The Age of Napoleon In 1806 Napoleon Bonaparte, the emperor of France, commissioned the construction of the Arc de Triomphe as a monument to his victories. The Arc de Triomphe stands 50 m (164 ft) tall and 45 m (147 ft) wide at the western end of the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The inner walls of the arch bear the names of many of Napoleon’s generals and military victories.

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte is considered to be one of the greatest military geniuses of the 19th century. He conquered most of Western Europe and Egypt for France. He created changes in these new territories that guaranteed civil rights and improved the quality of life. He crowned himself emperor of France in 1804 and introduced changes that were supposed to unify the French people after the Revolution. Many of Napoleon’s ideas are still used in France today.

Napoleon Bonaparte and the First French Empire Napoleon Bonaparte joined the military at age 16 (in 1785). He won some early battles and helped disperse crowds during the French Revolution ( ). In 1796, he was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals in a row and forced Austria to make peace. France got to keep the land that Napoleon had conquered. In 1798, to try to stop the British from trading with the East, he led an expedition to Egypt, where he again won the battle. His fleet, however, was destroyed by the British, and he was left stranded. This didn’t seem to affect him; he revised the Egyptian government and laws, abolished slave labor, and guaranteed citizens’ basic rights. Meanwhile, France was facing a new coalition: Austria, Russia, and Britain. To view a map of Europe at the time of Napoleon’s conquests, view this website:

Napoleon as Military Genius Napoleon decided to leave his army in Egypt and return to save France in In Paris, he joined a conspiracy against the government. In the coup d’etat (military takeover) of November 9-10, 1799, he and his group took over and established a new power (the Consulate). Under its constitution, Napoleon had almost a dictatorship. For more information on Napoleon, visit this website: ml

Crowned Emperor Napoleon I: reinventing the Roman Empire The constitution of France was revised in 1802 and again in In 1804, it crowned Napoleon as Emperor. The French people were in favor of it overwhelmingly. He created a general European peace by making the Rhine River as the eastern border of France. He also came to an agreement with the pope; this made the French people happy because the French government had been in a quarrel with the Roman Catholic church since the Revolution. He reorganized the French government, simplified the court system, and put all of the schools under governmental control. He rewrote French laws to make them the same throughout the whole country. He guaranteed the rights of the French citizens, including freedom of religion and equal laws.

Napoleon’s Conquests In April 1803 Britain tried to start a war with France again because they thought that Napoleon was too aggressive. Two years later Russia and Austria joined up with the British to fight against France. When this coalition was formed Napoleon decided to stop attacking the British and go after the Austrians and Russians, defeating them both in In 1806 he took over parts of Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Holland. He gave control over these countries to his relatives. At the same time Napoleon had been trying to bankrupt the English people by blocking others in Europe from purchasing goods from the British. Between 1809 and 1811 Napoleon continued to take over other countries in Europe.

Napoleonic Rule in Europe In all of the new kingdoms created by the emperor, the “Napoleon Code” was the law. He abolished feudalism and serfdom, and created freedom of religion (except in Spain). Every place was given a constitution that had a bill of rights. The government and judicial systems had to be like France’s. Schools were controlled by the government and were free to the citizens. Colleges were open to everyone that qualified, no matter what the person’s class or religion was. Every country had an academy for studying arts and science. The government paid important scholars, especially scientists, for their research. The people of Europe did not appreciate all of these benefits that Napoleon gave to them until after he was out of power.

The Invasion of Russia PARTE6.html In 1812 Napoleon launched an invasion into Russia that ended in disaster. All of Europe united against him, and although he fought brilliantly against them, the odds were impossible. In April of 1814, part of his army refused to continue fighting. He tried to step down and allow his son to take control but the other European nations refused to recognize his son.

Exile to Elba Elba is located off the coast of Italy. When the European allies refused to accept his son as emperor, he was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba. His wife and son were sent to Austria, where her father was the emperor. He never saw either one of them again.

Waterloo This picture is from a re-enactment at Waterloo. Napoleon soon tried to make a dramatic comeback. In March of 1815 he escaped from Elba, reached France, and marched on Paris, winning over the troops sent to capture him. In Paris, he officially announced a new and more democratic constitution. This caused many of his old friends to support him. He asked for peace from the European allies, but they outlawed him. He decided to strike back at them by going into Belgium. This ended in defeat for him at the Battle of the Waterloo on June 18, In Paris, crowds begged him to keep fighting but the politicians did not support him. He ended up surrendering to the British leader (Wellington). Again, he was exiled; this time he was sent to Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Napoleon died there from stomach cancer on May 5, 1821.

Further Information Websites: Resources: Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe 99 software