Napoleon Bonaparte

1. Napoleon Bonaparte Station Work

2. Station 1 – Napoleon’s Rise to Power • 1) Please observe the images of Napoleon as a young man. What characteristics did Napoleon possess as a young man that made him famous? •Confident; Brave; Inspiring; Ambitious

3. Station 1 – Napoleon’s Rise to Power • 2) Please read the quotes below and answer the questions that accompany them. • “A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights.” -Napoleon Bonaparte • “A leader is a dealer in hope.” -Napoleon Bonaparte • “Ability is nothing without opportunity.” -Napoleon Bonaparte • “Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment.” - Napoleon Bonaparte • “If you want a thing done well, do it yourself.” -Napoleon Bonaparte • 2a) What do these quotes say about Napoleon’s attitudes and beliefs? •Your goals/dreams in life are worth fighting for; If you want something done, you should depend on yourself to accomplish it. • Critical Thinking: •Does anyone have a problem with the way Napoleon went about gaining power?

4. Station 2 – Napoleon as Emperor At the moment of the crowning when the Pope said, "Receive the imperial crown..." Napoleon unexpectedly turned and, forestalling the Pope, removed his laurel wreath and crowned himself and then crowned the kneeling Joséphine with a small crown surmounted by a cross, which he had first placed on his own head. At Napoleon's enthronement the Pope said, "May God confirm you on this throne and may Christ give you to rule with him in his eternal kingdom". Limited in his actions, Pius VII proclaimed further the Latin formula "Vivat imperator in aeternum!" (May the Emperor live forever!), which was echoed by the full choirs in a Vivat, followed by "Te Deum". With his hands on the Bible, Napoleon took the oath: "I swear to maintain the integrity of the territory of the Republic, to respect and enforce respect for the concordat and freedom of religion, equality of rights, political and civil liberty, the irrevocability of the sale of national lands; not to raise any tax except in virtue of the law; to maintain the institution of legion of honor and to govern in the sole interest, happiness and glory of the French people". 1a) Who crowned Napoleon emperor? •Napoleon himself 1b) What does this say about Napoleon? •Bold; Arrogant; Supremely confident in his abilities 1c) What point is Napoleon trying to make? •Napoleon is telling the world that no one gave him his authority – He took it for himself

5. Station 3 – Napoleon’s Policies • What was the Code Napoleon? •Civil code that made laws uniform across the nation and eliminated many injustices. However, it also promoted order and authority over individual rights. • Why do you think Napoleon sought to create this code? •Wanted to rid France of the system of privileges under King Louis XVI that was one cause of the Revolution. • Is Napoleon’s code still in effect? •Yes; there are still uniform laws that everyone must abide by.

6. Station 3 – Napoleon’s Policies The longest lasting effect of Napoleon Bonaparte's rule over France was his overseeing the implementation of a series of national laws collectively known as the Civil Code, or Code Napoleon (1804). They included the Codes of Civil Procedure, Commercial Law (1807), Penal Code (1810) and Criminal Procedure (1808). Napoleon wanted to replace a series of existing laws - that varied in each French province - and replace them with a standard code for all French people. In 1800 he added to his overhaul of the financial system by creating the Bank of France. The principal tenet of the Civil Code was that every French person was equal before the law. This was agreeable for many; however, while he took the religious aspect out of divorce, many of his views did limit Revolution-founded freedoms for women. For example women were not allowed to independently trade in property, but had to ask their husbands before they did so. Napoleon tightened divorce laws and fathers were empowered as rulers of their homes. They could ban children from inheritance and also imprison children for a month. Napoleon showed great foresight in beginning a program of public works that included building canals, harbors and made roads better and safer by improving their condition and cracking down on criminals. Education was improved for many, although the majority of children did not gain benefit from Napoleon’s new specialized academy’s and high schools. Napoleon encouraged the creation of private schools and sowed the seeds of community-wide literacy. Never one to accept criticism well, Napoleon cracked down on the press, censoring newspapers and eventually closing down all but a few. • What was the Code Napoleon?  •Civil code that made laws uniform across the nation and eliminated many injustices. However, it also promoted order and authority over individual rights. • Why do you think Napoleon sought to create this code? •Wanted to rid France of the system of privileges under King Louis XVI that was one cause of the Revolution. • Is Napoleon’s code still in effect? •Yes; there are still uniform laws that everyone must abide by.

7. Station 4 – Napoleon’s Fall On June 24, 1812, ignoring the advice of his closest advisors, Napoleon invaded Russia. Never in living memory had so large an army been assembled — Italians, Poles, German, French — more than 600,000 men from every corner of his empire. Napoleon prophesied the war would be over in twenty days. WOLOCH: An army of 600,000, it would seem to be absolutely irresistible no matter what happened. He’ll simply pour in enough men to overwhelm the Russians, force them to engage in battle and defeat them. Napoleon's army trudged slowly across Russia's vast, open spaces. He hoped to annihilate his enemy quickly, but the Russians would not give battle. SOKHOLOV: Napoleon had an army twice the size of the Russians. There were so many that the Russians didn’t dare fight. They started to retreat because they didn't have a choice. They had to retreat. But while they were retreating, they were, in fact, weakening Napoleon's army. As the Tsar's armies retreated, they burned the countryside behind them, leaving the Cossacks to hack at Napoleon's rear and flanks, then gallop away. ELTING: And I think that early on, Napoleon began to realize that this time he had bitten off just a little more than he could chew. As the days passed, the blazing heat of the Russian summer began to take its toll. Soldiers fell out from exhaustion, sickness, and desertion — more than five thousand a day. After two months, before Napoleon had fought a single battle, 150,000 soldiers were out of action. HORWARD: A lot of these foreign troops just took off and left. They weren’t Frenchmen, they weren’t loyal to him specifically. They were fighting because their king was allied to Napoleon.

