wildness that is inherent both to parenting and to children. Set against the rough beauty of Nevadas Great Basin Desert, Branch winds together family and landscape. The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of Americas National Parks by Terry Tempest Williams (5/31 from Sarah Crichton Books) Im cheating again, but again I dont care because this book is so so good. A reflection on our National Parks as told by a series of personal essays that are diverse, eloquent, and extremely thoughtful. It is absolutely stunning. It will have you planning vacations to National Parks, if you can even see the guidebooks through your tears of joy. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

The Siege Of Jerusalem, Pompeii, Herculaneum, And Jerusalem

City configuration was a big contributor to the vulnerability of Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Jerusalem as well as the social importance of class and rule in their leaders. Nero in Rome and Titus during the Siege of Jerusalem cared for themselves and their materialistic values rather than the lives of others. Consequently, their people and cities were torn apart. Similarly in 2011, the Fukushima nuclear disaster effected the city in Japan severely. They withheld important information regarding the nuclear explosions and radiation because they wanted to save face and avoid the consequences. Japan and the company in charge, TEPCO, put themselves above the lives of the people in Japan just like Titus and Nero did in Rome and Jerusalem. In his letters to Atticus, Cicero frequently wrote about the social and political life in Rome. We get a great idea of what the Roman Republic was like with his speeches, books, but specifically his letters. He enjoyed writing to Atticus about the prob lems he saw with the government and complained to him about the officials and inherited wealth of Roman men. If he was alive during the time of Nero’s rule we would expect to read and see letters to his friends about Nero’s wealth and incapability to rule. Cicero would have been enraged with him about the Great Fire of Rome just as Pliny, Suetonius, and Dio Cassius were. According to one article by Keresztes, â€Å"Of the earliest surviving sources, Pliny the Elder, Suetonius and Dio Cassius all,

