Amity University, Noida
2021-2024
Amity Institute of Social Sciences
Non-Teaching Credit Course
Topic- Biography & Military Genius of Napoleon
Bonaparte
Submitted By: -
Submitted to: -
Sidharth Massey
Dr. Swati Shaastri
(B.A History Hons.)
Enrollment No.: - A625732104
Introduction
Napoleon, French Napoleon Bonaparte orig. Italian Napoleone
Buonaparte, (born 15 August 1769, Ajaccio, Corsica - died 5 May
1821, Saint Helena), French general and emperor (1804–15).
Born to parents of Italian ancestry, he was educated in France and
became an army officer in 1785. He fought in the French
Revolutionary Wars and was promoted to brigadier general in 1793.
After victories against the Austrians in northern Italy, he negotiated
the Treaty of Campo Formio (1797). He attempted to conquer Egypt
(1798-99) but was defeated by the British under Horatio Nelson at
the Battle of the Nile.
The coup of 18-19 Brumaire brought him to power in 1799 and
established a military dictatorship, with himself as first consul. He
introduced numerous reforms in government, including the
Napoleonic Code, and reconstructed the French education system.
He negotiated a concordat with the Pope in 1801. After the victory
over the Austrians in the Battle of Marengo (1800), he embarked on
the Napoleonic Wars.
The formation of coalitions of European countries against him led
Napoleon to declare France the Hereditary Empire and to be
crowned emperor in 1804. He won his greatest military victory at
the Battle of Austerlitz against Austria and Russia in 1805. He
defeated Prussia at the Battles of Jena and Auerstedt (1806). and
Russia at the Battle of Friedland (1807). He then forced the Treaty of
Tilsit on Russia, ending the Fourth Coalition of Countries against
France. Despite his loss to Britain at the Battle of Trafalgar, he
sought to weaken British trade and established a continental system
of port blockades.
He consolidated his European empire until 1810, but became
embroiled in the Peninsular War (1808–14). He led the French army
into Austria and defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Wagram
(1809) and signed the Treaty of Vienna. To enforce the Treaty of
Tilsit, he led an army of about 600,000 troops into Russia in 1812,
won the Battle of Borodino, but was forced to retreat from Moscow
with catastrophic losses. His army weakened considerably, he was
met by a strong coalition of allied powers, which defeated him in the
Battle of Leipzig (1813). After Paris was taken by the Allied
coalition, Napoleon was forced to abdicate in 1814 and was exiled to
the island of Elba.
In 1815 he rallied his forces and returned to France to re-establish
himself as emperor for a hundred days, but was decisively defeated at
the Battle of Waterloo. He was sent into exile on the remote island
of Saint Helena, where he died six years later.
One of history's most famous figures, Napoleon revolutionized
military organization and training and introduced reforms that had a
lasting impact on civil institutions in France and throughout Europe.
Napoleon I, French in full Napoleon Bonaparte, original Italian
Napoleone Buonaparte, called the Corsican or Little Corporal,
French Le Corse or Le Petit Caporal, (born August 15, 1769,
Ajaccio, Corsica - died May 5, 1821, St. Helena Island ), French
general, first consul (1799–1804) and French emperor (1804–
1814/15), one of the most famous figures in Western history. He
revolutionized military organization and training; sponsored the
Napoleonic Code, the prototype for later civil law codes; reorganized
education; and established a long-lasting concordat with the papacy.
Napoleon's many reforms left a lasting mark on the institutions of
France and much of Western Europe. His driving passion, however,
was the military expansion of French rule, and although he left a
slightly larger France after his fall than it had been at the outbreak
of the Revolution in 1789, he was almost unanimously revered
during his lifetime and until the end of 1789. The Second Empire
under his nephew Napoleon III. as one of history's greatest heroes.
Early life and education
Napoleon was born in Corsica shortly after the Genoese annexed
France. He was the fourth and second surviving child of Carlo
Buonaparte, a lawyer, and his wife Letizia Ramolino. His father's
family, ancient Tuscan nobility, emigrated to Corsica in the 16th
century.
