Napoleon 1799-1815

Rise to power

1790s: Led French military campaigns 1796-1797: victories in northern Italy 1798: defeat in Egypt … but left his troops there and came back to France a hero Fun fact: The French discovered the Rosetta Stone in Egypt during Napoleon’s campaign. The stone provided the key to understanding hieroglyphics.

1799: Coup d’etat November: overthrew Directory est. the “Consulate” named “First Consul” (Julius Caesar’s title) December: new constitution (#4) approved in a plebiscite Official report: 3,011,007 for; 1,562 against

Later title changes 1802: named himself sole “Consul for Life” 1804: proclaimed himself emperor (Napoleon I) Jacques Louis David’s Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Empress Josephine on Dec. 2, 1804, 1806-1807 ≈20x32 feet! Both changes were ratified by plebiscites – showing that Napoleon tried to maintain a semblance of democracy. In 1804, the Consulate became the Empire.

Napoleon’s Throne

Domestic reforms & policies

(1) Concordat of 1801 What the CC gained: What Napoleon gained: declaration: “Catholicism was the religion of the great majority of the French” Pope can depose French bishops Church seminaries permitted What Napoleon gained: Religious freedom kept – CC not a state church Pope accepts loss of church lands & tithes State nominates bishops, pays clergy Agreement b/t Napoleon and the Vatican. Helped the Church by giving it some rights it had lost during the FR. Helped Napoleon by disarming counterrevolution by clergy who opposed him, plus it gave Napoleon more control over the French CC. French state paid Catholic & Protestant clergy – Napoleon wanted to dispel the notion of the state having one established church.

(2) Civil Code of 1804 (Napoleonic Code) Legal equality of all male citizens Security of $$/private property Women lost rights: Dependents on fathers or husbands Cannot make contracts Cannot have bank accounts in own names Code appealed to: middle class – driven by Enlightenment ideas of liberty; had $$/property peasantry – had gained land/status from FR … code secured their gains

The Influence of the Napoleonic Code Wherever it was implemented [in the conquered territories], the Code Napoleon swept away feudal property relations.

(3) Strengthened the bureaucracy Former revolutionaries put in gov’t posts Emigrés invited back, given jobs, swear loyalty oath New imperial nobility – positions granted on the basis of merit

(4) Financial reforms Tax reform – no tax exemptions due to status Improvement of accounting methods Est. sound currency and public credit Est. Bank of France Important to make these changes since France’s economy had been in such a poor state. The Directory had left the economy a mess. Appealed to the middle class – bank was privately owned (middle class likes capitalism); they like to see financial stability.

(5) Education: the lycée system Est. 30 state-supported post-secondary schools Admission based on merit Scholarships available Aim to prep students for gov’t service and learned professions -scholarships: 1/3 went to sons of the military and government, the rest went to the best pupils from the secondary schools -6-year term of study -liberal arts curriculum -purpose of the system: (1) provide an educated elite to serve in govt/military, (2) provide for an increased middle class, and one that would be successful and non-revolutionary, (3) emphasis on patriotism – build loyalty to French state

Reforms Who liked the reforms and why Concordat of 1801 - Agreement b/t Catholic Church & French state Catholic Church – treated poorly during FR … Napoleon made peace with it Civil Code of 1804 (Napoleonic Code) Legal equality of all male citizens Security of $$/private property -Middle class – driven by Enlightenment ideas of liberty; had $$/property -Peasantry – had gained land/status from FR … code secured their gains Strengthened the bureaucracy Former revolutionaries put in gov’t posts Emigrés invited back, incorporated New imperial nobility – meritocratic system -Revolutionaries, emigrés – brought into Napoleon’s gov’t. -Middle class – opportunity to earn gov’t positions Financial reforms Tax reform Bank of France Sound currency & public credit Middle class – had interest in state’s economic security; liked that the Bank was privately owned (yay capitalism) Education: the lycée system Meritocratic, state-supported school system designed to produced professionals Middle class – opportunity to get good education, later gain gov’t positions

Authoritarian Domestic Policies Women lost rights (see Napoleonic Code) Little freedom of speech/press Occasional elections … not run fairly Spy system Unfair detainment & sentencing for pol. crimes

