Chapter 6 Section 4
The Age of Napoleon Begins
(1799-1815)
Early Life
• Born in Corsica, Mediterranean island,
family not wealthy
– Sent to France at 9 & trained for military
– Ambitious, 20 a lieutenant at start of
Revolution
• Rose quickly in army
– 1793 drove British out of Toulon
– Victorious over Austrians but in 1798, led an
expedition to Egypt which was disasters
Rise to Power
• 1799 became political leader
– Overthrew Directory
– Set up consulate
– Took title of First Counsul
– 1804 assumed title of Emperor of the French
– Each step Napoleon held plebiscite (allowing
voters to ballot)
Napoleon Reforms
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Restore economic prosperity
Controlled prices
Encouraged new industry
Built roads & canals
Set up public schools to train officials &
military officers
More Reforms
• Made peace with Catholic Church in
Concordat of 1801
• Placed Church under State control
• Support from all classes
– Let nobles return if took loyalty oath
– Let peasants have land they bought from
Catholic Church
Napoleonic Code – New Code of Law
• Equality of citizens before law
– (except for women, lost most of rights)
• Religious toleration
• Advancement based on merit
Napoleon's Military Strategy
• Napoleon built an Empire in Europe
– Success on battlefield
• Rapid troop movement for more effective
use of large armies
• New plan for each battle, kept enemies
confused
– Grand French Empire
Napoleon's Conquests
• Annexed (added new areas) to France
– Netherlands
– Belgium
– Parts of Italy & Germany
• Abolished Holy Roman Empire, created &
controlled Confederation of the Rhine
• Cut Prussian territory in half
• Controlled Europe through forced diplomacy –
put friends & relatives on thrones
Thorn in Napoleon's Side
• France could not control Britain
• Britain used sea power (1805) Battle of Trafalgar where
British admiral Horatio Nelson beat French fleet
• Napoleon waged economic war through Continental
System
• Closed European ports to British goods
• Britain blockaded (shut off ports to keep people &
supplies from moving in or out) European ports
• British navy kept trade routes open to America & India
Challenges
• Challenges that threatened Napoleon’s
empire
• Revolutionary ideas spread across Europe
– Reforms
– Napoleonic Code
– Economic reforms
Resent of Napoleon
• European nations resented Napoleon’s power &
started revolts against France
– Napoleon set up his brother as King of Spain
– Napoleon tried to undermine the Catholic Church
– Spanish resisted; French army treated Spanish badly
• Spanish patriots
– Used guerilla warfare (hit & run raids)
– Kept French army fighting in Spain; could have been
used elsewhere
– British sent Duke of Wellington to help Spain
Russia
• Czar Alexander I of Russia angry over
French – Austrian “alliance”
• Didn’t like Continental System & withdrew
Russia
• Concerned that French Empire now
bordered Russia
1812 Invasion of Russia
• 1812, 400,000 European soldiers invaded
Russia, led by Napoleon
– Russians retreated eastward burning crops &
villages
– “Scorched Earth Policy” left French troops
cold & hungry
– French had to retreat 1000 miles, lost 300,000
men
– French LOST!
Napoleon’s Downfall
• Russia united with Britain, Austria &
Prussia, defeated French at Battle of
Nations at Leipzig
• 1814, Napoleon abdicated (stepped down
from power)
– Exiled to Elba (Mediterranean Is.)
– Louis XVIII became king of France
– Economic depression brought Napoleon back
to power for 100 days
Waterloo
• British forces under Duke of Wellington &
Prussian forces under General Bucher
defeated Napoleon at Waterloo
• Napoleon abdicated again & exiled to St.
Helena, island in South Atlantic
Napoleon’s accomplishments
• France- centralized state government with
constitution & greater access to education
• World- spread ideas of Revolution &
nationalism
– Did away with Holy Roman Empire, lead to
formation of new Germany
– Sold Louisiana Territory to America, doubling
size of U.S.
Congress of Vienna
• Goals of Congress of Vienna
• Met for 10 months in 1814 & 1815; host –
Emperor Francis I of Austria but real work
done by:
– Prince Metternich – Austria
– Czar Alexander I - Russia
– Lord Castlereagh – Britain
– Prince Talleyrand – France
Goal of Congress of Vienna
• Chief goal – create lasting peace with balance of
power & protect monarchs, contain France from
further expansion
– Metternich wanted status quo (the way things were)
in 1792
– Alexander I wanted holy alliance of Christian kings to
stop revolution
– Castlereagh wanted to keep French military down
– Talleyrand played other leaders against each other
Europe’s Map Redrawn
• To create a balance of power encircle
France with strong nations, Vienna
Congress redrew Europe’s map
– Created Kingdom of Netherlands – Belgium,
Luxembourg, Holland
– Gave Prussia lands along Rhine River.
– Gave Austria control of northern Italy
Legitimacy
• Legitimacy - gave kings back power in
Portugal, Spain & Italian states, that they
had in 1792 & restored Louis XVIII to
power in France
– Quadruple Alliance – Austria, Prussia, Russia,
& Great. Britain pledged to maintain balance
of power & stop revolutions
• RESULT - Failed to see future conflicts
because of nationalism