The Rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte
Background Born in Corsica in 1769 Won scholarship to French military school in 1779 An excellent student
A Hero of the Revolution 1795- Napoleon helped stop of mob of “royalists”
Coup d `etat A coup is a sudden overthrow of a government Usually done by a small group Napoleon seized power from the Directory on Nov. 9, 1799
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon’s Empire (1810) controlled much of Europe by 1810 Also controlled Spain, Warsaw, and German kingdoms indirectly Russia and Prussia were controlled via alliances
Napoleon’s Three Mistakes #1 The Continental System Economic war against Britain Goal- make mainland Europe “self sufficient” Blockade ineffective
Britain responds w/ a blockade of neutral ships End result- France became weaker