Foreign policy

Introduction France was at war 1792-1815. A series of wars … only Britain remained almost continually at war w/ France (1 year of peace, 1802-1803). Not until 1813 were all the Great Powers (Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia) simultaneously at war with France. Austria, Prussia, Russia: fought against Napoleon, but also lost and had to sign treaties, so became allies of sorts, accepting French rule in other places and supporting the continental system for a while, before allying to defeat France in the end Britain: never on Napoleon’s side

Timeline of events 1801 Treaty of Lunéville – France acquires Austrian and German territory 1802 Treaty of Amiens – France keeps Holland, Austrian Netherlands, German & Italian lands 1803 Renews war w/ Britain 1805 Battle of Trafalgar – Britain defeats France & Spain – end of French hopes to invade Britain Battle of Austerlitz – France defeats Austria & Russia 1806 France dissolves HRE & est. German Confederation of the Rhine Battles of Jena and Auerstädt – France defeats Prussia 1807 Treaty of Tilsit – Russia becomes an ally, accepts French reorg. of W/Central Europe; France takes Prussia’s western lands 1812 Invasion of Russia  French retreat, major military disaster for France 1814 Treaty of Charmont – Austria, Prussia, Russia, Britain pledge alliance to defeat Napoleon Napoleon exiled to Elba 1815 Battle of Waterloo – final defeat of Napoleon  exiled to St. Helena

Continental System (est. 1806) Blockade imposed by Napoleon to halt trade b/t continental Europe & Britain, aimed to weaken the British econ & military

The Grand Empire Grand Empire: France (bigger than before) Satellites – governed by members of Napoleon’s family – ex. Spain Independent but allied states – Austria, Prussia, Russia

Napoleon’s Family Rules! Jerome Bonaparte  King of Westphalia. Joseph Bonaparte  King of Spain Louise Bonaparte  King of Holland Pauline Bonaparte  Princess of Italy Napoléon Francis Joseph Charles (son) King of Rome Elisa Bonaparte  Grand Duchess of Tuscany Caroline Bonaparte  Queen of Naples

Napoleon’s Family & Friends/Allies

How Napoleon treated areas incorporated into his empire (+) introduced French laws / spread FR reforms (ex. abolish feudal practices) (-) heavy taxes, req. men to serve in Fr. army

Napoleon wrote to his brother Jerome, on making him king of Westphalia: “the peoples of Germany, as of France, Italy and Spain, want equality and liberal ideas. For some years now I have been managing the affairs of Europe, and I am convinced that the crowing of the privileged classes was everywhere disliked. Be a constitutional king.” Ex. of Napoleon as reformer/man of Enlightenment. Napoleon wanted to transplant his Civil Code to the dependent states.

“Third of May, 1808” by Goya (1810) Example of nationalist resistance to French rule 1808: Napoleon made his brother Joseph king of Spain & gave him a large French army Peninsular War (1808-1814): Spanish went to war to try to oust the French Britain sent a force to help the Spanish War went badly for France Both sides committed atrocities Painting: Goya made two paintings, The Second of May and The Third of May. They commemorate events from the beginning of the war. The Second of May represents a bloody encounter between the French army and the people of Madrid who rose up against them. The Third of May depicts the execution of the rebels by the French.

Views of Napoleon Image on left: Jacques Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps Image on right: “This is My Dear Son”: Napoleon as a child of the Devil

Haitian Independence, 1791-1804 Toussaint L’Ouverture

Louisiana Purchase, 1803 1699-1762: France controlled Louisiana 1762: France gave Louisiana to Spain (in the midst of the Seven Years’ War) 1800: Spain gave Louisiana back to France 1803: France sold Louisiana to the US for $15m $15,000,000

Fall from Power

Napoleon’s residence on St. Helena Key Events 1814: Napoleon abdicates  Elba Louis XVIII and Constitutional Charter 1815: Hundred Days Battle of Waterloo  St. Helena Napoleon’s residence on St. Helena

Napoleon & culture

Neoclassical Architecture Temple to the Glory of the Great Army, commissioned 1806

Neoclassical Architecture Napoleon’s Tomb

Beethoven’s Eroica (1803) Dedicated to Napoleon in 1803 In 1804, Napoleon’s crowning himself emperor disgusted Beethoven, who exclaimed, “He’s just a rascal like all the others,” and violently erased his name from the manuscript.