Carlo Buonaparte married the beautiful and strong Letizia when she
was only 14 years old; eventually they had eight children to raise in
very difficult times. A number of Corsicans led by Pasquale Paoli
resisted the French occupation of their native land. Carlo Buonaparte
joined Paoli's side, but when Paoli had to flee, Buonaparte settled
with the French. He obtained the protection of the governor of
Corsica and in 1771 was appointed assessor for the judicial district of
Ajaccio. In 1778 he obtained the admission of his two eldest sons,
Joseph and Napoleon, to the Collège d'Autun.
Corsican by birth, inheritance, and childhood associations, Napoleon
considered himself a foreigner for some time after his arrival in
continental France; yet he was educated in France from the age of
nine like other Frenchmen. While the tendency to see in Napoleon
the reincarnation of some fourteenth-century Italian condottiere is
an overemphasis on one aspect of his character, in reality he shared
neither the traditions nor the prejudices of his new country: he
remained a Corsican by temperament, a man of the eighteenth
century above all by education and reading.
Napoleon was educated at three schools: briefly at Autun, five years
at the military college at Brienne, and finally one year at the military
academy in Paris. It was during Napoleon's year in Paris that his
father died of stomach cancer in February 1785, leaving his family
destitute. Napoleon, although not the eldest son, assumed the role of
head of the family before he was 16. He graduated from the military
academy in September, ranking 42nd in a class of 58.
He was appointed second lieutenant of artillery in the La Fère
regiment, a sort of training school for young artillery officers.
Napoleon, occupied in Valence, continued his education, reading a
lot, especially works on strategy and tactics. He also wrote Letters
sur la Corse ("Letters on Corsica"), in which he reveals his feelings
for his native island. He returned to Corsica in September 1786 and
did not return to his regiment until June 1788. At that time, the
agitation that was to culminate in the French Revolution had already
begun. Napoleon, a reader of Voltaire and Rousseau, believed that
political change was necessary, but as a career officer he seems to see
no need for radical social reform.
Revolutionary period
The Jacobin years
When in 1789 the National Assembly, which had met to establish a
constitutional monarchy, allowed Paoli to return to Corsica,
Napoleon asked for leave and joined Paoli's group in September. But
Paoli had no sympathy for the young man whose father had
abandoned his cause and whom he regarded as a stranger.
Disappointed, Napoleon returned to France and in April 1791 was
appointed first lieutenant of the 4th Artillery Regiment, garrisoned
at Valence. He immediately joined the Jacobin Club, a debating
society initially favouring constitutional monarchy, and soon became
its president, delivering speeches against nobles, monks and bishops.
In September 1791 he received permission to return to Corsica again
for three months. He was elected lieutenant colonel of the National
Guard and soon fell out with Paoli, its commander-in-chief. When he
failed to return to France, he was listed as a deserter in January
1792. In April, however, France declared war on Austria and his
offense was forgiven.
Apparently through patronage, Napoleon was promoted to the rank
of captain, but never re-joined his regiment. Instead, he returned to
Corsica in October 1792, where Paoli exercised dictatorial powers
and prepared to secede Corsica from France. However, Napoleon
joined the Corsican Jacobins who opposed Paoli's policies. When civil
war broke out in Corsica in April 1793, Paoli had the Buonaparte
family condemned to "perpetual execution and shame", whereupon
they all fled to France.
Napoleon Bonaparte, as he may henceforth be called (although the
family dropped the spelling Buonaparte until after 1796), re-joined
his regiment at Nice in June 1793. In time, he vigorously argued for
united action by all the republicans gathered around the Jacobins,
who were gradually becoming radicalized, and the National
Assembly, the revolutionary assembly that had abolished the
monarchy the previous fall.
At the end of August 1793, troops of the National Assembly
occupied Marseilles, but were stopped before Toulon, where the
royalists called in British forces. With the artillery of the commander
of the National Assembly wounded, Bonaparte rose to office through
the commissar of the army, Antoine Saliceti, who was the Corsican
representative and a friend of Napoleon's family. Bonaparte was
promoted to major in September and adjutant general in October.
