Napoleon

It is with Daybreak (1881) that Nietzsche's Napoleonism explodes.

He tells us later that the commentary on his Zarathustra begins with Daybreak, and indeed, we see with this Daybreak Nietzsche enters into his second phase where he introduces the figure of the Super Human, a type clearly suggested to him by Napoleon [NAP].

" SELF-MASTERY and MODERATION and their ULTIMATE MOTIVE ...[,,,] ... when a man's pride, as for example in the case of Lord Byron or Napoleon, rises up and feels the domination of his whole bearing and the ordering of his reason by a single affect as an affront ,,"
[D 109]

NAP is mentioned in close proximity to Byron; anyone who has read our last thread on Manfred, the poem by Byron which so inspired Nietzsche, will understand the relation. However, NAP begins to outstrip Byron as the examplar.
It is NAP's character that intrigues the philosopher - his lack of self-deceit, for example (cf., D 245). And his ability to dominate and to create Order, as above.
Most importantly of all;

"Napoleon belongs to the mankind of antiquity",
[D 245]

NAP then is a recent example of the Noble type of ancient Greece and Rome who inexplicably re-appeared in modern times.
This NAP was opposed to all Enlightenment values - against all rationalism, all universalism, against the slave values of the French Revolution.
In NAP we see a return of singular greatness - true ancient style Heroism;

"The HERO CULT and its FANATICS .. [...] ... perhaps, indeed, it was precisely Napoleon who implanted into the soul of our century the romantic prostration before 'genius' and the 'hero' who, is so contrary to the spirit of the Enlightenment; he of whom Byron was not ashamed to say that he was 'a worm compared with such a being' ".
[D 298]

Here NAP eclipses Byron; the suggestion is that such a hero cult could be useful to combat Modernism.

NAP is now in Nietzsche's pantheon at this point;

"Four of the most active men of all time were epilectics [namely Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed and Napoleon], just as Byron was also subject to this complaint".
[D 549]

Clearly the English poet has been relegated to the 2nd division. Now it is only men of conquest, - men of a sword and an idea who rule Nietzsche's world.