23-4 “Napoleon’s Empire Collapses”
Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes
The Continental System
• Napoleon strikes __________ through blockade-forced closing of _________
• Continental System-economic plan to strengthen Europe, ________ Britain
• ____________ and ________________ allies make France’s blockade fail
• Britain responds with blockade of its own, led by stronger navy
The Peninsular War (Iberian)
• Napoleon sends troops across __________ to _____________, causing protest
• Napoleon tricked the Spanish king and prince to come to France, where he
_______________ them
• He proclaimed his ___________, Joseph, to be the new king of Spain
• This makes things worse
• Spanish fight as ___________-small groups that attacked then disappear
• British aid Spanish guerillas
The Invasion of Russia
• 1807 - Czar of Russia had agreed not to trade with Britain, but due to poor
economic conditions he continued the trade in ___________
• Russians ____________ to remain in the Continental System leaving Napoleon
with little choice but to invade Russia
Scorched Earth Policy
• ________, 1812 - Napoleon’s army marches into Russia with ___________ men
• The Russians refused to give battle and simply _____________
• As they retreated they _________ their own villages and countryside to prevent
Napoleon’s army from finding food
Moscow
• ___________ 1812- Russians retreat from Moscow after Battle of Borodino
• Napoleon finds _________ abandoned and burning
• The day after Napoleon took Moscow it went up in flames
• Napoleon waits _____________ for the Czar to surrender. He refuses.
• Napoleon abandoned Moscow late in __________ 1812 and began the “Great
Retreat”
Conditions on the Journey Home
• Men and horses both __________ because there was no food and no time to
gather any
• Horses died in the thousands from overwork and starvation – no time to
graze
• Men were seen quenching their thirst with horse urine, because water was
unobtainable or polluted
• Temperatures plummeted to ___________ below zero
• Napoleon lost 25,000 troops just crossing the Berezina River
23-4 “Napoleon’s Empire Collapses”
Russians burned the only ________ bridges to cross the river trapping thousands
on the wrong side of the river to be captured by the Cossacks who drove them
___________ back into Russia
Heavy Losses
• Less than __________________ out of the 600,000 made it back _________
• Napoleon himself abandoned his army and rode back to France to organize
another army
• Men were easy to get, but horses lost in the battle would cost Napoleon a victory
in the next battle
Napoleon Abdicates
• Britain, Prussia, Sweden, Russia, Austria join forces against France
• Napoleon raises another army, but meets quick defeat by allied powers
• __________ forces occupied ________ on March 31, 1814
• Napoléon abdicated on April 6 in favor of his _______, but the Allies insisted on
unconditional surrender.
• Napoléon abdicated again on April 11
• Treaty of Fontainebleau  ________ Napoléon to ________ with an annual
income of 2,000,000 francs
Monarchy Restored
• After Napoleon’s defeat the Bourbon monarchy had been restored. Louis
__________had died in prison from _______________.
• The newly enthroned monarch Louis XVIII fled to Belgium as Napoleon made his
way towards Paris.
The Hundred Days
• Louis XVIII, new king, is soon overthrown and Napoleon returns from exile
• _________________-British, Prussian forces defeat Napoleon’s army
• This defeat ends The _____________________-Napoleon’s last attempt at
power
• Napoleon ___________ to island of ______________, in South Atlantic
• Dies _________ years later
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