Understand Napoleon’s rise to power and why the French strongly supported him. Explain how Napoleon built an empire and what challenges the empire faced. Analyze the events that led to Napoleon’s downfall, Outline how the Congress of Vienna tried to create a lasting peace.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15 th, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica, an island ruled by the French in the Mediterranean Sea. Parents were minor nobles but had little money At age 9 was sent to France for training and a military career. He was 20 when the revolution broke out. He favored the Jacobins and republican rule. But found conflicting ideas and personalities confusing. “Since one must take sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the alternative, it is better to eat than be eaten.”

During the turmoil of the revolution, Napoleon rose quickly in the ranks of the army. In December 1793, drove British forces out of French port of Toulon. Later went on to win several victories against Austrians, captured most of Northern Italy, and forced Hapsburg emperor to make peace.

Hoping to disrupt British trade with India, he led an expedition to Egypt in 1798 which was disastrous. Most in France had no idea of his losses. He did so by establishing spies and censoring the press.

By 1799 moved from victorious general to political leader. He helped to overthrow the weak Directory and set up a three-man governing board known as the Consulate. Soon after that another constitution was drawn up and Napoleon took the title First Consul had himself named consul for life.

Two years later he had enough power to take the title of Emperor of the French. Invited the pope to preside over his coronation in Paris. During ceremony he took the crown from the popes hand and placed in on his own head. By doing this he was trying to prove that he owned the throne. Each step he held a plebiscite-or ballot in which voters say yes or no, and each time the voters strongly supported him

Napoleon consolidated his power by strengthening the central government. “Order, Security, and Efficiency” replaced the French Revolution slogan of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” as the slogans of the new regime.

To restore economic prosperity, Napoleon controlled prices, encouraged new industry, and constructed new roads and canals. He set up a system of public schools with strict government control to train officials and military officers. Napoleon reversed some of the Revolutions social reforms. He made peace with the Catholic Church by recognizing religious freedom for Catholics, but keeping the church under government control. Revolutionaries denounced this but obviously Catholics welcomed it.

Napoleon won support across class lines He encouraged emigres to return if they swore an oath of loyalty He recognized peasants right to lands they bought from the church and Nobles

Among Napoleon’s most lasting reforms was a new code of laws called Napoleonic Code. It included Enlightenment principles Equality of all citizens Religious Toleration Advancement on merit It did undo some of the reforms of the Revolution Women lost most rights Men gained absolute authority over wives and kids Napoleon valued order and authority over individual rights

Napoleon increased his reputation on the battlefield from He defeated the greatest powers in Europe He took huge risks and suffered huge losses “I grew up on the field of battle…and a man such as I am cares little for the life of a million men” By 1812 his Empire had reached its greatest extent

As a military leader Napoleon valued rapid movements and made effective use of his large army He changed his “game” plan for each battle, to keep his enemy guessing Napoleons presence on the battlefield, one enemy said, “is worth 40,000 troops”

As Napoleon created a vast French Empire, he redrew the map of Europe as he conquered and annexed- added outright, land the Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Italy and Germany all fell to Napoleon and his armies He abolished the Holy Roman Empire and created a 38 member Confederation of the Rhine under French protection And he cut Prussian territory in half creating the Grand Duchy or Warsaw in “Poland”

Napoleon controlled much of Europe through forceful diplomacy. One of his tactic was placing friends and relatives on thrones of Europe. Joseph Bonaparte, his brother, became the King of Spain. He forced alliances from Madrid to Moscow signed treaties.

Great Britain was the only European Nation to remain free from Napoleon. With only a small army, Britain relied on its sea power to stop Napoleon. In 1805, Napoleon prepared to invade England. At the Battle of Trafalgar fought off the southwest coast of Spain Admiral Horatio Nelson smashed the French fleet.

