Napoleon & the Revolution

Birth & Early Years Born in 1769, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica Sent to military school at age of 9, graduated at 16 Served as a lieutenant in the artillery

Early Fame October 1795= Napoleon stopped rebels from attacking delegates of the National Convention 1796= Appointed by the Directory to lead a French army against Austria Won many battles in Italy Led an expedition in Egypt against the British Empire

Coup d'état 1799= The Directory lost control & confidence of the French people; Napoleon used his army & troops to surround the national legislature Coup d'état= “Blow to the state” Britain, Austria, & Russia joined forces to drive Napoleon from power Austrians driven from Italy; Peace with Britain achieved in 1802

Napoleon Rules France Efficient & decent ruler; Strengthened central government & believed in some goals of the Revolution Set up efficient method of tax collecting & established national banking system Removed corrupt gov. officials; Set up lycees Brought back the RCC to France; Established a separation of church & state Created the Napoleonic Code; Sets of laws based on Justinian’s Code

Napoleonic Code Comprehensive system of laws, based on Justinian’s Law Code Uniform set of laws, eliminated many injustices Divided laws into 4 categories: 1) Persons 2) Property 3) Acquisition of property 4) Civil procedure

Emperor Napoleon December 2, 1804= Napoleon crowns himself as Emperor of France Took place at Notre Dame Cathedral; Paris, France Took crown from the Pope, & crowned himself

Napoleon Creates an Empire Napoleon wanted to create a global French Empire Western Empire= Louisiana, Florida, French Guiana, West Indies; Key possession was Saint- Domingue (Haiti), sugar-producing colony French Revolution created a civil war in Saint-Domingue b/t French planters & enslaved Africans; Disease & rebel slaves stopped Napoleon from taking back the island Sold Louisiana Territory to U.S. for $15 million

Conquering Europe Due to loss of American territories, Napoleon focused on Europe Annexed the Austrian Netherlands, parts of Italy; Set up a puppet gov. in Switzerland Britain persuaded Russia, Austria, & Sweden to join them against France Napoleon was extremely successful; Rulers of Austria, Prussia, & Russia forced to sign peace treaties

Napoleon’s Empire

Battle of Trafalgar, 1805 One of Napoleon’s few defeats; Naval battle against the British Empire Took place off the coast of Spain

Napoleon’s Empire Collapses The Continental System= November, 1806 Blockade to prevent all trade/communication b/t England & rest of Europe Goal= Make continental Europe more self-sufficient Didn’t work, England was weakened but not destroyed

Napoleon’s Empire Collapses The Peninsular War (1808-1814)= Invasion force sent through Spain to get Portugal to accept the Continental System Napoleon removed Spanish king and put his brother, Joseph, in charge The Spanish, influenced by nationalism, were outraged & began to fight back Spanish fighters called guerillas; British sent troops to aid the Spanish Napoleon loses over 300,000 troops

Napoleon’s Empire Collapses The Invasion of Russia (1812)= Former allies, Russia continued to ship grain to England June 1812= As French troops invaded Russia, Russian troops retreated; Practiced scorched-earth policy No victories for any side, October Napoleon begins his retreat with 100,000 French troops Due to exhaustion, hunger, & cold, only 10,000 French troops survived retreat back to France

Russian Campaign Map

The Downfall Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria & Sweden wanted to take advantage of France’s weak state, declared war April 1814= Napoleon surrenders, gives up his throne; Exiled to Elba

The Downfall Louis XVII, Louis XVI’s brother, takes the throne; New king was unpopular though Napoleon decides to leave Elba; lands in France on March 1, 1815 Thousands of volunteers join his army; Emperor again within days of arrival European allies get armies together to take down Napoleon; June 18th, 1815 Battle of Waterloo Prussia & Britain defeat the French military British ship Napoleon to St. Helena, island in South Atlantic; Dies in 1821

The Congress of Vienna After Napoleon’s defeat, European powers wanted peace; Held series of meetings in Vienna Lasted 8 months; 5 great powers= Russia, Prussia, Austria, England, France Led by foreign minister of Austria, Prince Klemens von Metternich

The Congress of Vienna 3 goals of COV: 1) Prevent future French aggression; Surround France by strong nations 2) Restore a balance of power 3) Restore Europe’s royal families to the thrones they held before Napoleon’s wars; Principle of legitimacy

Congress of Vienna Map

French Revolution, Failure? French Revolution= France’s first experiment with democracy; Experiment was a failure, but its impact was felt worldwide Latin American revolutions of 19th century; Colonies of Spain began to declare independence Nationalism began to spread, would create new revolutions that would form new nations Changed social attitudes of Europe; Democracy seen as best way to ensure equality & justice for ALL