1. Napoleon Rules France

2. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

3. Napoleon Comes to Power
● 1799 The Directory asks General Napoleon to help subdue uprisings
● Afterwards Napoleon decides to assume power over the government: declares himself the new ruler of France
(Had control of the army)

4. Napoleon Rules France
1800 French people voted for Napoleon to be the leader if France (after he was already in power!!!)
France achieved stability under Napoleon

5. Napoleon’s Achievements
strong central government
stabilizes the French economy
eliminated government corruption
Relationship with the Church
Napoleonic Code

6. French Economy
Napoleon set up an equal tax collection system (all 3 estates paid taxes!!!)
Napoleon established a National Bank for the government to borrow $ from

7. Napoleon eliminated government corruption
He fired corrupt government officials
Set up Lyces:
government run public schools: for rich and poor children
Became a model for public schools in America

8. Lyces (Public Schools)

9. Relationship with the Church
Napoleon signed a Concordat (agreement) with Pope Pius VII
Church would keep its prestige in France but not its
control over French affairs
agreement kept the French people happy, kept Napoleon in
the favor of the Catholic Church

10. Napoleonic Code
His greatest achievement: a comprehensive system of laws
The code promoted order and authority over individual rights
Brought order back to France

11. Napoleonic Code (con’t)
Women lost the right to own/sell property
Freedom of speech and the press were restricted
Allowed slavery again in French colonies
All of these were rights the Directory had granted; and Napoleon lessoned

12. Napoleon’s Empire 1811

13. Napoleon’s Empire
December 2, 1804: Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of France

14. Napoleon: Emperor of France

15. Battle of Trafalgar October 21, 1805: off the coast of Spain
Naval Battle: Napoleon and Spanish allies vs. Great Britain
France lost 22 ships; Great Britain lost 0!!!
Great Britain’s victory ensures Napoleon will never invade Great Britain: beginning of Napoleon’s downfall

16. Battle of Trafalgar

17. Napoleon’s Battles Map

19. Peninsular War

20. Peninsular War

21. Peninsular War

22. Peninsular War 1808-1814 February 1808 Napoleon Invades Spain
Spanish fought the French using
Guerilla Tactics: Hit and Run,
Hide and seek

23. Peninsular War (con’t)
Great Britain sends aid to Spanish Guerillas for the first few years
By 1811 Great Britain and Portugal join
Spain against
Napoleon
VS.

24. Peninsular War Results
Spain and Portugal nearly destroyed: left in disarray until 1850s
French Army severely weakened: allows Napoleon to be defeated later
Allows Great Britain to build other alliances against Napoleon
Allows Great Britain to become preeminent power in Europe

25. Trade Embargo 1806
Napoleon did not want any nation under his control trading with Great Britain
As a result he forbade France and all nations he controlled from any foreign trade whatsoever
Trade Embargo crippled French economy
Most controlled nations ignored the embargo and traded with Britain any ways

26. Louisiana Purchase

27. Louisiana Purchase
Napoleon sells Louisiana Territory to America 1803: to raise money for his wars with Great Britain (Amer. Pres. Thomas Jefferson)
America pays $15 million for 530 million total acres: Doubles America’s size

28. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812

29. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812
Russia began to ignore Trade Embargo in 1811
Napoleon was pissed: used as an excuse to invade Russia
June 22, 1812 Napoleon takes 600,000 troops to invade Russia

30. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812
Russians continuously retreated deeper into Russia: burned everything as they retreated:
Slash and Burn Tactics
This prevented Napoleon’s
Troops from replenishing
Food, supplies, water,
Shelter Clothing, etc.

31. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812
By the time Napoleon reached Moscow it was destroyed and Russian government was gone
Napoleon’s Invasion gained nothing!!!

32. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812
November 1812 Napoleon finally decides to retreat from Russia during a harsh winter

33. Napoleon Invades Russia 1812
Napoleon Invades Russia with 600,000+ Troops: He leaves with less than 40,000
Most died from starvation,
Hunger, freezing, not combat
The Russian Invasion permanently cripples Napoleon’s army
The Russian Invasion Allows Napoleon
to be ultimately defeated
soon after

34. Napoleon’s Downfall
Napoleon’s enemies take advantage of his weaknesses
Britain, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, and Austria join forces against him

35. Battle of Leipzig October 1813, Germany
Napoleon’s army was now weak and inexperienced
The allies cut his army up easily
Beginning of the end for Napoleon

36. Napoleon’s Downfall
March 1814 the Russian Czar and Prussian King parade through Paris

37. Napoleon’s Downfall Napoleon wanted to fight on, his generals refused
April 1814, Napoleon agreed to surrender
was exiled to Elba (a tiny island off the Italian coast)

38. Elba

39. Elba

40. News spread to Napoleon
Napoleon’s Comeback
King Louis XVIII (brother of King Louis XVI) becomes king of France
he quickly became unpopular amongst the peasants for trying to restore the old (pre-revolution) order to France
News spread to Napoleon
Napoleon escaped Elba

41. Napoleon’s Comeback

42. Battle of Waterloo June 15, 1815

43. Battle of Waterloo Napoleon attacked the British at Waterloo, Belgium
The Prussian army arrived later in the day to help the British

44. Battle of Waterloo
2 days later Napoleon’s army fled the battle field in defeat June 1815
this ended Napoleon’s last bid for power (called The Hundred Days)

45. Napoleon’s 2nd Downfall
Napoleon was this time exiled to St. Helena (s remote island in the South Atlantic)
He lived there in lonely exile for 6 years
He died of stomach cancer in 1821

46. St. Helena

47. Napoleon’s Legacy
He was a military genius and brilliant administrator
Millions of lives were lost in his wars
His legal code and reforms in French government outlived him
Napoleon’s defeat allowed European countries to establish the new government in France:
They brought back King Louis XVIII to rule as a Constitutional Monarch

48. Congress of Vienna 1815
Meeting of major powers of Europe after Napoleon’s 2nd Downfall
Purpose was to bring stability to Europe with Napoleon out of the way
Redrew the map of Europe
Temporarily Resolved differences between European nations
Many weaker nations and France not happy with results
Restores King Louis XVIII as ruler of France

49. Congress of Vienna 1815