The Age of Napoleon

C20

EQs: How did Napoleon Bonaparte become emperor? How well did his reign go?

The Directory• By 1795, France had gone through 2 revolutions, a LOT of heads being chopped off,

and no real success in satisfying the masses• The Directory, a council of 5, was in charge of France but was not w/o its faults• Royalists under the leadership of Louis XVI’s brother were trying to get back into

France to reinstall the monarchy and became a thorn in the Directory’s side• In Fructidor (September) 1797, the Directory once again charged a young Napoleon

to defend France from Royalist forces…this act coupled with his successful invasions of Switzerland and Italy made Napoleon a national hero

• The Directory, fearing that Napoleon was becoming too popular, charged him with a new target…Great Britain…but rather than invade Britain directly, Napoleon decided it was best to intrude upon British world interests and set his sights on their colonies and settlements in the Middle East

The Rise (and Fall) of Abbe Sieyes• The new charismatic individual of the Revolution in 1798

was Abbe Sieyes…he had previously served as a member in the National Convention and wrote the famous treatise “What is the Third Estate?” in 1789, which was regarded as a rallying cry for the commoners of France

• Sieyes was called in to help with the new (third) constitution of France in 1795…he wasn’t really a fan of it…he feared the role of the executive body (the Directory)…a leader should 1 strong authority, NOT 5

• In 1799, Sieyes became a member of the Directory…then he hatched a conspiracy to overthrow his fellow Directors and establish a single authoritarian leader (the Consul)

• Sieyes needed help…his first choice was General Barthelemy Joubert…but he was killed in battle, so the next person he turned to was France’s new, young national hero, Napoleon Bonaparte (BIG mistake)

The Rise of Napoleon• Recap on Napoleon…he was from Corsica…Corsica

was traditionally an Italian island but had been taken over by France…his family was of old Italian nobility from Genoa…French occupation of Corsica allowed for a free education for Napoleon, eventually ending up in the exclusive L’Ecole Millitaire…he shot up the military ranks overnight

• Napoleon was no French Revolutionary…he had originally fought for Corsican independence in 1789 (rebellion not a success) but still managed to not be branded a traitor…he certainly philosophically did not support radicalism or complete liberty…he was more in favor of Absolutism and absolute authority, which was exactly what Sieyes wanted

• The Consulate, Sieyes’ vision, was a supreme authority of 3…Napoleon made it an authority of the one, HIMSELF…and he set out to bring about absolute reform in France

Napoleon’s Reforms• The Consulate period lasted from 1799 to 1804…during that span of time,

Napoleon made several reforms in French government, society and in foreign affairs

• His first series of reform focused on foreign affairs– Treaties were signed with Austria and Britain– He stationed France’s troops on the fringes of her borders to a)protect

them, b) quell disorder in France’s far flung corners (Brittany, Vendee, Provence) and c) prepare for the INVASIONS

• Next focus was the Church (Concordat of 1801)– In 1801, Napoleon met with Pope Pius VII…Catholics had many demands

and had been extremely hostile due to the Revolution– To the surprise of many, Napoleon made peace with the Church and

declared Catholicism the state religion of France…though it was only a statement! The clergy still had to swear allegiance to the state…other sects (Protestantism and Judaism) had to do the same

Napoleon’s Reforms• His last series of major reforms focused on French law and

education– He created a Conseil d’Etat which was comprised of 25 experts of law, finance

and government…they were charged with created a code that laid out all laws in each area

– The result was the Napoleonic Code, a harsh legal code still in use today in France which laid out crime and punishment (guillotine was the sole form of capital punishment until the 80s, and a notorious prison was built off the coast of South America to exile traitors), provided universal male suffrage and property rights and restricted workers and the rights of women

– A secret police squad was developed to enforce the code…it watched over all the actions of the citizenry, it was present at all public functions (they notorious frequented the Salons and taverns looking for rabble rousers)

– His education reforms developed the lycees (compulsory high schools that resulted in a baccalaureate), several military academies and the Ecole Polytechnique, a science and engineering school

The Empire (Strikes Back)• France had tried many times during the

Revolution to expand with little effect…Napoleon, a noted conqueror, changed tact in 1804…he had himself crowned emperor and set France on the path of total continental domination

• His Peace of Amiens in 1802 was merely a truce with Britain…in 1804, Napoleon hatched plans to invade England…this effort was short lived, as the French and Spanish fleets that sailed from Marseilles in October 1805 were quickly defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar (off the Spanish coast)

• England subsequently forms the “3rd Coalition” with Russia and Austria, while Napoleon decides his time is better spent taking his well trained and now well prepared army across Europe to conquer neighboring states

France Takes the Continent• Despite his naval loss, Napoleon still wielded Europe’s best army…it operated under

3 standing doctrines– Maintain a corps of troops that averaged in size from 20,000-40,000 men (his

army totaled around 800,000)– Use siege warfare extensively to weaken the enemy– Destroy the enemies army, win the territory (the goal was total victory)

• Napoleon’s Grand Army marched across the Rhine into southern Germany and Austria rather quickly…by the end of October 1805 Napoleon had conquered an area from France to the Danube

• The 3rd Coalition staged a reprisal against Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805…the combined Austrian/Russian/Prussian army was virtually decimated (the Grand Army only lost 1900 troops) and Napoleon won what would become his greatest victory AND reached his highest point

