Napoleonic Era (1789-1815)

Questions

1. ‘Napoleon was the child of the Revolution, but in many ways he

reversed the aims and principles of the movement from which he

sprang.....’.Comment

2. “The Continental blockade was a misconceived idea of economically

defeating Great Britain”.Comment

3. ‘It is one of the ironies of history that Napoleon was the creator of

modern Germany’.Comment

“ Napoleon was without doubt a man of extraordinary force of brain and

character, who under all circumstances would have won for himself a

high position. He had great powers of work and organization, rapid

insight, courage, a willingness to accept responsibility and resolution

in following out a plan once undertaken.”- Grant & Temperly

“The supreme combination of intellect and energy gave Napoleon's mind

a magnetic almost supernatural power-the power that seems to radiate

from his pictured features and endows his very name with magic. Like

the Olympian he is beyond good and evil, a true pagan God eminently

classical and Greek”-Dr.Herald

Europe in 1789

Synopsis

1. Early life and the Rise of Napoleon

2. Napoleon during the course of the revolution

a. Napoleon and the siege of Toulan

b. First Italian campaigns of Napoleon & its significance

c. Egyptian campaigns of Napoleon

3. Consular Government (1799-1804) & Reforms of Napoleon

Continued

4. Foreign Policy of Napoleon as the First Consul

5. Napoleon as the Emperor of France (1804-14)

✓ Continental System and reasons for its failure

✓ Peninsular War

✓ Escape from St.Elba & Battle of Waterloo

6. Estimate of Napoleon

1. Early life and the Rise of Napoleon

o Born: August 15,1769,Ajaccio (Corsica)

o Father: Charles Bonaparte

o Mother:Letisia Romalini

o Children:13(8-

Joseph,Napoleon,Louis,Lucian,Jerome,Eliza,Pauline &

Caroline)

AJACCIO(Corsica)

o Elementary education-Ajaccio

o Brinne-Military Institute (1779-1784)

“With a sword by my side and Homer in my pocket I hope to carve my way through the world”

o Paris: Advanced military training;1785-Joined Army

o Royalists V/s Revolutionary Republicans(Jacobines)

o Disorder-Valance,Loyans,Auxonne etc

o Sympathised with the Republican side

o Sept 1791:First Lieutenant (21 yrs)

2. Napoleon during the course of the revolution

a. Napoleon and the siege of Toulan

b. First Italian campaigns of Napoleon & its significance

c. Egyptian campaigns of Napoleon

o 1789:Outbreak of revolution

o 1793:King executed; Reign of Terror; European coalition defeated

Napoleon and the Siege of Toulan

a. Napoleon and the siege of Toulan

o On the Mediterranean; naval arsenal

o 25,000-old monarchy;10,000-southerners

o Destroyed Red fort of Royalists

o Brigadier General

First Italian Campaigns of Napoleon:1796-97

b.First Italian campaigns of Napoleon & its significance

o 1795:France under National Convention & Directory

o Austria & England

o Austria: Two-pronged attack (Austria & Austria in Italy)

o Napoleon-Austria in Italian peninsula

o Austria,Sardinia,Pope V/s Napoleon

o Battles:Montenotte,Dego,Mallismo,Carsuglia,Chiracuro,Lodi,Mantua,Arcoli,Rivoli etc

o Napoleon-Austria in Austria proper-Alps;Loeben,100 miles

from Vienna; Treaty of Campo Formio (Oct 1797)

o Significance:

i. Austrian authority over the Italian peninsula came to an end.

ii. Austria surrendered Austrian Netherlands to France

iii. Republican states: Cis-Alpine & Ligurian

iv. Collected Renaissance paintings-Paris museum

Austrian Netherlands

Egyptian Campaigns of Napoleon-1798

C.Egyptian* Campaigns of Napoleon

o Egypt-British protectorate; Attack on England indirectly(Plan)

o Battle of Pyramids (July 1798):Pasha V/s Napoleon;Cairo

occupied after defeat of Pasha.

o Battle of Nile (Aug 1798): Nelson V/s Napoleon; defeat of

Napoleon; Invasion of Syria-failed

o 1799:Reached France and overthrew Directory

o Established Consular Government

July 21,1798:Battle of Pyramids

August 1,1798:Battle of Nile

Consular Government (1799-1804)

French Consulate

• Reforms of Napoleon

"If the conquests of Napoleon were ephemeral, his civilian work is built up on granite".