With no way tin invade Britain Napoleon turned to economic warfare. He created the Continental System, which closed European ports to the British Great Britain responded with a blockade- or the shutting off of ports by ships to keep supplies and people from coming in or going out. Both sides seized each others ships and neutral ships that they believed carried supplies. These actions especially by the British angered the United States and led to the war of 1812.

In the end, Napoleon’s Continental System failed to bring Britain to its knees British exports declined, but its powerful navy kept vital trade routes open Napoleons system created a scarcity of goods in Europe and send prices soaring This all increased the resentment by the people against French power over Europe

Czar Alexander I of Russia was alarmed by Napoleon’s domination of Europe. Russia had long depended on trade with Great Britain for manufactured goods. In 1812 the czar began trading again with Great Britain.

Because the blockade was Napoleon’s only way of striking the British, he was angry that Russia, an ally of France, would openly ignore it. He decided to invade Russia, and he called on all parts of his empire to supply soldiers.

Napoleon recruited a Grand Army of 600,000 soldiers from all over his empire. In 1812 this army began a long march east to Russia. The Russian defenders slowly retreated, drawing Napoleon’s army deep into their country. As the Russians retreated they practiced scorched-earth policy, burning or destroying crops and everything else the Grand Army might need.

The French eventually captured Moscow, but it was a hollow victory. As soon as the French entered the city, the Russians set it on fire.

The fire destroyed so many buildings that the French troops had no housing, and the harsh Russian winter was coming. Napoleon had already lost many soldiers to disease, cold, and hunger, as well as battle. He finally ordered a retreat on October 19, 1812.

Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow remains one of the greatest military disasters of all time. Napoleon’s troops tried to make their way back to France through the bitter Russian winter without proper clothing and supplies. Many soldiers died from cold and starvation.

The French were constantly under attack from Russian soldiers as they passed through the destroyed countryside. By the time the Grand Army reached Prussia, it had lost 2/3 of its troops. The Russians followed and invaded the French Empire.

Monarchs in western Europe took advantage of Napoleon’s defeat in Russia. The quickly broke their alliance with Napoleon. Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain joined Russia in a final alliance to crush France.

In October 1813 Napoleon’s army met these allied forces in Leipzig in Saxony. The allies won, and Napoleon retreated into France. The allies captured Paris in March 1814.

Napoleon agreed to give up all claims to the throne for himself and his family. The allies gave him a pension and allowed him to retire to the small island of Elbe off the west coast of Italy.

The allies wanted to make sure that France would no longer disrupt Europe’s affairs. They agreed that France could keep the boundaries of They also restored the Bourbon monarchy. Louis XVIII, the brother of Louis XVI, came to the throne. France had a king again.

During 1814 and early 1815, the restored king and his family made many enemies among the French people. Learning of this discontent, Napoleon escaped from Elba and landed in France on March 1, Louis XVIII sent soldiers to capture Napoleon.

Napoleon met them saying, “If there be one among you who wishes to kill his Emperor, he can. I come to offer myself to your assaults.” The soldiers’ resistance disappeared, and Napoleon led the army into Paris on March 20, beginning a period called the Hundred Days. Frightened, Louis XVIII fled into exile. Napoleon once again ruled France.

Napoleon hoped that disputes among his opponents would keep them from opposing his return, but he was wrong. Prussia, Great Britain, and the Netherlands sent armies toward France. Napoleon assembled an army to stop them.

On June 18, 1815, the allied and the French armies met at Waterloo. The British, under the command of the Duke of Wellington, and their Prussian allies dealt Napoleon his final defeat. Napoleon gave up the throne, and the Bourbon monarchs once again took power.

Napoleon asked to be allowed to go to the United States. However, the British sent him to St. Helena, a small, lonely island in the South Atlantic, where he lived under constant guard. In 1821 Napoleon died there. As the years passed, Napoleon’s legend grew, people forgot his failures and remembered his glories and victories.

Napoleon and his achievements came to be memorialized in French literature and art. In 1840 the British allowed the French to bring Napoleon’s remains back to Paris, where they lie to this day.