France Takes the Continent• Within weeks of Austerlitz, Napoleon conquered Prussia (only took him 6 weeks)

and beat down the doorstep of Russia…rather than face war, Czar Alexander I made peace with Napoleon and became a tributary state

• Napoleon had succeeded in taking the continent…in1807, France ruled Europe like an empire…there were 3 main components to its state– 1. The recognized “French Empire” included the Lowland states (Benelux) as

well as the northern half of Italy, and the Rhineland region– 2. The “Satellite States”…areas which Napoleon put his own family members on

the throne…included Spain, southern Italy, and Poland (E. Prussia)…there were also 4 states created in Germany that became known as the “Confederation of the Rhine”…this also effective put an official end to what was once known as the Holy Roman Empire

– 3. The “Allies” which were mainly tributary states, forced to serve Napoleon’s greater empire (Russia, Austria, and W. Prussia)

• But, England was still out there…it had not submitted to France and it was not about to give into Napoleon Bonaparte

And so the Empire Declines…• 3 things plagued Napoleon’s glorious French Empire

– 1. England was still out there as a commercial power• Napoleon had just enough resources to disrupt British trade, not invade

England…so he issued the “Continental System” which barred his states (which was most of Europe) from trading with Britain in an attempt to weaken the British economy…didn’t work! Britain had colonial markets, Portugal and realistically France could not survive w/o British commerce!

– 2. Spain festered• In 1808 Napoleon “fired” his selected ruler of Spain and put his brother

Joseph Bonaparte in charge• This move caused Spain to erupt in revolution, an action that France’s

army could not afford nor defend…the rebellion in Spain severely weakened Napoleon’s army

• Portugal also was rebellious, with the help of Lord Wellington of England

– 3. Russia withdrew from the Empire

The 1812 Overture…Napoleon “gives up”• Napoleon was angry as you know what at Russia…he

amassed a huge force and marched to Russia to take her over…Napoleon’s strategy was to draw out the Russian army to the west and defeat them piece by piece…Czar Alexander instead pulled his army back as far into Russia as possible!

• The Russians slowly picked apart Napoleon’s army…after the Battle of Borodino (September 12, 1812) Napoleon was down to 135,000 out of 400,00 troops…even more “demoralizing”, the Russians abandoned Moscow and let Napoleon march right on in…the winter of 1812-1813 finished off Napoleon’s army…it was harsh!

• By Spring, Napoleon had no choice but to withdraw…however, as he withdrew with his decimated army, he faced organized battles in Poland and Germany (Leipzig – “The Battle of Nations”) with armies of the 3rd Coalition

• By 1814, all of France’s “allies” and enemies were on her doorstep…rather than face them, Napoleon abdicated his throne and retired to Elba in the Mediterranean …France came to be ruled by Louis XVIII

The 100 Days and The End • Napoleon grew bored on Elba…he began

plotting his return…in March 1815 he snuck back into France…Louis XVIII sent an army to arrest him, but Napoleon “turned” them…Napoleon returned to Paris with that army in triumph and proceeded to plan to regain his empire

• He attacked Belgium first…AND LAST…June 18, 1815…Napoleon’s army was defeated by the coalition army led by Lord Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo

• He once again was forced to abdicate, he was arrested by the British, tried and sent to exile, this time MUCH further away from Europe to the island of St. Helena in the south Atlantic where he lived the rest of his life…he died 6 years later on May 5, 1821

The Aftermath – the Congress of Vienna• Boundaries had to be re-drawn after

Napoleon had been defeated…the powers of the Coalition met in Vienna to re-establish borders

• The other important item for discussion was the restoration of the monarchy in France…its was somewhat popular in France

• Another issue was Poland…Russia wanted most of Poland, Prussia did not want to acquiesce…the result was Prussia actually being granted control over more German states with a little bit of Poland going to Russia

• France wasn’t really “punished”, but it’s modern borders were practically drawn as a result of this gathering and would only change briefly during WWI and WWII

The Romantic Movement

C20

EQ: What were the impacts of the Romanticism movement?

Summary: Romanticism• Lasted from 1780 – 1830• Was a reaction to the Enlightenment, and attempted to

reconcile the vilification of religion that Enlightenment thinkers had written (The Methodist sect was one religious result)

• Emphasized human nature, rebuked rationalism…works professed strong feelings and emotions (it’s EMO!)…it was the world’s first “hippie” movement!

• One important effect of Romanticism was the glorification of the individual AND of individual cultures…a resulting impact was the Nationalist movements of the 19th C in Europe

Analysis: Works of the Romantic Movement

• FORM 6 GROUPS (3-4 members only please)

• IF you are assigned a work of literature, complete a Document Analysis (personal grade) and be prepared to discuss tomorrow

• IF you are assigned a work of art, complete an Art Analysis (personal grade) and be prepare to discuss tomorrow

• ALL GROUPS discuss/respond to the following question in addition to the analysis:– How are emotions and ideas of the time period represented in the

work you have analyzed? What are the main ideas/themes of the era being emphasized?

Works• #1: “Prometheus” by Johann Wolfgang Goethe (handout)

• #2: “The Third of May 1808” by Francisco Goya (Pg 702)

• #3: “On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year” by Lord Byron (handout)

• #4: “Watson and the Shark” by John Singleton Copley (Pg. 580)

• #5: “The Daffodils; Or, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud” by William Wordsworth (handout)

• #6: “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (handout)