On 16 December he received a bayonet wound, but the following day
the British troops, harassed by his artillery, evacuated Toulon. On 22
December, Bonaparte, aged 24, was promoted to brigadier general in
recognition of his decisive role in the capture of the city.
Augustin de Robespierre, the commissar of the army, wrote to his
brother Maximilien, by then virtual head of government and one of
the leading figures of the Reign of Terror, praising the
"transcendent merits" of the young republican officer. In February
1794, Bonaparte was appointed commander of artillery in the French
Army of Italy. Robespierre fell from power in Paris on 9 Thermidor,
Year II (July 27, 1794). When the news reached Nice, Bonaparte,
considered a protege of Robespierre, was arrested on charges of
conspiracy and treason. He was released in September, but his
command was never restored.
The following March, he turned down an offer to command the
artillery in the Army of the West, which was fighting the counterrevolution in the Vendée. The post seemed to hold no future for him,
so he set out for Paris to vindicate himself. Life was hard on half the
salary, especially when he was having an affair with Désirée Clary,
the daughter of a wealthy Marseille merchant and sister of Juliet, the
bride of his older brother Joseph. Despite his efforts in Paris,
Napoleon failed to gain a satisfactory command, fearing his intense
ambitions and his relations with the Montagnards, the more radical
members of the National Assembly. He then considered offering his
services to the Sultan of Turkey.
Directory of Napoleon I
Bonaparte was still in Paris in October 1795, when the National
Convention, on the eve of its dissolution, submitted to a referendum
the new constitution from III. year of the first republic together with
decrees according to which two-thirds of the members of the
National Convention were to be re-elected to the new legislatures.
Royalists, hoping to restore the monarchy soon, incited an uprising
in Paris to prevent these measures from being introduced. Paul
Barras, who had been entrusted with dictatorial powers by the
National Assembly, was unwilling to rely on the commanders of the
internal troops; instead, knowing of Bonaparte's services at Toulon,
he appointed him second in command. So it was Napoleon who shot
down the columns of rebels marching against the National Assembly
(13 Vendémiaire year IV; 5 October 1795), thus saving the National
Assembly and the Republic.
Bonaparte became the commander of the army of the interior and
therefore was henceforth aware of every political development in
France. He became a respected adviser on military affairs to the new
government, the Directory. At this time he also met the attractive
Creole Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie, who was the widow of
General Alexandre de Beauharnais (under the guillotine during the
Reign of Terror), the mother of two children and a woman of many
love affairs.
From every point of view, a new life was opening up for Bonaparte.
After proving his loyalty to the Directory, he was appointed
Commander-in-Chief of the Italian Army in March 1796. For several
weeks he had been trying to get this position so that he could
personally lead part of the campaign plan adopted by the directorate.
on his advice. He married Joséphine on March 9 and left for the army
two days later.
On 12 April he launched an offensive and gradually defeated and
separated the Austrian and Sardinian armies before marching on
Turin. King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia asked for a truce; and at
the peace treaty of Paris on May 15, Nice and Savoy, occupied by the
French since 1792, were annexed to France. Bonaparte continued the
war against the Austrians and occupied Milan, but was detained at
Mantua. While his army was besieging this great fortress, he signed
truces with the Duke of Parma, with the Duke of Modena, and finally
with Pope Pius VI.
At the same time, he was interested in the political organization of
Italy. When Buonarroti was arrested for complicity in François-Noël
Babeuf's plot against the Directory, a plan to "republicanize" it by a
group of Italian "patriots" led by Filippo Buonarroti had to be
shelved. After this, Bonaparte, without completely rejecting the
Italian patriots, limited their freedom of action. He established a
republican regime in Lombardy but kept a close eye on its leaders
and in October 1796 created the Cisalpine Republic by merging
Modena and Reggio nell'Emilia with the Papal States of Bologna and
Ferrara occupied by the French army. He then sent an expedition to
recover Corsica, which the British had evacuated.