1. Consular Constitution 6.Codes of Napoleon

2. Financial Reforms 7. Promoter of Arts

3. Educational Reforms 8. Napoleon and the Colonial empire

4. Public Works

5. Religious Reforms

1. Consular Constitution (1799-1804)

o Drawn by Seyes,amended by Napoleon

i. Legislative functions

Council of State Drafted all laws and bills

Tribunate Discussed without voting

Legislative body Voted without discussion

Senate:

o Higher than above 3

o 80 members-life,irremovable

o Appointed Consuls,members of tribunate & legislative body

o Could cancel any law contrary to principles of Consular

constitution

ii.Executive Power

o In the hands of 3 consuls who were elected by Senate;10 yrs

o First Consul (Napoleon)-promulgate laws, declare war, make

peace, appoint ministers,ambassadors,officers-civil & military

o Other 2 consuls-consultative powers

iii.Napoleon centralized the local administration

o Heads of Cantons(prefects),Communes(sub-prefects) &

Cities(mayors) directly appointed by First Consul

iv. Secretariat of the State(later Ministry of State)-to supervise

and control work of various ministers without allowing them

any collective responsibility.

2.Financial Reforms:

i. Centralized assessment and collection of taxes

ii. Maintained rigid economy

iii. Punished corrupt officials

iv. Reduced military expenditure-forced vanquished

states/countries to maintain French army

v. 1800:Bank of France

3.Educational Reforms:

i. Importance to primary & elementary schools; Schools

established in all cantons and communes under their

respective heads

ii. Grammar schools-French,Latin,Elementary Science

iii. Lycees or High schools; teachers appointed by govt.

iv. Special Schools-Technical,Civil Service,Military etc under

state regulation

v. University of Paris was established to maintain uniformity; chief officials appointed by First Consul

vi.Normal School,Paris-to train teachers

vii.Importance to women’s education-Writing,Arithmetic,Elementary French,History,Geography,Physics,Music,Dancing,Gardening etc

• Desired to produce “not the women of charm but the women of virtue”

vii.All educational institutions to give top priority to ethical

principle of Christianity, loyalty to head of state and obedience

to statutes of the University

viii.Institute of France established-To support/appreciate

meritorious work in physical sciences, fine arts,maths and

literature.

4.Public Works:

i. Used POWs to carry out Public works without spending state

money

ii. Improved transport & communication facilities-fostered

trade, commerce and industry

iii. Built highways,military road,two trans-alpine roads

connected Paris with Milan,Turin,Naples and Rome

iv. Constructed bridges, drained marshes, strengthened dikes

v. Important sea ports enlarged & fortified for commercial and

naval purposes-Toulan,Calais,Brest,Harvey etc completely

remodeled

Major roads built by Napoleon

5. Religious Reforms

Napoleon believed

“Society is impossible without inequality, inequality is impossible without a code of morality, and a code of morality is unacceptable without religion”

• Napoleon found that the Civil Constitution of the Clergy had alienated considerable number of Roman Catholics. He sought to win their gratitude by restoring the Roman Catholic Church. He came to an agreement with the Pope in 1801 known as Concordat.

1801:Concordat

• It was an agreement between Napoleon and the Pope to restore the Roman Catholic Church in France again.

i. Catholicism was recognized as the state religion and religious toleration was also accorded.

ii. The Pope regained his claims to the confiscated property of the church.

iii. The state in turn assumed the responsibility of maintaining the clergy.

iv. The Bishops were to be nominated by the state but ordained

(conferring holiness on them) by the Pope.

v. The clergy should take the oath of fidelity to the state.

❑ Thus, the Church was re-established in France and made

dependent on the state

❑ Thus, Napoleon made political use of religion

July 15,1801:Signing the ConcordatNapoleon and Pope Pius VII

6. Codes of Napoleon

• Greatest work of Napoleon-"Second Justinian".

