Napoleon Bonaparte

1. Napoleon Bonaparte And Romanticism

2. “Power is my mistress.” • State system is dead • Europe must be organized under French hegemony • Administrative reform and Napoleonic Code must spread throughout Europe

3. Father and mother nobility in Corsica Entered Brienne Military Academy at age 9 on scholarship Leadership skills obvious Considered an outsider 1784 enters Ecole Militaire in Paris at age 15 Finished 2-year program in 1 year Becomes officer at age 16 In favor of the Revolution Origins

4. Rationalist and opportunist Romantic: studied Alexander the Great and Hannibal Devoted to his family 1793, defeats Great Britain at Toulon—Brigadier General French military expansion continues under Directory March 1795 Peace concluded with Prussia and Spain War continued with Great Britain and Austria—Directory needed Military Man of Destiny

5. 1795—drove out royalists and saved Revolution Meets Josephine 1796, marries Josephine 1796—goes to Italy to command troops there By November 1797, France has defeated all of her enemies except Great Britain Returns to Paris as a hero Decides to attack GB through Egypt Napoleon’s Rise

6. Napoleon’s Army of the Orient • Attempt to destroy Britain’s Trade with India • 35,000 members • Napoleon’s army moved to Cairo: 15,000 march across desert; 10,000 shipped by barge upriver • Army meets 6,000 mounted Mamelukes and local force of 54,000 and wins

7. Egyptian Campaign • 7/1798—Battle of the Pyramids: Napoleon victorious in Alexandria • Became intellectual campaign

8. Discoveries • Rosetta Stone discovered • Tombs explored • Treasures taken back to France • Josephine unfaithful • Austria, Russia, GB form new coalition: infidelities published

9. GB defeats Napoleon on Water • August 1,1798 French fleet destroyed in Aboukir Bay • Army becomes marooned • Second coalition formed, including GB, Russia, Turkey, Naples, Portugal, Austria • French become bogged down • Napoleon quits Egypt with a few men and guides: sails back to Paris—His victories on land precede him; he is seen as a hero

10. Coup of 18 Brumaire • Directory weak: Abbe Sieyes convinces Napoleon to overthrow the Directory • Napoleon addresses assembly: “Confidence from below, power from above”

11. Assembly shouts down Napoleon He becomes angry Saved by his brother Lucien, who leads army into the Assembly Hall New constitution created: Constitution of Year VIII: three consuls to lead Republican theory: checks and balances Council of State Made Napoleon actual ruler Approved by plebiscite (3,011,077to 1,567) Napoleon as First Consul

12. End of French Revolution? New Constitution of Year VIII could be seen as end of FR Most leading elements of Third Estate had achieved their goals by 1799 Hereditary privilege abolished Peasants also satisfied—they had land, no feudal privileges

13. Maintained order by his policies: Liberal Policies: Employed people from all political groups Gains of peasants confirmed Amnesty to nobles granted Improved education Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII Catholics gain freedom of worship Catholicism is religion of most Frenchmen State named bishops and paid priests Napoleon as First Consul

14. Church gave up property Clergy swore loyalty to state Conservative Order Murdered Bourbon Duke d’Enghien in 1804 Central government controlled Provinces Stopped free speech and press Crushed opposition: secret police developed Stopped free elections 1st Consul, continued

15. Middle class equality Safeguarded property rights Abolished all Privileges of birth State officials chosen by merit Gave men control over their wives Property distributed among all children Married women had to consult their husbands to dispose of property Labor unions forbidden: workers had fewer rights than employers Civil Code 1804

16. Napoleon as Emperor • Fear of Bourbon comeback • 1802 plebiscite: Consul for life • 1804: Napoleon becomes emperor of France • New constitution by plebiscite approves

17. Coronation • Coronation at Notre Dame • Pope comes to crown Napoleon • At last moment, Napoleon takes crown from Pope and crowns himself

18. Napoleon’s personal life • Josephine crowned his empress • By 1809 he wanted blood heirs—Josephine could not give him any • Divorces her, marries Archduchess Marie Louise

19. Military genius, especially in execution of warfare New theory Flexible formations in battle, not fixed ones Divided into moderately sized units Live off land Light-speed maneuvers to bring enemies into battle Great citizen army motivated to fight well 700,000 strong Could risk 100,000 men at a time Military Methods and Conquests

20. Conscripted unprecedented number of soldiers Loyal to France and Napoleon Conquest of Europe: 1801 Austria defeated 1802 Peace with GB Peace of Amiens a truce 1803 Third Coalition formed (Aus, Rus, Swed, GB) Methods and conquests

21. 1805 Battle of Trafalgar • Spain submits to Napoleon; join fleets to sail against England • Meet Horatio Nelson at Trafalgar • 21 October: Fr/SP fleets destroyed; GB loses no ships • GB dominant at sea 100 years

22. Austerlitz • December 2, 1805 • Defeats Austria and Russia • Treaty of Pressburg signed • Napoleon gains Italy

23. 1806 Battle of Jena • Prussia defeated • Berlin Decrees signed Nov 21, 1806 • Prussia loses much territory • Agrees to bar British goods from import

24. Treaty of Tilsit • Alexander I meets Napoleon in 1807 on raft in Niemen River • Russia agrees to Continental system • French territorial gains confirmed • Russia loses land

25. 1806 Holy Roman Empire dissolved Germany re-organized as Confederation of the Rhine New Kingdoms set up with Napoleon’s family/friends on thrones Spain, Italy, Holland, Sweden Napoleonic Code everywhere: end of feudalism and local town oligarchies Continental System and Grand Empire

26. Attempts to destroy GB trade dominance Napoleon rejected idea of free trade Tariff policies favored France Foreign merchants engaged in smuggling GB trades with America and East Continental system hurts Continent Problems begin: Spanish revolt, 1808—against Joseph on throne System at work

27. 1808 Peninsular War saps French strength Britain begins blockade 1810 Russia withdraws from Continental system 1812, march on Russia; 600,000 men Suffers defeat at hands of cold (coldest winter in 100 years) Russian scorched earth policy Retreat of Russians Resistance by entire Russian population Problems for Napoleon

28. Retreat from Moscow • Supply train had been attacked • Typhus rampant among troops • Discipline broke down • At Berezina, soldiers were attacked and panicked • Bridge broke—20,000 died or captured • 100,000 survived retreat

29. Napoleon able to get army together quickly: 350,000 members in 6 months 1813, Russia, Prussia, Austria, GB form 4th coalition Prussian army modernized and reorganized Prussia: 270,000 Seen as German war of Liberation: Battle of Nations: France defeated at Leipzig in Germany Allies take Paris in March, 1814 Napoleon abdicates and exiled to Elba 4th Coalition

30. Viscount Robert Castelreagh (GB) Prince Klemens von Metternich (Aus) Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (Fr) Karl August von Hardenberg (Prus) (Frederick Willhelm) Alexander I (Rus) No power should dominate Balance of Power sets stage for Concert of Europe Policy to contain France Holland made stronger with addition of Aus Netherlands Congress of Vienna

31. Austria given N. Italy Prussia given Rhineland Non-vindictive boundary settlement w/France (1792) Restoration of Monarchies Concert of Europe: Frequent meetings for several years No major general war in Europe for 100 years

32. Napoleon escapes from Elba 1815 Promised liberal constitution and peace Allies declare Napoleon an outlaw 5th coalition formed Battle of Waterloo 1815 Defeated by Prussians and English: Duke of Wellington leads English/von Blucher leads Prussians Napoleon exiled to St. Helena Died from cancer 1821 100 Days