Austrian armies advanced four times from the Alps to relieve
Mantua, but each time were defeated by Bonaparte. After the last
Austrian defeat at Rivoli in January 1797, Mantua capitulated. He
then marched on Vienna. He was about 60 miles (100 km) from this
capital when the Austrians sued for an armistice. Before the peace
preparations, Austria ceded the southern Netherlands to France and
recognized the Lombard Republic, but received in exchange some
territories belonging to the old Venetian Republic, which were
divided between Austria, France and Lombardy. Bonaparte then
consolidated and reorganized the northern Italian republics and
encouraged Jacobin—radical republican—propaganda in Venice.
Some Italian patriots hoped that this development would soon lead
to the creation of a single and indivisible "Italian Republic" modeled
after the French.
Meanwhile, Bonaparte was alarmed by the successes of the Royalists
in the French elections of the spring of 1797 and advised the
Directory to oppose them by force if necessary. He sent General
Pierre Augereau to Paris with several officers and men to support
the coup d'état of 18 Fructidor, Year V (September 4, 1797), which
removed royalist friends from the government and legislative
councils and also boosted Bonaparte's prestige. Bonaparte could thus
conclude the Treaty of Campo Formio with Austria as he thought
best. The Directory was displeased because the treaty ceded Venice
to the Austrians and did not secure the left bank of the Rhine for
France. On the other hand, it raised Bonaparte's popularity to a peak
as he won victory for France after five years of war on the continent.
Only the war at sea against the British continued. The directors,
wishing to launch an invasion of the British Isles, appointed
Bonaparte in command of an army assembled for that purpose along
the English Channel. After a quick inspection in February 1798, he
announced that the operation could not be carried out until France
was in command of the sea. Instead, he proposed that France strike
at the sources of Great Britain's wealth by occupying Egypt and
threatening the passage to India. This proposal, supported by
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, the foreign minister, the directors
accepted and were glad to be rid of their ambitious young general.
Military campaigns and an uneasy peace
The First Consul spent the winter and spring of 1799–1800
reorganizing the army and preparing to attack Austria itself, Russia
withdrawing from the anti-French coalition. With his usual quick
assessment of the situation, he understood the strategic importance
of the Swiss Confederation, from which he could, at his discretion,
bypass the Austrian armies in either Germany or Italy. His past
success made him choose Italy. Before the snow melted, he led his
army over the Great Pass of St. Bernard and unexpectedly appeared
behind the Austrian army besieging Genoa. The Battle of Marengo
in June gave the French command of the Po Valley as far as the
Adige, and in December another French army defeated the Austrians
in Germany. Austria was forced to sign the Treaty of Lunéville in
February 1801, which recognized France's right to the natural
borders given to Gaul by Julius Caesar - namely the Rhine, the Alps
and the Pyrenees.
Great Britain itself remained at war with France, but soon tired of
the struggle. Preliminary peace acts, concluded in London in
October 1801, ended hostilities and peace was signed at Amiens on
27 March 1802.
General peace was restored in Europe. The prestige of the first
consul increased still further, and his friends - at his suggestion proposed that he be offered a "manifestation of national gratitude".
In May 1802 it was decided that the French people should vote in a
referendum on the following question: "Shall Napoleon Bonaparte be
consul for life?" In August, an overwhelming majority of votes
granted him the extension of his consulship, as well as the right to
name his successor.
Bonaparte's conception of international peace differed from that of
the British, for whom the Treaty of Amiens represented an absolute
limit beyond which they were under no circumstances prepared to
go. The British even hoped to take back some of the concessions they
had been forced to make. On the other hand, for Bonaparte, the
Treaty of Amiens marked the starting point for the new French rule.
Above all, he intended to set aside half of Europe as a market for
France without reducing tariffs – to the indignation of British
merchants. To revive France's overseas expansion, he also intended
to retake Saint-Domingue (Haiti; ruled from 1798 by the black leader
Toussaint Louverture), occupy Louisiana (ceded to France by Spain
in 1800), possibly reconquer Egypt, and in any case extend French
influence in Mediterranean and in the Indian Ocean. In continental
Europe he advanced beyond the natural borders of France,
incorporating Piedmont into France, imposing a more centralized
government on the Swiss Confederation, and in Germany
compensating the princes deprived of territories on the Rhine under
the Treaty of Lunéville with shares of secularized ecclesiastical
states.