Paragraphs on State of Consciousness and Religion Essay

1. Briefly describe shifts in states of consciousness. The states of consciousness are about the experience and about feeling the world. It is about your own deep feeling and therefore we need to bring them in its true light that is not rational but sensitive. Religion, in whatever form they may be is a reflection of a certain level of the consciousness. When a persons awareness is changing and expanding, also individual’s vision of the religion can change. 2. Briefly discuss how human capacity for development and change through life interacts with religion. I think that any person in their childhood were more pure and they believed more in God. In every stage of our life we gain and we lose something. In the course of this changes†¦show more content†¦The peak experience paly in important role in each person life and is a self- actualization. The peak experience is a place where one can feel pure happiness and elation. If one can reach the peak experience will feel everything that surrounds him and will lose the track of time or space. The liminality stage is a process where one is between to different worlds, and is more connect to gods and with consciousness. Is a transition from the ordinary life to a stage of self-awareness or self-cognition? An example of liminal person we can say that monks are the most closes to this stage because they life in in different life where they don’t obey the rules of society. They shows us a different ways of life and climates of consciousness. 5. Summarize the position of major psychological interpreters of religion. The major psychological interpreters of religion are Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung. If we take a look of what Freud sad about the psychological interpreters of religion, we can see that he though religion was a sign of an imperfect or compulsive progress with a character. Sigmund Freud argues that these impulses have their origin in childhood helplessness and survive into adulthood through the image of the god-father. He thought that religion is a collective psychosis, a mass anxiety and ultimately an illusion. However Carl G. Jung believed that religion is a search of individuation. That is, for uniting the several elements of one’s mind into a melodiousShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Classical Social And Organizational Theory Essay1744 Words   |  7 Pagesrefugees in the United States right at the moment and/or strategize how to help combat this apparent resistance. 1. Use either Durkheim or Martineau to deepen your understanding of the problem. Begin with a short transition that may be a sentence or two or a short paragraph in length. Next, write a paragraph which broadly introduces the theory (this might be a new paragraph or, If you wrote a transition sentence or two, the same paragraph). Follow this with a paragraph which explores in someRead MoreThe Essence Of Christianity Had A Profound Impact On Marx s Philosophy Of Right1247 Words   |  5 Pagesliberation from religion, the approaches toward this objective considerably vary. Despite Ricoeur’s defence that Feuerbach should be considered a ‘master of suspicion’, because Marx’s atheism is ‘an elaboration... a further development of Feuerbachianism’, this questions whether Feuerbach’s and Marx’s atheisms are as compatible as initially perceived. It is easy to see how one could mistake Feuerbach’s and Marx’s atheisms as complementary, especially since the opening paragraphs of Marx’s TowardRead MoreThe Souls Of Black Folks by W. E. B. Du Bois700 Words   |  3 Pagesbut in a new land. One thing that is meant when he mention double consciousness is the way one wants to be both African and American and be treated as a Negro while having opportunity similar to Americans. This is found in Chapter 1 and paragraph 4. A different way he describes double consciousness is how a person [such as a black individual] can look at himself through the eyes of others. This is found in Chapter 1 paragraph 3. Looking at oneself through the eyes of many while remaining lookingRead MoreEssay on Confucianism vs. Buddhism1607 Words   |  7 PagesRobert Truckle In this essay, two world religions will be compared to see how similar and/or how different they are; these two religions are Confucianism and Buddhism. Confucianism speaks about the wise thoughts that Confucius came across throughout his life. Buddhism speaks about how to acquire great knowledge throughout life. Confucianism was founded by a Chinese man, but Buddhism was founded by an Indian man. These quick comparisons show how the religions differ, but more detailed comparisons willRead MoreAre We As Human, As We Say We Are?854 Words   |  4 Pagesessay, Twain uses social, political and economic examples to demonstrate the selfish nature of humans, more so than any animals. Based on Twain’s analysis throughout The Lowest Animal and examples concurrent with today’s society, it is accurate to state that humans are morally inferior to other animals. Continually, Twain makes the point that humans are essentially cruel. Using an array of examples during his essay, he uses this theme as the basis of his argument. The first occurrence of this themeRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jail And Antigone1004 Words   |  5 Pagesall communities and states† (Martin Luther King Paragraph.4 line 1), Martin Luther King feels a strong sense of responsibility for his community to be united. King Jr. states â€Å"interrelatedness of all communities, meaning that he perceives all of the different communities as one. Whether white or black, all population of distinct communities is connected in King Jr’s heart. According to the letter, â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere† (Martin Luther King paragraph 4, line 2). This statementRead MoreKachowism Is A Religion Based Off Of Lightning1333 Words   |  6 PagesKachowism is a religion based off of lightning. The religion is found wher ever there is thunder forecasts all year round in villages, on mountaintops, but mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in Australia, Brazil, and New Zealand. Contrary to where Kachowism is practiced, the religion originated from Italy. The story goes that a man named Giovanni was stuck in a freak thunderstorm in Central Italy. The storm lasted four days for five nights. Giovanni blunders about in the storm for theseRead MoreWhat Is Fascism?1564 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is fascism? Fascism is a hard ideology to define because nearly every modern government or political movement has been called ‘fascist’ by somebody. (The writer has directly addressed the essay question in the topic sentence of the first paragraph, noting how it can be identified as being ambiguous, and how it is difficult to define.) I contend that fascism was a political movement unique to the early 20th century, especially in Europe, because its worldview was shaped by events and philosophicalRead MoreSigmund Freud On Modern Psychology And Schools Of Thought1691 Words   |  7 PagesFreud posited that neuroses had their origins in deeply traumatic experiences that had occurred in the patient s past. He believed that the original occurrences had been forgotten and hidden from consciousness. His treatment was to empower his patients to recall the experience and bring it to consciousness, and in doing so, confront it both intellectually and emotionally. He believed one could then discharge it and rid oneself of the neurotic symptoms. Freud and Breuer published their theories andRead MoreAnalysis of Allen Ginsbergs Howl Essay863 Words   |  4 Pagescomplex themes of religion, destruction, and eternity into his masterpiece. One of the most fascinating features of Howl is the poem’s allusions to religion and spirituality. Ginsberg describes the Beats and their struggles using words like holy, incarnate, heavenly, salvation, soul, eternity, seraphim, and saintly. The religious diction in Howl eerily contrasts with it’s disturbing and raw content. The author juxtaposes these spiritual words with very lowly and humanistic states. He describes â€Å"saintly

