Napoleon

Introduction Napoleon Bonaparte was a short man – just 5 feet 3 inches tall However, he would be recognized as on of the world’s greatest military geniuses

Napoleon Takes Power When the French Revolution broke out, Napoleon joined the military and soon became an officer In 1795, the Royalists tried to attack the National Convention, and Napoleon defended the delegates Within minutes, his army had caused the attackers to flee in panic and confusion

He became the hero of the hour and the French hailed him the savior of the Republic

Coup d’Etat (koo-day-tah) In 1799, the French govt. had lost control of the political situation and the confidence of the people Napoleons friends urged him to take political power In 1799, he drove out the members of the govt. and established himself as “consul” He later declared himself a dictator

This sudden seizure of power is called a coup d’Etat which means “a blow to the state” At the time of his take of power, France was still at war In 1799, Britain, Austria, and Russia joined forces against Napoleon Napoleon stood up to them, and eventually forced them all to sign peace agreements By 1802, France was at peace for the first time in ten years

Napoleon Restores Order In general, Napoleon supported laws that both strengthened the central government but also kept some of the ideas of the Revolution He set up an efficient method of tax collection and crated a national bank He ended corruption in government by firing corrupt officials He set up lycees, or public schools

The graduates of these schools would be appointed to jobs only by merit rather than family connections

The Concordat One place where Napoleon differed from the ideas of the Revolution were with the church Both the clergy and the peasants wanted to restore the church’s power in France So, Napoleon signed the Concordat of 1801 with Pope Pius VII This made a new relationship with the church and France

The agreement stated that France would recognize the influence of the Church but rejected Church control in government affairs

Law Napoleon’s greatest work was his system of law – The Napoleonic Code It gave France a uniform system of law

Napoleon As Emperor? In 1804, Napoleon decided to make himself Emperor On Dec. 2, 1804, he marched to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris wearing a purple robe The Pope was waiting for him with the crown in hand As thousands watched, Napoleon took the crown from the pope and placed it on his own head

By doing this, Napoleon signaled that he was more powerful than the Church which had traditionally crowned the rulers of France