Great Britain was alarmed at this peacetime expansion of France,
and considered it hardly tolerable that one state should control the
coast of the continent from Genoa to Antwerp. However, the
immediate occasion for the Franco-British split was the Malta
problem. According to the Treaty of Amiens, the British, who
occupied the island after the collapse of the French occupation,
should return it to the Johannites; but the British, on the pretext that
the French had not yet evacuated some of the ports of Naples,
refused to leave the island. Franco-British relations became strained
and in May 1803 the British declared war.
Napoleon as a leader
Napoleon Bonaparte's military career spanned more than 20 years.
He is widely regarded as a military genius and one of the best
commanders in world history. He fought 60 battles and lost only
seven, most of them late in his career.
In the area of military organization, Napoleon borrowed from
previous theorists and reforms of previous French governments and
developed much of what was already in place. He continued the
policy that emerged from the revolution of promotion based
primarily on merit. Corps replaced divisions as the largest army
units, mobile artillery was integrated into reserve batteries, the staff
system became more fluid, and cavalry returned as an important
formation of French military doctrine. These methods are now
referred to as essential features of Napoleonic warfare.
Napoleon's greatest influence was on the conduct of warfare.
Antoine-Henri Jomini explained Napoleon's methods in a widely
used textbook that influenced all European and American armies.
The influential military theorist Carl von Clausewitz considered
Napoleon a genius in the operational art of war, and historians rank
him as a great military commander. Under Napoleon there was a
new emphasis on destroying enemy armies, not just outmaneuvering
them. Invasions of enemy territory occurred on wider fronts, making
wars more costly and decisive. The political effect of the war
increased. Defeat for a European power meant more than just the
loss of isolated enclaves, which intensified the revolutionary
phenomenon of total war.
MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS OF NAPOLEON
BONAPARTE
#1 SHOWED EXCEPTIONAL MILITARY SKILLS DURING
THE SIEGE OF TOULON
Napoleon graduated from the prestigious Royal Military College in
Paris in 1785 and was appointed second lieutenant in the French
artillery regiment La Fère. His early military career was exceptional
as he took long leave. The French Revolution in 1793 was
widespread and violent. Some citizens began to support the royalist
faction and took up arms against the revolutionary forces. France
was in a civil war and was also in contact with other countries who
wanted to take advantage of the political scenario. Toulon was an
important naval base on the southern coast of France where the
rebels invited British ships to engage the revolutionary army.
Toulon had an excellent defense and getting it back was a challenge.
The Revolutionary Army began its siege of the port on August 29,
1793. As fate would have it, the commander of the artillery division
was wounded during the conflict and 24-year-old Napoleon was
promoted to take his place. Napoleon showed great skill with his
shrewd maneuvers and understanding of the terrain. He captured the
hill from where the Republican guns dominated the battle. The
British were eventually forced to flee and the port fell soon after.
This remarkable victory made Napoleon an overnight hero and he
was promoted to brigadier general.
#2 WON THE BATTLE OF 13 VENDÉMIAIRE TO END THE
THREAT TO THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT
Although the social reforms resulting from the French Revolution
were received favorably by most people in France, many viewed the
revolutionary government as anti-Catholic. On 5 October 1795, or
13 Vendemiaire year 4 according to the French Republican calendar,
the royalists gathered enough support to stage an armed revolt
against the National Assembly. This led to the battle of 13
Vendémiaire between royalist forces and the revolutionary
government in the streets of Paris. The government, numbering
5,000 against a 30,000 Royalist army, found itself in a precarious
position. Napoleon arrived at the Convention to inquire about the
commotion. He was quickly ordered to take command under Paul
Barras and defend the Republic. Barras, aware of Bonaparte's
military machinations at Toulon, was content to let him take control.
Realizing that artillery would be the key to the defense, Napoleon
ordered his officers to seize the big guns and use them to repel the
attackers. Cannons firing grape shots into the assembled Royalist
forces cleared the streets and battalions of supporting artillery also
cut up the advancing Royalist ranks. Bonaparte was in command
throughout the two-hour engagement, and the legend of his calm
and strategic military leadership grew. The 19th-century historian
Thomas Carlyle famously summed up the battle, Napoleon gave his
opponents "a whiff of grapeshot". The defeat of the royalist rebellion
ended the threat to the Convention and made Napoleon a household
name in France. He was promoted to Major General and
Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Interior.