The Differences in the Fall of the House of Usher and the House of Usher Free Essays

Mrs. Matthews Juniors H. English November 02, 2012 The short story, â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† and the movie, the House of Usher, are two very unalike pieces of work. We will write a custom essay sample on The Differences in the Fall of the House of Usher and the House of Usher or any similar topic only for you Order Now The House of Usher is a poor representation of â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† for not staying true to the real production by Edgar Allan Poe. Although the movie has a few noticeable similarities, Hollywood loses the true value and the plot of the original short story. The House of Usher creates a whole new story, that takes the name of the story, but ruins the masterpiece already done by Poe. The Fall of the House of Usher,† is one of the popular horror stories written by Poe. And it’s remarkable plot, is lost in the production of the House of Usher . In the short story the plot is rather simple, Roderick and Madeline Usher are the last of the Ushers who are suffering from incurable diseases. Roderick suffers from â€Å"a morbid acuteness of the senses,† while Madeline suffers from â€Å".. a settled apathy, a gradual wasting away of the person, or frequent although transient affections of a partly cataleptical character.. This disease gives her a deathlike look, making her body lose its feeling, and loses consciousness. Madeline falls into her deathlike symptoms and is thought of as being dead. Roderick and his friend, carry her into the dungeon and keep her there in her coffin. Where she then awakens and frees herself. Covered in her own blood, she kills Roderick by being too frightened by the sight, and the unnamed narrator flees the house. Whereas in the House of Usher there are only a few of these events that take place. In both the movie and short story the Ushers have a incurable, unidentified disease in which dooms them to their horrible deaths. However, Roderick somehow believes he is being controlled by the house he lives in and believes he must do the same things his family has done and to die in the same house he lived in his whole life. Due to his disease, he hears every little noise, its like a piercing to his brain. The disease is mainly mental, and gets tormented by his fear, and predicts this fear will be the death of him. The producer of the House of Usher had to make the changes to the short story because he needed the people to understand the story from a different point of view, and to understand the meaning behind Poe’s story. Poe tried to connect The short story of sickness, horror and death Poe relates this story to his life from his mother(s) and wife who died from the incurable disease of tuberculosis, and connects it to the Ushers who cannot escape their deaths just like those How to cite The Differences in the Fall of the House of Usher and the House of Usher, Papers

