Napoleon Bonaparte

Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte• born 1769 in Corsica

– island off coast of France & Italy• military success

– commander by age 26– victories in Italy with speed, deception &

surprise– absolutely loved by soldiers– defeated in Egypt by British…returned to

France• 1799 coup d'état…new government called

Consulate• wanted all power for himself

– 1804 crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I

Napoleon BonaparteCrowned Emperor of France

Napoleon’s Domestic Policies• 1801 agreement with the Pope

– Roman Catholicism: main religion in France– French government kept Church lands seized in Revolution

• Napoleonic Code– all citizens equal before law– Representative government, where Napoleon was

chosen by plebiscite– property rights protected, with unions & strikes

being illegal– women “less equal than men”– meritocracy: gain position(s) based on one’s

ability, not birth– liberty replaced by despotism

Napoleonic/Civil Code

Napoleon’s Empire: 1803-1812

• 3 main parts:– French Empire: France to the Rhine River &

western Italy– dependent states: kingdoms under the rule of

Napoleon’s relatives– allied states: kingdoms defeated by Napoleon &

forced to fight with him

• spread Revolution ideas of equality, religious toleration & economic freedom

Napoleon Bonaparte: Road to Revelation

Napoleon’s Empire

Response by Europe• Great Britain

– naval supremacy: Battle of Trafalgar, 1805 led by Admiral Nelson

– in response, Napoleon started Continental System: European nations forced to boycott British goods

• actually good for Great Britain, because they traded with other continents & colonies, while using navy to keep Napoleon Bonaparte stuck on continental Europe

• Nationalism: unique cultural identity of a people based on common language, history, national symbols & desire for own government– hatred of French rule…formed national feeling of solidarity– countries saw what nationalism gained for France & wanted

that same spirit for themselves

Continental System

Battle of Trafalgar: 1805

The Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte• Russian Campaign 1812: 600,000 soldiers

– Russian army retreated, burning land as they left, leaving no food & supplies for French soldiers

– Moscow burned…but still no supplies– The Great Retreat: French left in Moscow with

freezing conditions, no food & no warm clothes• because of lack of food, cold & disease, less than

90,000 of original 600,000, made it out of Russia• Russian Army followed French army back to Paris…&

captured Napoleon Bonaparte!

Invasion of Russia

The End for Napoleon

• exiled to Elba (island near Italy)– Louis XVIII restored to throne

• escaped & returned to Paris: March 1815– ruled for “Hundred Days”– European countries allied against Napoleon’s return

• Battle of Waterloo: June 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte defeated by Duke of Wellington– Napoleon Bonaparte sent to St. Helena (an island in

Atlantic Ocean 1200 miles from land)---spent rest of his life there, before death

Battle of Waterloo

Congress of Vienna• gathering of European officials after Napoleon

Bonaparte to restore order & stability– led by Klemens von Metternich of Austria

• followed conservative (tradition, no change) policy– distrusted liberal (favoring Enlightenment ideas) policy– put monarchs back on thrones in France, Spain & the

kingdoms within Italy, etc.

• Principle of Intervention: states/countries could invade another state/country where a revolution is happening, in order to restore order (Great Britain disagreed…)

Congress of Vienna

Congress of Vienna

Congress of Vienna

People:

Goals:

Accomplishments:

Closure #3• 1. Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?• 2. How did he gain power in France?• 3. What mistake did he make with the

Russians?• 4. How did Europe respond to him?• 5. Why is he significant in European

history?