8. Station 4 – Napoleon’s Fall The battle began at 6:30 in the morning and lasted until 3 in the afternoon. At that point, both armies were exhausted. The Russians fought the Emperor's armies to a standstill. The next day they withdrew, leaving Napoleon proclaiming victory. Moscow was at his mercy, but the Russians refused to make peace. As Napoleon’s army entered the city on September 14, he found it almost deserted. That night, Moscow began to burn. "Mountains of red, rolling flames," Napoleon recalled later, "like immense waves of the sea. Oh, it was the most grand, the most sublime, and the most terrifying sight the world ever beheld." SOKHOLOV: The Russians burned Moscow themselves. And when Moscow went up in flame, this was the worst blow to Napoleon’s army. Napoleon couldn't stay in Moscow. Fearing the approach of winter but reluctant to abandon his conquest, Napoleon wrote the Tsar proposing negotiations. The Tsar responded with icy silence. After five weeks of waiting, Napoleon bitterly ordered his soldiers home. On October 19, laden with spoils, they marched out of the Kremlin through the Gate of the Savior. It was a warm Fall day. Three weeks later it began to snow. The Russian winter had arrived early. Temperatures fell to twenty-two degrees below zero. Napoleon's soldiers froze in the open countryside. "Our lips stuck together," one soldier wrote. "Our nostrils froze. We seemed to be marching in a world of ice." CASTELOT: You can’t imagine the suffering of the Russian retreat. When they spoke, their breath froze with a little dry sound; their words were freezing in the air. Food ran out. Horses died by the thousands. Hungry soldiers quarreled over the horseflesh. They were fighting starvation, cold, fatigue, disease — and the Cossacks. The Cossacks harried Napoleon’s flanks, tearing at his army as if it were a wounded animal. Russian peasants showed no mercy on the stragglers, torturing the sick and wounded, and anyone left behind

9. Station 4 – Napoleon’s Fall The French army barely existed as a fighting force. Napoleon watched as his army slowly died. Fearing capture, he carried in a little black leather bag tied around his neck a vial of poison. His fighting spirit revived briefly as he fought off hesitant Russian troops to cross the ice-packed Berezina River. The French were forced to retreat, but in Napoleon's eyes it was victory. What remained of his defeated army straggled toward relative safety. Six months before, he had crossed into Russia with more than a half million soldiers, confident of victory. Now, on December 5, rumors of a coup in Paris forced him to abandon his troops and head back to the French capital. • 1a) When did Napoleon realize he had bitten off more than he could chew? • •When the Russians would retreat, burning the countryside behind them. • 1b) Why did the Russians burn Moscow? • •So that Napoleon and his troops couldn’t stay there • 1c) What dealt Napoleon and his troops their biggest blow? defeated Napoleon’s army? • •General Winter (Won’t be the last big name she will defeat) • 2) Napoleon will be exiled from France after this campaign – Would you agree with this decision? • •Yes: Failure of leadership, No: Just one battle

10. Station 5 – Napoleon’s Legacy The Congress of Vienna was held from September of 1814 to June of 1815. After the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte, this international conference was called to create a balance among the European powers in such a way so as to prevent future wars and maintain peace and stability on the European continent. The means of achieving this goal would be through a major reshaping of European interior borders. Important People: Though the conference opened with a series of glittery balls and conferences, the delegates soon got down to work. Mainly, the four major powers of Europe (Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain) were left to make most of the big decisions. Austria sent Prince Klemens von Metternich, the Austrian minister of State who was also acting as a president of the Congress. The Russian Empire was represented by Alexander I, the emperor of Russia. The main delegate from Prussia was Prince Karl August von Hardenberg, and Great Britain was represented by Lord Castlereagh, and later Arthur Wellesley, the first duke of Wellington. This group of major powers decided that France, Spain, and the smaller powers would have no voice in important decisions. However, the French diplomat, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, was successful in allowing France to have an equal voice in the negotiations. Talleyrand became the deciding vote in many of the decisions. Important Decisions: France was deprived of all territory conquered by Napoleon. The French monarchy was restored under the rule of Louis XVIII. Austria was given back most of the territory it had lost and was also given land in Germany and Italy (Lombardy and Venice). Russia got Finland and control over the new kingdom of Poland. Prussia was given much of Saxony and important parts of Westphalia and the Rhine Province. Britain got several strategic colonial territories, and they also gained control of the seas. The Dutch Republic was united with the Austrian Netherlands to form a single kingdom of the Netherlands under the House of Orange. Norway and Sweden were joined under a single ruler. Switzerland was declared neutral and Spain was restored under Ferdinand VII Results of the meeting: The goal of the congress was to re-establish a balance of power among the countries of Europe and have peace between the nations. The Congress proved to be highly successful in achieving its goal, for the peace in Europe was left almost undisturbed for nearly 40 years.

11. Station 5 – Napoleon’s Legacy 1) What was the purpose of the Congress of Vienna? •Create a plan to restore order and stability to Europe after the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars. 2) Was France allowed to have a say in the negotiations of the Congress? •They were allowed to participate in the negotiations but not allowed to have a say in any important decisions. 3) What decisions were ultimately agreed upon at the end of the Congress of Vienna? •France deprived of all conquered territory under Napoleon and borders were restored to Pre-1792 borders. •The French Monarchy was restored (King Louis XVIII) •Many national borders changed in order to strengthen nations near France, which was to supposed to lesson the chance the France would invade its neighbors again. •Countries that aided France lost territory and those that fought against it gained territory.