Age of Napoleon

Corsica

Napoleon Rises to Power At 16 yrs. he joined the army of the new government Napoleon favored the Jacobins during the revolution but found changing ideas of the French Revolution confusing Successful in army = more leadership The Directory appointed Napoleon to lead a French army Napoleon won a series of battles crushing the Austrian troops

Coup d’état Napoleon shifted from a victorious general to a political leader In 1799 the Directory had weakened and legislature voted to dissolve it Instead the legislature established a group of three consuls, one was Napoleon Napoleon quickly took control and ruled as a dictator Sudden seizure of power is referred to as a coup d’état

Crowning himself Emperor After conducting a public vote (plebiscite) the people declared France an empire with Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon I Crowned himself emperor – showed power only belonged to himself Many people accepted Napoleon’s dictatorship because it promised stability

Napoleonic Code Security and efficiency replaced liberty, equality and fraternity Restored French economy by controlling prices, encouraging new industries and building roads and canals He set up a public school system (lycees) Reduced government corruption by dismissing corrupt officials

Established a meritocracy – Meritocracy - people advanced in government service based on ability, not on wealth and family Made peace with the Catholic Church Encouraged émigrés to return as long as they take an oath of loyalty Changes won support throughout all of France His most lasting reforms were a code of laws called the Napoleonic Code

Napoleonic Code Positives – included Enlightenment ideas – Expanded freedom of speech – Religious toleration Negatives – Valued order over individual rights – Restored slavery in the French colonies in the Caribbean – took rights away from women such as the right to sell property

Napoleon Builds an Empire He wanted to control all of Europe and reassert French power in the New World He started to look towards the west for more land – New World While he was creating his empire he redrew the map of Europe He added the Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Italy into his empire Dismantled the Holy Roman Empire and replaced it with Confederation of the Rhine, a league of German states

Nationalism As Napoleon conquered more lands around Europe, he awakened a spirit of nationalism in the French people – a recognition that they shared a common language, culture, and history

The Napoleonic Wars As Napoleon’s power grew, he threatened British commerce Britain was one major European power that remained untouched by Napoleon Napoleon waged economic warfare by closing European ports to British goods – Continental System- decree closing of all European ports

Continental System

In 1805, Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and Sweden formed an alliance against France Napoleon attempted to invade England, but was unsuccessful – No match for British navy Two major results from this defeat – Assured supremacy of the British navy – Forced Napoleon to give up his plan of invading Britain

Napoleon Faces Defeat In 1812, Napoleon set to invade Russia At one time Tsar Alexander I of Russia was an ally of Napoleon They planned on dividing Europe if Alexander helped Napoleon with his Continental System Eventually Alexander, unhappy with the economic effect of the system withdrew his support In response Napoleon declared war

Napoleon wanted Moscow for the win By the time Napoleon and his army reached Moscow, the Russians had burned the city Russian winter destroyed Napoleons army Only 20,000 men survived Napoleon abandoned his men, and returned to France to raise more troops

Meanwhile, British forced based in Portugal defeated Napoleon’s Spanish allies Napoleon was defeated yet again NE of Paris in spring 1814 He stepped down from power and went into exile on the island of Elba Louis XVIII, brother of the beheaded Louis XVI came to power

The Hundred Days In March 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba and returned As he entered Paris, Louis XVIII fled to exile and so began Napoleon’s final effort to restore the empire – Known as the Hundred Days He was once again defeated by the British, Russian and Prussian allies at Waterloo Power of the monarchs was restored Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena where he died

Napoleons Legacy Instituted a centralized state with a constitution Conquests spread the ideas of the revolution Created new ideas of nationalism throughout Europe Restoration of monarchies