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Childhood:
• Born on Aug. 15, 1769 in Corsica, a French colony
• He held a grudge against his father for submitting to the French
• He loved his mother
o Saw her as without evil as well as tough and determined
• Held high status
o Aristocrats but not rich
• Corsica was a society of peasants and held no future so he moved to France
Post-Terror:
• France became a new constitutional government
• The guillotine was forgotten
• Pleasure after Terror- return of salons
• Desperate for promotion
• Political turmoil gave him a chance
• Rebellions threatened to topple the republic
• He stepped in a killed many of the enemies
• Made Commander of the interior army at 26
• Married Josephine in 1796
First Consul:
• He tried to catch the Austrians by surprise by taking his army over the alps (wins)
• Emperor of Austria asks Napoleon to halt war
• GB asks for peace a year later
• First time in 10 years Europe was at peace
• He then moved to consolidate his power
Trafalgar 1805:
• Admiral Horatio Nelson of GB dies while sinking French fleet of 33 ships
Ulm 1805:
• Drove Austrian’s from the field
Austerlitz 1805:
• Napoleon gains control of Europe with his victory over Austria and Russia
• Signs peace treat of Pressburg
1807:
• Russia and France become allies against GB
• Napoleon’s territorial rule grew and he wished to unite all of Europe under French Rule
1808:
• Sent troops to Spain thinking he’d be welcomed
• Economic barricade against GB wasn’t working
• Spain was trading with GB
• Napoleon wanted to seize Spain (thought there’d be no resistance)
• France and Spain mutilated their prisoners (Guerilla warfare)
• No decisive victory
• Stayed in Spain for 5 years
1809:
• Reluctantly divorces Josephine (no heirs)
1810:
• Marries Mary Louise of Austrian royalty
• Unites two empires with this marriage
1811:
• Baby Boy- “King of Rome”
• Napoleon was growing soft at 42
• Bloody war in Spain continued
• GB still not conquered
• Russia wanted to withdraw from treaty
o Attacked Russia
o Russia started to retreat (weakened Napoleon’s army)
o Russian summer ruined Napoleon’s army
o Moscow began to burn, Napoleon abandoned the place
o Russian winter further ruined army
• Everyone allies against France but Austria
1814:
• Allies, including Austria, invaded France itself
• French army refused to fight, so Napoleon abdicated
• Exiled in Elba
• Louis XVII ruled under a constitutional monarchy
1815:
• Slipped off Elba with soldiers; Louis XVII fled France
• Marched to Waterloo to seize GB
• Wellington = GB; Blucher = Prussia
• Napoleon was outnumbered; GB waited for Prussia
• Battlegrounds too wet to maneuver artillery
o Napoleon was losing confidence
• He lost control of the battle (that lasted 12 hours) and lost
• He was convinced that he couldn’t have won anyways
• June 22
o Abdicated for the second time
• Exiled to St. Helena so that he could never return
Key Terms and Names:
1. Coup d’Etat: an overthrow of the government
2. Consulate: the new republic created by Napoleon
3. Plebiscite: a vote by citizens to decide government policy (referendum)
4. Abbé Sièyes: he conspired to overthrow the Directory
5. Corsica: the birthplace of Napoleon
6. Concordat: a peaceful agreement with the Roman Catholic Church
7. Napoleonic Code: a logical system of French law
8. Lycées: a French high school
9. Legion of Honour: an award given for distinguished service to France
10. Arc de Triomphe: the most famous of Napoleon’s public works
11. Conscripts: men who have been forced into the army by the government
12. Trafalgar: Nelson’s greatest naval victory
13. Austerlitz: this site is one of Napoleon’s major victories
14. Coalition: a group of states allied against a common enemy
15. Continental System: this was an attempt to destroy Britain
16. Blockade: an attempt to keep good from entering or leaving port
17. Berlin Decree: an attempt to close all European ports to Britain
18. Scorched Earth Policy: to destroy all food and shelter needed by an enemy
19. Leipzig: the site of the Battle of the Nations
20. Elba: Napoleon’s first place of exile
21. St. Helena: the island of Napoleon’s final exile
22. Waterloo: the place of Napoleon’s final defeat
23. Wellington: he defeated Napoleon
Timeline of Power Consolidation:
1. Coup d’Etat- November 9, 1799:
• Napoleon left Egypt to help Abbé Sièyes with a coup to overthrow the current
Directory and replaced it with a new government: The Consulate
2. The Consulate- February 1800:
• Napoleon became first consul in which he tried to restore order in France
o Created secret police
o Exiled aristocrats, Jacobins, etc
o Censored 60 of the 73 French newspapers
3. Assassination Attempt- December 24, 1800:
• He was nearly killed by a bomb planned by conspirators wanting to restore the
old Bourbon line of Kings. Although it was clear that the plot had been Royalist.
Napoleon felt more threatened by the Jacobins and used the event to persecute
and intimidate them
4. Consul for Life- 1802:
• He became so popular that the Council of State proclaimed him “Consul for
Life.” A plebiscite reported 3 600 000 to 8600 votes. He embodied the ideals of
both the Revolution and the republic.
5. Constitution Year XII- May 1804:
• The constitution declared that “the government of the republic is confided to an
emperor.” It also declared the inheritance of this title by Napoleon’s male heirs.
His brothers, Joseph and Louis, followed in line behind his son.
6. Emperor- December 2, 1804:
• Napoleon, in Notre Dame Cathedral, took the crown from Pope Pius VII and
crowned himself and then his wife Josephine.
Domestic Policy:
Napoleon’s Conquests:
Elected consul for life, he assumed the hereditary title of emperor in 1804. His administrative,
military, educational, and legal reforms (notably the Code Napoléon) made a lasting impact on
French society. War with England was renewed, and extended to Russia and Austria. Forced by
England's naval supremacy at Trafalgar (1805) to abandon the notion of invasion, he attacked
the Austrians and Russians, gaining victories at Ulm and Austerlitz (1805). Prussia was
defeated at Jena and Auerstadt (1806), and Russia at Friedland (1807). After the Peace of
Tilsit, he became the arbiter of Europe. He then tried to cripple England with the Continental
System, ordering the European states under his control to boycott British goods. He sent
armies into Portugal and Spain, which resulted in the bitter and ultimately unsuccessful
Peninsular War (1808–14).
In 1809, wanting an heir, he divorced Joséphine, who was childless by him, and married the
Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, a son being born in 1811. Believing that Russia was
planning an alliance with England, he invaded (1812), defeating the Russians at Borodino,
before entering Moscow, but he was forced to retreat, his army broken by hunger and the
Russian winter. In 1813 his victories over the allied armies continued at Lützen, Bautzen, and
Dresden, but he was routed at Leipzig, and France was invaded. Forced to abdicate, he was
given the sovereignty of Elba (1814). The unpopularity which followed the return of the
Bourbons motivated him to return to France in 1815. He regained power for a period known as
the Hundred Days, but was defeated by the combination of Wellington's and Blücher's forces
at Waterloo. He fled to Paris, abdicated, surrendered to the British, and was banished to St
Helena, where he died. In all the areas of Europe under Napoleonic rule, the Code Napoléon
became law. A great number of political and social reforms resulted, including the abolition of
feudalism and serfdom, freedom of religion in most occupied states, the granting of
constitutions, universal male suffrage, and parliaments. Administrations, judiciary systems,
and a free education system based on the French model were set up. Higher education was
made available to all qualified applicants regardless of religion or social class.