Why Ban Smoking in US Military Essay Example

Why Ban Smoking in US Military Essay In a commissioned study by the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affair (VA), a ban on smoking in US military was proposed which was said would change more likely the entire culture of the military (Fox News). If approved, it would end the profitable sales of tobacco around US military bases and make smoking illegal among uniformed soldiers, even in combats. New recruits to the service would need to be tobacco-free and treatment programs would be expanded once the proposal is enacted. The study proposed a five- to 10- even 20- year period gradual phase out of the ban.The proponents of the ban argue that it is for the best. Smoking weakens the soldiers because can cause cancer and other cardiovascular diseases. This translates to poor performance during battles. The rationale behind the proposal is basically to protect people, both the smokers and the people who suffer the effects of second-hand smoking. How can the country rely on servicemen who are threatened of numerous disea ses such as cancer, emphysema and other heart problems? On the other hand, those who are opposing the ban claim that tobacco is a necessity to over come the lack of sleep and food during war. When soldiers smoke, they can forget other bodily needs which are impossible to get in the field anyway. However, this escapism does not solve the problem. For example, studies would show that soldiers who suffer from depression or post- traumatic stress disorder are more likely to smoke. Instead of seeking professional health from doctors, these soldiers seek diversion is smoking which does not solve the problem but create a new one.According to the study, the tobacco ban would relieve Pentagon of $846 million a year in medical care and lost productivity. For VA, the ban means doing away with the $6 billion in treatments for illness cause by smoking. Service members were found out to be heavy smokers ? soldiers are around 37 percent and marines 36 percent. Compared to the ratio of adult Americ an smokers to non-smokers of 1:5, one in three men in service is smoking. Fifty percent of soldiers who experienced combat were more likely to use tobacco than those who did not.In the US, the history of smoking ban started in 1975 in the state of Minnesota when the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act was passed (Hung, et. al., 2005). At first, only restaurants have sections where smoking was prohibited. Eventually, through the Freedom to Breathe Act of 2007, all restaurants and bars statewide were banned. This was followed in 1990 by San Luis Obispo, California, the first city in the world to ban smoking from all public places. Inspired by California’s commitment, New York started implementing band in 2008.Critics of the smoking bans maintain that it is an encroachment of personal rights. Everyone is thinking about the right of everybody except the right of the smokers. This argument is based on John Stuart Mill’s â€Å"harm principle,† stating that the damage of se condhand smoking does not warrant government intervention. Other economists argue that smoke ban is not necessarily the best solution. Smokers can always compensate nonsmokers without government intrusion. Legal issues have arisen because of such ban, mostly from affected businesses that loss profits without pay off (McGowan, 1995). However, in 2006, a review was conducted in US and established that smoking bans were unlikely to have bad effects in business establishments. In fact, many bars and restaurants have experienced a boost in business after they became smoke free.The tobacco ban is just logical in places such as the military bases and their other facilities with explosive hazards. This would promote safety, reduce liability and lower energy use when ventilation needs go down. Cleanliness of the air and the surroundings due to reduced quantity of litter should give the servicemen the incentive to quit smoking. These people’s primary occupation is to assure the citizen s’ safety from threat and they should play an important role in promoting public health. They are idolized by many and should set an example of making a move towards a healthy lifestyle and not adhering to a culture where smoking becomes an everyday part of existence.Soldiers who smoke are more likely to drop out before they finish their enlisted commitments because of poor health. While in service, they suffer from poor eye sight, fail fitness test, as well as being absent from work frequently. Soldiers who are into smoking are said to bleed harder after surgery, to recover slowly and to be easily infected. If they survive the combats, they still have to face the consequences of being nicotine addicts when they get back home.Secondhand smoke imposes the same problem as much as direct smoking does (Chapman, 2007). So imagine a single soldier who smokes and pollutes the entire barrack. Studies show that a nonsmoker who lives with a smoker has a 20 to 30 percent greater risk of lung cancer than nonsmoker who lives with another nonsmoker. In a workplace, a nonsmoker exposed from secondhand smoke is 16 to 19 percent more likely to have lung cancer. This is the case because nonsmokers are exposed to the same amount of carcinogen as confirmed by International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization, US National Cancer Institute, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. National Institutes of Health and Surgeon General of the United States.Smokers do not only harm their self but also the environment. There is no dispute that smoking pollutes the air. There are around 4,000 hazardous substance in cigarettes which human beings inhale and exhale in the atmosphere (Phalen, 2002). An entire squad of soldiers doing exactly the same thing indicates an enourmous quantity of pollution. Smoking also causes water and land pollution due to million of cigarette butts left on the ground and end up in lakes and rivers. Water animals mistak en these cigarette butts for food are being poisoned and killed. Cigarette butts seem so insignificant but it can do a lot of damage during the 25 years of its decomposition. While decomposing, its hazardous elements leak to the soil, harming the plants. They are also highly flamable which can cause major fires.To sum up, arguments supporting the smoking ban in US military outweigh the criticism. When the ban is officially enacted, it will improve the health of the servicemen, cut the cost for health services and ultimately, save lives.Works CitedChapman, Simon. Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History. MA: Blackwell Publishing, Inc, 2007.â€Å"Smoking Ban May Strike Military.† 11 July 2009.   Fox News. 16 July 2009   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/11/smoking-ban-strike-military/Hung, Yung-Tse, Norman Pereira and Lawrence Wang. Advance Air and Noise Pollution Control. NJ: Humana Press, Inc., 2005.McGowan, Richard. Business, Politics and Cigarettes: Multiple Levels, Multiple Agendas. CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 1995.Phalen, Robert. The Particulate Air Pollution Controversy: A Case Study and Lessons Learned. Massachusetts: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002.