#3 HE LEAD THE FRENCH TO VICTORY IN THE ITALIAN
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE FIRST COALITION
During the French Revolution, the First Coalition against France
was formed. This included several nations including Austria; Prussia;
England; and Piedmont and numerous other smaller Italian states.
In March 1796, Napoleon left to command the French Army of Italy
against a series of battles and conflicts against the First Coalition.
He promptly attacked with his 37,000 men against the larger
Austrian army at the Battle of Montenotte. He then launched an allout invasion of Piedmont, knocking them out of the war within
weeks. Placing Mantua under siege, he inflicted a series of defeats on
the coalition at the battles of Lodi, Lonato, Castiglione, Bassano,
Arcole and certainly Rivoli in January 1797. Bonaparte became
increasingly influential in French politics during the Italian
campaign. His army captured 150,000 prisoners, 540 cannons and
170 standards. They extracted from Italy an estimated $45 million in
funds, another $12 million in precious metals, and over three
hundred priceless paintings and sculptures.
#4 AS THE FIRST CONSUL, NAPOLEON BECAME THE
LEADER OF THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT IN
FRANCE
By June 1799, Emmanuel Joseph Sieyes was the most influential
figure in the French Directory, the five-man committee that
governed France. After his return from an expedition in Egypt,
Napoleon joined in an alliance with Sieyès, his brother Lucien, and
others to overthrow the Directory and shut down the Council of
Five Hundred, the lower chamber. This coup took place on 9
November 1799 and is known as the 18th Brumaire coup, referring
to the date according to the revolutionary calendar. Napoleon
became "First Consul" for ten years, which he confirmed with the
new "Constitution of the Year VIII" and verified it by a direct
popular vote of over 99 percent with roughly 300,000 votes in favor.
Napoleon Bonaparte was successful in implementing revolutionary
reforms for the citizens of France while keeping the religious leaders
reasonably happy. Catholicism became the state religion, but
freedom of religion was also guaranteed. Church-owned lands and
property were nationalized and French citizens could own and
transfer their properties. Administrative departments were
centralized; corruption and embezzlement were vigorously dealt
with; and law and order were effectively maintained.
#5 HE LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR MODERN FRENCH
EDUCATION
Napoleon was interested in improving the business environment in
France. He reformed trade and industry, easing trade restrictions
and providing trade support. He supported small businesses
providing loans from the central bank of France and reduced the
unemployment rate. The tax system was reformed to make taxes
simpler and more direct. Land reforms were also carried out and the
government spent more on agriculture bringing modern farming
methods. Napoleon also laid the foundations of modern French
education. He established a series of state high schools, known as
lycées, which were designed to standardize education across France.
Through education, Napoleon aimed to build a strong and modern
France, focusing on science, mathematics, military and political
science. The French university was founded by Napoleon in 1808. It
had 17 branches or faculties spread across France. Higher education
came under state control, ending the disagreements between church
and state.
#6 HIS INFLUENTIAL CODE NAPOLEON SERVED AS A
TEMPLATE AROUND THE WORLD
Attempts to introduce a common civil code during the revolution
failed. In the first decade of the 19th century, Napoleon's stature rose
and he used this to create a new code of laws that he believed would
move the nation forward. Napoleon's Code was based on the idea
that laws must be based on common sense and equality rather than
custom, social division and the rule of kings. The moral justification
for his existence was not that he came from God or a sovereign (or in
this case the emperor), but because he was rational and just. The
code may seem primitive in many elements today, but it was
revolutionary at the time and was used as a template around the
world for many years. Napoleon himself was present for nearly half
of the proceedings in the Senate, and the Code was enacted in 1804
throughout France and in 1807 in French-controlled territories. The
Napoleonic Code was used by many nations that wanted to move
towards modernization through legal reforms. It was called one of
the few documents that influenced the whole world.
