unit vi - revolutions and enlightenment · napoleon bonaparte •napoleon was a “small man”, he...
TRANSCRIPT
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Napoleon Bonaparte
• Napoleon was a “small man”, he was only 5 ft 6in, but what he did echoed throughout time. (5 ft 6 was actually very average at that time, and average today is 5 ft 8ish)
• In only four years, this military genius rose from a nobody, to the Master of France with military powers that rivaled that of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Hannibal of Carthage.• Napoleon Homework
Napoleon Bonaparte… His story
• He was born on the island of Corsica, (he
was not a native Frenchmen)
• At the age of 10 he was sent to military
school where he was teased for being a
foreigner, and for being short.
• He didn’t let them stop him, he studied
furiously and graduated as a Lieutenant at
the age of 16.
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Napoleon Bonaparte… His story
• On his first appointment he proved himself a military genius winning several battles. He essentially conquered Northern Italy.• His men respected and admired
him, They also did what he told them to do.• In 1799 the people of France were
fed up with the Directory (the current government power) Napoleon used this as his time to seize power.
Napoleon becomes Emperor
•When he first seized power he pretended
to be a constitutionally chosen leader of
France.
• He was in all sense of the word however, a
Dictator.
▫ He wrote his own constitution (the people
voted to approve it) appointed himself
consul for life, then appointed himself
Emperor.
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Napoleon’s Leadership
• With Napoleon becoming Emperor the
French Republic was dead, and it
became the French Empire.
• He conquered many lands throughout
Europe. Creating the largest most
powerful empire since Roman times.
• The only countries in Europe not
under Napoleons power were Britain,
Russia, Sweden.
3 Types of Control
• Napoleon controlled 3 different types of
territories.
▫ 1. Those directly controlled by France,
basically any lands which were Annexed into
France.
▫ 2. Lands that remained independent in name,
but were controlled by Napoleon (Spain,
Several German State. He even ended the
Holy Roman Empire)
▫ 3. Powerful countries who were not 100%
under his control but were his to command
through a series of treaties and truces. (Russia,
Prussia, Austria)
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The Beginning of the End
• Napoleons thirst for power was his undoing. Russia would not stop selling Grain to Great Britain so Napoleon decided he would invade Russia.• He sent 400,000 men into Russia. The
Russians however were not eager to fight and followed a Scorched-Earth Policy. ▫ They would retreat back to the capital and
burn all of the Supplies they could not bring with them. This left little in the amount of Supplies the French Army could utilize.
Moscow Destroyed
• As Napoleon finally reached the Russian capital he was shocked that… Rather than being taken or capture the Russians burnt down their own Capital.
• Napoleon baffled as to what to do ordered his army to return home, however it was now winter in Russia and his army was starving. Temperatures were down to -35 degrees.
• As they walked home, they were also routinely attacked by well fed, and well rested Russian troops. Napoleon’s Army was essentially 100% destroyed.
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Opportunity Arises
• Seeing the French Empire in a weak
state Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria,
Sweden all united and fought the
French.
• Napoleon suffered a CRUSHING
defeat at the battle of Leizpig.
• This was the end for Napoleon.
Napoleon’s Exile
• In April 1814, Napoleon admitted
defeat, surrendered to his conquerors
and gave up his throne.
• They gave Napoleon enough money
to survive for the rest of his life and
exiled him to an Island called Elba.
▫ This was the end of Napoleon… or was
it?
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Really the end this time…
• Napoleon returned to France in 1815, people
welcomed him back with open arms. He
chased out the Current King Louis XVIII
(Brother of Louis XVI)
• He remained in power for 100 days until
another army coalition united and defeated
him again.
• This time they exiled him to a far away island
St. Helena.
• Six years later Napoleon died, they think from
stomach cancer.
• “Such work as mine is not done
twice in a century. I have saved
the Revolution as it lay dying. I
have cleansed it of its crimes, and
have held it up the people shining
with fame. I have inspirited France
and Europe with new ideas that
will never be forgotten.”� Napoleon Bonaparte 1821 (year he
died)