Napoleon Bonaparte

Early Life

• Born on the Mediterranean island of Corsica in 1769

• His parents sent him to military school

• When the Revolution broke out, Napoleon joined the army of the new government

Hero of the Hour

• Napoleon defended the delegates of the National Convention from attackers, and he instantly became a hero

• Won a string of victories in Europe

• He was finally defeated in Egypt by the British admiral Horatio Nelson– Napoleon kept this setback out of the

newspapers, so he was still considered a hero

Coup d’Etat

• Napoleon and his troops surrounded the national legislature and drove out most of its members

• Coup d’Etat- Military overthrow of the government

• The Directory dissolved and lost its power– Napoleon gave himself the title of First Consul

and assumed the power of a dictator

Peace

• Britain, Austria, and Russia signed peace treaties with France

• By 1802, Europe was at peace for the first time in 10 years

• Napoleon could now focus his energies on restoring order in France

Plebiscite

• Definition- vote of the people

• Voted to approve a new constitution

• The new constitution gave all real power to Napoleon as first consul

Restoring Order in France

• Napoleon kept many of the changes that had come with the Revolution

• He kept laws that would both strengthen the central government and achieve some of the goals of the Revolution

• Areas which were affected:– Economy

– Government

– Religion

Economy

• Set up an efficient method of collecting taxes

• Established a national banking system

• Promoted sound financial management and better control of the economy

Government

• Dismissed corrupt officials

• Lycees- Government-run public schools– Open to male students of all backgrounds– Graduates were appointed to public office on

the basis of merit rather than family connection

Religion

• One area where Napoleon disregarded changes introduced by the Revolution– Wanted to restore the position of the Church in France

Religion, cont.

• Concordat- agreement with the Pope that established a new relationship between church and state– Government recognized the influence of the

Church, but rejected Church control in national affairs

– Napoleon gained support of the majority of the French people

Napoleonic Code

• Comprehensive system of laws

• Napoleon viewed this as his greatest accomplishment

• Eliminated many injustices, but actually limited liberty and promoted order and authority over individual rights

• Restored slavery in the French colonies in the Caribbean

Emperor

• Napoleon decided to make himself emperor

• Actually took the crown out of the Pope’s hands and placed it on his own head

• With this gesture, he signaled that he was more powerful than the Church

Creating an Empire

• Wanted to control all of Europe and reassert French power in the Americas– Envisioned his western empire including

Louisiana, Florida, French Guiana, and the French West Indies

– Saint Domingue was the key to conquering the rest

Saint Domingue

• People on the island demanded the same rights awarded to the French from the revolution

• Toussant L’Ouverture- leader of the enslaved Africans who seized control of the island

Louisiana Territory

• Napoleon sold all of this land to the U.S.

• President Jefferson purchased this for $15 million

• Napoleon’s twofold benefit:– Gained money to finance operations in Europe– He would punish the British

Conquering Europe

• Already owned the Austrian Netherlands and parts of Italy and Switzerland, but Napoleon wanted to conquer the rest of Europe– British joined forces with Russia, Austria, and

Sweden to stop him– Napoleon crushed the opposition

• Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed peace treaties• He had built the largest European empire since that of

the Romans

Battle of Trafalgar

• Napoleon’s only major loss

• Took place off the coast of Spain

• Led by the British commander Horatio Nelson– Split the French fleet and captured many ships

Battle of Trafalgar, cont.

• French loss had two major results:– Ensured the supremacy of the British navy for

the next 100 years– Forced Napoleon to give up his plans of

invading Britain

Napoleon’s French Empire

• By 1812, the only areas of Europe free from Napoleon’s control were Britain, Portugal, Sweden, and the Ottoman Empire

• Russia, Prussia, and Austria were also easily manipulated by threats of military action

• (See map on page 232)

Napoleon’s French Empire, cont.

• Huge but unstable

• Could only maintain it for 5 years (1807-1812

• Quickly fell to pieces due to Napoleon’s actions

Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes

• The Continental System

• The Peninsular War

• The Invasion of Russia

The Continental System

• Napoleon set up a blockade to prevent all trade & communication between Great Britain and other European nations– Was supposed to make continental Europe

more self-sufficient– Intended it to destroy Great Britain’s

commercial and industrial economy

The Continental System, cont.

• Blockade wasn’t tight enough

• Stronger British Navy rerouted all ships to their own ports to be searched and taxed– Angered Americans and the U.S. declared war

on Britain in 1812 (War of 1812)

The Peninsular War

• Napoleon invaded Spain

The Peninsular War, cont.

• He removed the Spanish king and replaced him with his brother Joseph--this outraged the Spanish people

• They also worried that Napoleon would attack the Catholic Church (Spaniards were devout Catholics)

The Peninsular War, cont.

• Guerrillas- bands of Spanish fighters who ambushed French troops within the country

• British sent troops to aid the Spanish against the French

• Napoleon lost about 300,000 men during this war, weakening the French Empire

Nationalism

• Nationalism- loyalty to one’s own country

• This was becoming a powerful weapon against Napoleon because people were beginning to feel abused by him

• Several countries started turning against the French

The Invasion of Russia(see page 236)

• Napoleon’s biggest mistake

• Breakdown of the alliance between France and Russia– Alexander I refused to stop selling grain to

Britain– France and Russia were both competing for

Poland

The Invasion of Russia, cont.

• June 1812- Napoleon’s 420,000 troops invaded Russia

• Scorched-earth policy- As Russian troops were retreating, they burned grain fields and slaughtered livestock as to leave nothing for the enemy to eat

The Invasion of Russia, cont.

• Moscow- considered Russia’s “holy city”

• When Napoleon entered the city, it was in flames– Alexander destroyed it so they didn’t have to

surrender it to Napoleon

The Invasion of Russia, cont.

• Russian winters were very harsh, and Napoleon’s troops were starting to drop from battle, hunger, exhaustion, and cold

• Napoleon’s troops retreated from Moscow and left Russia with only 10,000 soldiers

Napoleon’s Downfall

• Knowing Napoleon’s army was weak, all of the main powers in Europe declared war on France (Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Austria)

• Napoleon raised another army, but it was very weak

Battle of Leipzig

• October 1813

• Allied forces were easily able to defeat Napoleon’s untrained and inexperienced army

Napoleon’s Exile

• In April 1814, Napoleon accepted the terms of surrender and gave up his throne

• Allied leaders exiled him to Elba, a tiny island off the Italian coast

Louis XVIII

• Brother of Louis XVI

• Became the new king of France and quickly became very unpopular with the French people

Napoleon’s Escape

• When Napoleon heard of Louis XVIII’s troubles, he escaped from Elba

• He returned to France and regained power as emperor within a few days

Battle of Waterloo

• British troops prepared for battle against Napoleon in Waterloo, Belgium

• June 18, 1815- Napoleon attacked

• British and Prussian forces defeated Napoleon in two days

Hundred Days

• Napoleon’s last bid for power

• British exiled Napoleon to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic

• He lived there for 6 years before he died of an illness

“He was as great a man can be without virtue.”

-Alexis de Tocqueville