Napoleon’s Empire Collapses FALL FROM POWER (1806-1815)

1) Continental System (1806) CAUSES: a. Battle of Trafalgar: unable to invade Britain, but still wants to defeat them b. Wants to hurt Britain’s economy (“nation of shopkeepers”, sell manufactured goods to the rest of Europe)

1) Continental System (1806) EFFECTS: a. Smuggling: British Navy had better ships and broke through Napoleon’s blockade. b. Economics: Blockade hurt European countries worse than it hurt Britain! (They needed to buy Britain’s manufactured goods)

2) Peninsular War (1808-1813) CAUSES: Portugal refused to follow the Continental System (Napoleon marched his army through Spain to get to Portugal) Nationalism: Napoleon removed the Spanish king (a Bourbon…Old Regime). He put his brother Joseph on Spain’s throne. The Spanish revolted at having a French king!

2) Peninsular War (1808-1813) EFFECTS: Guerrilla Attacks: Spanish guerrillas ambushed Napoleon’s troops. Poisoned wells and cut supply lines. Received funding from Britain. “Spanish Ulcer”: war dragged on and bled the life out of Napoleon’s army. Lost 300,000 men during Peninsular War.

3) Invasion of Russia (1812-1814) CAUSES: Grand Duchy of Warsaw: Czar Alexander of Russia was angry at Napoleon for taking Russian land to create this country (Poland) Continental System: hurt Russia’s economy, Czar continued to sell grain to Great Britain

3) Invasion of Russia (1812-1814) EFFECTS: Scorched-earth policy and Russian winter forced Napoleon’s army to retreat (starved and froze to death) Napoleon left Russia with only 10,000 in his army (he had entered Russia with 420,000 men, and planned to continue on to India!)

4) Napoleon Suffers Defeat (1814) CAUSE: After losing 300,000 in Spain and 410,000 in Russia, Napoleon had to raise a new army No more French soldiers left—only young boys and men from other countries in the Empire! These soldiers were not well trained!

4) Napoleon Suffers Defeat (1814) EVENT: Napoleon lost the Battle of Leipzig as he retreated through Germany. He wanted to fight on but his generals refused. EFFECTS: -The Great Powers that fought Napoleon forced him to give up his throne -They exiled him to Elba, a small island off Italy’s coast (near Corsica!)

5) Hundred Days/Final Exile (1815) CAUSE: Great Powers forced France to accept King Louis 18th (King Louis 16th’s brother)! Back to Old Regime…France is angry! EVENT: Napoleon escaped from Elba, raised a new army, and regained Emperor’s throne (this lasted about 100 days). EFFECT: Great Powers (Britain, Prussia, Austria mostly) gathered a new army and defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium, 1815. This time, they exiled him to St. Helena in the South Atlantic. He died there in 1821.