#7 ESTABLISHED AS A MILITARY GENIUS IN THE WAR
AGAINST THE 3RD COALITION
The War of the Third Coalition, which lasted from 1803 to 1806,
was fought between France against a coalition of the Holy Roman
Empire, Russia, Austria, Britain and others. Knowing the strength of
the British Royal Navy, Napoleon used diversionary tactics, but the
plan failed and the British won the Battle of Cape Finisterre in July
1805. Realizing his weakened position, he planned to destroy the
Austrian armies before their allies could join them. from Russia. The
French army secretly marched and attacked the Austrians at the
fortress of Ulm. They performed what is now called the Ulm
Manoeuvre. They cut off the Austrians and captured 60,000 of the
enemy at a loss of 2,000 soldiers. The Battle of Ulm is widely
considered a strategic masterpiece among military historians. The
Battle of Slavkov followed. Wanting to lure his enemies into battle,
Napoleon feigned weakness on numerous occasions, including
abandoning the commanding Pratzen Heights near the village of
Austerlitz. He deployed his army below the Pratzen Heights,
deliberately weakening his right flank and luring the enemy in. He
subsequently filled the gap just in time. The Allied center was
demolished and the French surrounded the enemy. Also known as
the Battle of the Three Emperors (Napoleon, Czar Alexander I, and
Holy Roman Emperor Francis II), it is considered a tactical
masterpiece due to its near-perfect execution. The Battle of Slavkov
brought the Third Coalition to a swift end and is considered the
greatest victory ever achieved by Napoleon and his Grande Armée.
#8 EMPEROR NAPOLEON MADE FRANCE THE
DOMINANT POWER IN EUROPE
After the British assassination was revealed, Napoleon decided to
increase his control and influence. He held a referendum and was
elected Emperor of France with a vote exceeding 99%. He thus
established what historians call the First French Empire. His
coronation took place on December 2, 1804. Napoleon ruled as
emperor for about 10 years; to April 6, 1814. In 1806, a fourth
coalition was formed between Prussia, Russia, Great Britain,
Sweden, and Saxony against the rebellion of the French Empire. At
this time France was politically reorganizing the German territories
threatening Prussian influence in the region and they decided to
challenge the supremacy. Napoleon invaded Prussia with 180,000
troops, marching rapidly up the right bank of the Saale and inflicting
crushing defeat on them at the Battles of Jena and Auerstedt. He
then clashed with Russian forces, eventually defeating them at the
bloody Battle of Friedland on June 14, 1807. Soon, Tsar Alexander
brokered a peace leading to the Treaty of Tilsit. These victories
established Napoleon's stronghold over most of Europe. His empire
extended over much of Western Europe and into Poland. At its peak
in 1812, it had 130 departments and ruled over 70 million subjects. It
maintained a large military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and
the Duchy of Warsaw, and could count Prussia and Austria as
nominal allies. Napoleon thus made France the dominant power in
much of continental Europe.
#9 WON THE BATTLE OF WAGAMU TO BREAK THE
FIFTH COALITION AGAINST FRANCE
The War of the Fifth Coalition was fought in 1809 between France
and Bavaria and the coalition of the Kingdom of Austria and Great
Britain. It began on April 10 with the Austrian army led by
Archduke Charles invading Bavaria. When Napoleon hurriedly
arrived on the 17th, the French army was in a precarious position
with two wings separated by 75 miles connected only by a thin
cordon of Bavarian troops. Napoleon needed to do something quickly
to save his left flank. Napoleon reoriented the Axis Grande Armée in
an operation that became known as the Landshut Maneuver. This
led to a French victory at the Battle of Eckmühl. However, on 21
May, Archduke Charles became the first to defeat Napoleon at the
Battle of Aspern-Essling, which sent shockwaves across Europe.
After the defeat, Napoleon planned for 6 weeks and then finally won
a decisive victory at the bloody Battle of Wagram, when Charles
signed an armistice with Napoleon and agreed to end the war.
Although the Fifth Coalition ended, Britain, Spain and Portugal
remained at war with France in the ongoing Peninsular War.
