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 (18071812
• 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