Napoleon was not personally religious

He used religion to suit his own purposes

He was really an enlightenment thinking rationalist - thought religion was mumbo jumbo

Made peace with the Catholic church becomes it would make people in France happy and make his government more stable

The Concordat of 1801 = peace treaty between the Pope and Napoleon

The Civil Code = the Code Napoleon A new unified set laws for France Maintained the equality of all citizens in the

eyes of the law Religious toleration Abolition of serfdom and feudalism Protection of private property rights Under the law women less equal than men Napoleon’s new set of laws was based on

enlightenment thinking = reason and logic

Creates a powerful centralized system of government

Prefects = local government officials appointed by Napoleon and the central/national govt

Creates a efficient system of taxation and professional system of tax collection

Bureaucracy = government officials and employees - under Napoleon government careers and promotions were based on skills and merit not on social rank or status

Creates a new aristocracy based on skills, expertise, and talent

Used government censorship to maintain his control over people

Used a network of spies and secret police to control and crush his opponents

The Peace of Amiens 1802

1803 - the creation of the Third Coalition against France and Napoleon

Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau = major military battles that Napoleon won

Napoleon’s Grand Army defeats all the nations fighting against France except Britain

1. The French Empire = an expanded France

2. Dependent States = countries that Napoleon conquers then directly controls

3. Allied States = countries that Napoleon defeats and then forces them to be allies with France

Napoleon has conquered all of Europe – Britain is the only country left independent

The two major reasons for Napoleon’s defeat and downfall

1. Great Britain

2. Nationalism = people in other countries didn’t want to be ruled by the French they wanted to be ruled by their own people

Epic naval battle – British navy commanded by Lord HoratioNelson destroys the combined French and Spanish fleets

Trafalgar establishes Britain as the greatest naval power on earth for thenext two centuries

1. Napoleon organizes an economic boycott of British goods

2. Continental Europe not allowed to trade with Britain

3. Economic warfare4. Fails! -> Russia

withdraws-> Napoleon plans invasion of Russia

1812 - Napoleon leads 600,000 men in an invasion of Russia

Borodino - the major battle of the Russian campaign

Tsar Alexander I of Russia refuses to surrender or be beaten

Why Napoleon’s invasion of Russia fails -1. Geography = too far 2. Weather = the brutal Russian winter

The Battle of Leipzig = “the Battle of Nations” - Napoleon is beaten by the armies of the 4th Coalition Britain RussiaAustriaPrussia

After this Napoleon is forced to step down as emperor of France and he is sent into exile to the small island of Elba in the Med.

The Bourbon monarchy is restored in France - King Louis XVI’s brother become Louis XVIII

1815 - Napoleon escapes from Elba and returns to France

The Hundred Days = the period between when Napoleon escapes from Elba and when he is again defeated for the final time at the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium

Following Waterloo is sent into a heavily guarded exile to a tiny desolate speck of an island way in the middle of nowhere in South Atlantic OceanDuke of Wellington – British

commander who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in June 1815

Imprisoned on the island of St. Helena in the middle of the empty South Atlantic

After 6 years of exile and imprisonment the Empereur dies of stomach cancer

Napoleon sur son lit de mort = Napoleon on hisdeath bed