#10 FLED FROM EXILE IN ELBA TO BECOME EMPEROR
AGAIN
Napoleon was finally defeated in the War of the Sixth Coalition and
announced his unconditional abdication on April 6, 1814. After the
capitulation, Napoleon was exiled to the Mediterranean island of
Elba. After several months, Napoleon escaped from Elba with 700
men on February 26, 1815. Two days later he landed on the French
mainland at Golfe-Juan. France was under the restored and
unpopular Bourbon King Louis XVIII, who sent the 5th Regiment
under General Ney to capture the outlaws. On March 7, the
regiment intercepted Bonaparte, who is said to have dismounted
from his horse, approached the soldiers, and shouted: “Here I am. Kill
your emperor if you like." The regiment then marched with
Napoleon toward Paris with a growing army that forced Louis
XVIII to flee. When Napoleon pulled into the Tuileries Palace at
midnight on March 20, he was greeted with frenzied enthusiasm.
The Seventh Coalition came into existence with Great Britain,
Russia, Austria, and Prussia each pledging 150,000 men to defeat the
reinstated emperor. After 22 years of continuous fighting, Napoleon
was defeated at the famous Battle of Waterloo, marking the end of
the French Empire and the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon died in
exiled on the island of Saint Helena on May 5, 1821.
Conclusion
The Early Life of Napoleon Bonaparte! Napoleon Bonaparte was
born on the night of December 25, 1769 in Corsica. His parents were
Corsican patriots who fought in the French Revolution. Napoleon
grew up in the small town of Ajaccio and attended the local school.
When he was only 17 years old, he joined the French army and
served in various campaigns throughout Europe. He became
Napoleon Bonaparte's general in 1796 and won many battles and
successes during his time as a general.
In 1800, Napoleon was appointed First Consul of France and led
France into one of its most successful centuries during the second
half of the 18th century. In 1804 he became Emperor of the French
Empire and ruled a country that had changed greatly since his time
as a general. He reformed many aspects of French society, including
education and government. In addition, the Napoleonic legislation is
considered some of the most important legislation in modern history.
Napoleon wars! The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought
by Napoleon Bonaparte and his allies against the forces of Austria,
Prussia and Russia. The wars began in 1804 and ended in 1815.
They were fought for control of Europe and the Mediterranean
region. Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest
commanders in history and was able to achieve many significant
victories. However, many people are unsure of his role in the wars.
For example, who exactly were his allies during the war? What did
he want from these allies?
Reign of Terror: Timeline of the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte! As
the leader of France during the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon
Bonaparte was responsible for many events that shook the continent.
One often mentioned event is the Reign of Terror, which lasted from
1793 to 1814. The Reign of Terror is often considered one of the
most significant moments in French history. It was a time when
Napoleon Bonaparte and his allies were accused of censorship,
conspiracy and other crimes. This period is also known as the French
Revolution.
The Invasion of Waterloo and Napoleon's Role! On July 15, 1815,
Napoleon Bonaparte was able to lead France to victory in the Battle
of Waterloo. The battle was fought at the Battle of Waterloo in
Belgium and was a major victory for France. It ended the Second
Anglo-Dutch War and restored French control over Spain.
Moreover, it marked a turning point in Napoleon's career and helped
him become one of the most powerful men in Europe. However,
many questions still remain about Napoleon's role in this battle. For
example, what were his exact orders? What did he know about
British strategy? Why did he choose to fight at Waterloo?
The French Revolution and the Evolution of Modern France! The
French Revolution was a time of change in France. It started when
King Louis XVI of France was executed and the country was thrown
into turmoil. This led to a series of revolutions that eventually led to
Napoleon Bonaparte's accession to the throne as Emperor of France
in 1804. With Napoleon's help, France became a superpower and
played an important role in the Napoleonic Wars. While Napoleon
was often criticized for his decisions during the wars, he is
considered one of the most influential leaders in history.
The legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte! Napoleon Bonaparte's legacy is
still talked about today. He is considered one of the most influential
and powerful people of his time, and his actions shaped the course of
modern European history. His life is full of mystery and controversy,
but his actions have made him an important figure in French history.