• The codes were concise, simple and just

i. Civil Code:

A committee of four lawyers, appointed by Napoleon, drew up the Civil Code and it contained the following laws.

a) The authority of the father over his family was strengthened and the family was placed "absolutely at the disposal of its head".

b) The father was entitled to imprison his children and his

consent was necessary for their marriage.

c) A wife was to be under the control of her husband and his

consent was necessary for their marriage.

d) Contrary to the policy of the Roman Catholic Church, the

principle of divorce was admitted (Divorce was allowed by

mutual consent for adultery, cruelty and grave criminal

offences).

e) A man could dispose of by will not more than half of his

property.

ii. Code of Civil Procedure

a) It maintained the principle that conciliation must be

attempted before going to the law courts.

o Accused persons were tried in public.

o They were entitled to get the assistance of their own lawyers,

to use documents and to produce witnesses to prove their

purity.Thus,trial by jury was introduced.

iii. Criminal and Penal Codes

• For criminal offences-capital punishment, imprisonment,

deportation for life and confiscation of goods were prescribed.

iv. Commercial Code

• This dealt with general commerce, maritime commerce,

bankruptcy and the other commercial matters-This failed to

gain popularity.

o The Code of Napoleon was adopted not only in France but

also introduced in every country conquered by the armies of

Napoleon.

o It is true that many harsh punishments were retained and the

position of women was made distinctly inferior to that of men,

but, on the whole, the French Codes remained the most

convenient and enlightened set of laws in the world.

o Besides, it provided the common system of law and social

equality to the people of France.

7. Promoter of Arts

a. Enlarged, beautified state palaces

b. Paris beautified-Broad avenues

c. National Museum of Paris decked with priceless paintings

Paris

Louvre Museum,Paris

8. Napoleon and the colonial empire

o Wanted to found a new Colonial Empire

o Failed due to British naval supremacy

o 1803:Sold Louisiana to the USA

7.Foreign Policy of Napoleon as the First Consul

o Failure of Egyptian campaigns> Coalition against France

England

Austria V/s France

Russia

A. Napoleon's double pronged attack on Austria

Austria Italy*

(Moreau) (Napoleon)

(Battle of Hohinlinden) (Battle of Marengo)

Second Italian Campaigns:

o Napoleon crossed the Saint Bernard Pass and appeared before the Austrians in Italy and defeated them

o 1800:Treaty of Lunavelle (Francis II of Austria & Napoleon)

✓ Confirmed the provisions of the Treaty of Campo Fermio

B. Napoleon won over Czar Paul of Russia

C. ‘Armed Neutrality’ against England ie,England used to search ships of neutral countries for French goods. Taking the grievances of these countries into consideration, Napoleon formed a league to prevent England from doing so.

Armed Neutrality

France

Austria

Russia V/s England

Denmark

Sweden

o England sent Nelson. Denmark was defeated and withdrew. Russia withdrew after Czar Paul was murdered. British fleet sent to Egypt.

o 1802:Peace of Amiens: England and France to restore occupied territories.

o Napoleon used ‘Peace of Amiens’ to strengthen France with

the aim of defeating England- Policy of Aggrandizement

i. He occupied Piedmont in Italy.

ii. He intervened in the internal matters of Switzerland.

iii. He threatened the independence of Holland.

iv. He sent a mission to India to encourage the Indian princes to

revolt against England.

v. Another mission was sent to Egypt to create trouble for

England.

vi.He also conquered Hanover (Germany) which belonged to England

❑Renewal of war between England and France

❑ Oct 1805 Battle of Trafalgar: Admiral Nelson V/s Napoleon

✓ Napoleon was defeated but Nelson lost his life.

✓ Napoleon’s attempt to invade England failed

21 Oct,1805:Battle of Trafalgar

8.Napoleon as the Emperor of France (1804-14)

o Napoleon became Emperor in 1804

o Coalition against Napoleon

England

Austria V/s France

Russia

Prussia

A. Austria:

Napoleon defeated Austria in the Battles of Ulm & Austerlitz

o Battle of Austerlitz broke the back of the coalition.

“Roll up the map of Europe, it will not be wanted these ten years”-Pitt the Younger,PM of England

B.Prussia:Battle of Jena,1806

i. After defeating Austria and Prussia, the whole of German

states lay in the hands of Napoleon

ii. He destroyed the Holy Roman Empire

iii. Austrian emperor gave up his title of Holy Roman Emperor

iv. Napoleon in 1806 created the ‘Confederation of the

Rhine’(16 states)-Protector

Prussia

Confederation of the Rhine-1806

C.Russia:

o Defeat of Czar Alexander I (Battle of Friedland,June 14, 1807)

and Treaty of Tilisit

o Napoleon and Alexander became friends.