President George W. Bush Fast Facts

President George W. Bush Fast Facts George Walker Bush (1946-) served as the forty-third president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Early in his first term on September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center using airplanes as weapons. The rest of both of his terms in office were spent dealing with the after-effects of this. America got involved in two wars: one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq.  Here is a quick list of fast facts for George W Bush. For more in-depth information, you can also read the George W Bush Biography. Birth: July 6, 1946Term of Office: January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009Number of Terms Elected: 2 TermsFirst Lady: Laura Welch George W Bush Quote If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most. Major Events While in Office Contested Election (2000)Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City (September 11, 2001)War in Afghanistan (2001)War in Iraq (2003)

How Napoleon Became Emperor of France

How Napoleon Became Emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte first took political power in France through a coup against the old government, but he had not instigated it: that had principally been the plotting of Sieyes. What Napoleon did was to capitalize on the situation in order to dominate the new ruling Consulate and gain control of France by creating a constitution which bound his interests to many of the most powerful people in France: the landowners. He was then able to use this to leverage his support into being declared Emperor. The passage of a leading general through the end of a revolutionary series of governments and into an emperor was not clear and could have failed, but Napoleon showed as much skill in this area of politics as he did on the battlefield. Why the Landowners Supported Napoleon The revolution had stripped the land and wealth from the churches and much of the aristocracy and sold it to landowners who were now terrified that royalists, or some sort of comprise government, would strip them of it, in turn, and restore it. There were calls for the return of the crown (small at this point, but present), and a new monarch would surely rebuild the church and aristocracy. Napoleon thus created a constitution which gave many of these landowners power, and as he said they should retain the land (and allowed them to block any movement of land), ensured that they would, in turn, support him as leader of France. Why Landowners Wanted an Emperor However, the constitution only made Napoleon First Consul for ten years, and people began to fear what would happen when Napoleon left. This allowed him to secure the nomination of the consulship for life in 1802: if Napoleon didn’t have to be replaced after a decade, land was safe for longer. Napoleon also used this period to pack more of his men into government while debasing the other structures, further increasing his support. The result was, by 1804, a ruling class which was loyal to Napoleon, but now worrying what would happen on his death, a situation exacerbated by an assassination attempt and their First Consul’s habit of leading armies (hed already nearly been killed in battle and would later wish he had been). The expelled French monarchy was still waiting outside the nation, threatening to return all ‘stolen’ property: could they ever come back, such as had happened in England? The result, enflamed by Napoleon’s propaganda and his family, was the idea that Napoleon’s government must be made hereditary so hopefully, on Napoleon’s death, an heir who thought like his father would inherit and safeguard land. Emperor of France Consequently, on May 18th, 1804, the Senate – who had all been chosen by Napoleon - passed a law making him Emperor of the French (he had rejected king as both too close to the old royal government and not ambitious enough) and his family was made hereditary heirs. A plebiscite was held, worded so that if Napoleon had no children – as he hadn’t at that point – either another Bonaparte would be selected or he could adopt an heir. The result of the vote looked convincing on paper (3.5 million for, 2500 against), but it had been massaged at all levels, such as automatically casting yes votes for everyone in the military. On December 2, 1804, the Pope was present as Napoleon was crowned: as agreed beforehand, he placed the crown on his own head. Over the next few years, the Senate and Napoleon’s Council of State dominated the government of France – which in effect meant just Napoleon – and the other bodies withered away. Although the constitution didn’t require Napoleon to have a son, he wanted one, and so divorced his first wife and married Marie-Louise of Austria. They swiftly had a son: Napoleon II, King of Rome. He would never rule France, as his father would be defeated in 1814 and 1815, and the monarchy would return but he would be forced to compromise.