The Age of Napoleon

Impacts of Napoleon Ended the Revolution and restored order to France The final collapse of the Holy Roman Empire paved the way for a new German state Sold French holdings in North America to the United States (the Louisiana Purchase) to fund his war efforts

The Congress of Vienna After Waterloo, the leaders of Europe gathered at The Congress of Vienna to decide Europe’s future Wanted a lasting peace, so they struck a balance of power where no one country was strong enough to fight the others; this peace would last (more or less) until WWI. Wanted to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas, so they restored the rightful monarchy to France, Portugal, Spain, and Italy

Louis XVIII 1755 – 1824 Brother of Louis XVI Fled France in 1791 Restored to the French throne by the Congress of Vienna Agreed to the creation of a constitutional monarchy and a moderate government Died with no children

Charles X Youngest brother of Louis XVI & Louis XVIII Ultraconservative who sought to reestablish absolutism in France Inherited the throne in 1824, but was so unpopular that he held power for only 6 years before a new revolution forced his abdication in 1830

Revolution of 1830 Charles X had suspended the constitution, dissolved the legislature, and shut down newspapers The result was an uprising which threw the country into chaos and forced Charles to flee the country

Louis Philippe 1773 – 1850 A member of the royal family who had spent most of his life living outside of France Approved by the French legislature to replace Charles as king due to his more liberal views Unfortunately, Louis Philippe’s government, which began with great promise, failed to live up to expectations

Revolution of 1848 Louis Philippe’s regime was plagued by corruption, an economic recession, and a series of poor harvests which led to a rise in food prices These factors led to another uprising, one which forced Louis Philippe to abdicate the throne and flee France

Revolution of 1848 With Louis Philippe’s abdication, the middle- class won control of the legislature and issued a new constitution which gave all adult males the right to vote, created the office of president and changed the legislature to a unicameral body

Louis Napoleon 1808 – 1873 Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew Elected first president of France in 1848 By 1852, had abandoned the new constitution and declared himself emperor Napoleon III