“Where is Europe? Where is it if it is not you and I”-

Czar Alexander I

o Treaty of Tilisit-height of Napoleonic power in Europe.

o After this he destroyed kingdoms and created kingdoms.

i. Created the kingdom of Italy and became its king.

ii. Made his elder brother Joseph king of Naples (Italy)

iii. Created the kingdom of Holland and made his another

brother Louis as its king.

iv. He destroyed the Holy Roman Empire.In its place created

the Confederation of the Rhine and he became its Protector.

• D.England

Continental System:

It refers to the plan of Napoleon to blockade British ports and

ordering European nations to stop trade with Britain.

"It is through her commerce that England must be

attacked……To destroy British commerce is to strike England

to the heart“-Napoleon Bonaparte

• In 1806, the plan was announced by Napoleon in the famous

Berlin Decrees.

"The British islands are henceforth blockaded. All commerce

with them is prohibited; letters and packages with an English

address will be confiscated as also every store of English

goods on the Continent within the border of France and her

allies; every piece of English goods, all English vessels, and

those laden with staples from English colonies will be

excluded from all European harbours,including those of the

neutral states".

1806-Continental System

• By threats Napoleon got the support of:

Austria,Russia,Prussia,Denmark,Spain & Portugal(6)

• England retaliated by passing ‘Orders in Council’-

i. All vessels trading with France or her allies were liable to be

captured.

ii. In certain cases, neutral vessels were to touch at a British port

before proceeding to any part of Europe.

• Why Continental system failed?

i. French smuggled English goods-cloth,leather,tea,coffee and

sugar into France. Napoleon lacked a strong navy to prevent

it.

ii. Europe was dependent on England for supply of

coffee,tea,sugar etc.Napoleon could not dare to cut off the

entry of these things into Europe

iii. England stopped importing luxury items of France such as

Silk etc and substituted woolen and cotton for them. This

affected the trade of France.

iv. Possibility of starvation-Napoleon allowed the surplus wheat

of France to be exported to England.

Peninsular Wars: French Invasion of Portugal via Spain in 1807

o Coalition formed against Napoleon

Phase I: Spain,Portugal,England

& V/s France (France defeated)

Phase II: Austria, Russia, Prussia

Peninsular Wars:

French Invasion of Portugal 1807

Napoleon’s Empire 1810

A. Austria: Battle of Wagram and defeat of Austria

B. 1812:Moscow campaign: The beginning of the end

C.England,Austria,Russia,Prussia V/s France

✓ Napoleon defeated Austria (Dresden),the Russians (Bautzen) and Prussians(Lutzen)

D.1813:Battle of Leipzig(Nations)

✓ Austria,Russia,Prussia,Sweden V/s France

✓ Napoleon was defeated and forced to abdicate the throne

✓ Napoleon was imprisoned at St.Elba

✓ Louis XVIII declared French Emperor

Battle of Leipzig 1813

E.Escape of Napoleon from St.Elba & Battle of Waterloo

✓ Feb 1815:Escape of Napoleon from prison-Cannes (France)

• Reign of Hundred days

• June 18,1815:Battle of Waterloo

✓ England, Prussia V/s France

✓ Napoleon defeated Prussians at Lingy

✓ Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon at Waterloo (Belgium)

with help from Prussians.

• Napoleon was imprisoned at St.Helena (Atlantic) where he

died in 1821.

• Final resting place of Napoleon

St Helena Island

• Estimate of Napoleon Bonaparte:

o Reforms-testimony of his administrative genius

o Restored order and confidence in people of France

o Bank of France-restored financial confidence

o Repeal of decree against Emigrees and his agreement with the Pope hailed him as the deliverer

o Threw career open to talent

o Adopted equality in social, fiscal and judicial fields

• How Napoleon flouted some of the principles of the

revolution?

i. He allowed neither liberty of speech nor press

ii. He established highly centralized govt. and thereby trimmed

political liberty

iii. Universal suffrage was introduced only theoretically

iv. Inferior social status accorded to women

v. As an emperor, he openly flouted sentiment of nationalism-

Eg,He out rightly annexed Spain and Portugal and also occupied

Italy and Holland

vi.The introduction of the Continental system shows his scant

respect for peoples’ aspirations.

In all these respects Napoleon may be considered as the

destroyer of the Revolution.

❑ At the same time Napoleon is also considered to be the

Father of the German and Italian National Movements.