1. Rise & Fall of an Emperor
The Age of Napoleon
Rise & Fall of an Emperor

2. The Man from Corsica
During the revolution he moved up the ranks from Lieutenant to General by defeating the British, Austrians and Hapsburgs

3. Early Success He became a political figure and overthrew the Directory
He created a 3 man governing board called the Consulate, making himself the First Consul for life

4. A Self-made Man
After gaining enough power, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor
Rise to power came with the support of the French people because he held a plebiscite
Plebiscite ballot allowing voters to vote yes or no, each step of the way

5. Napoleon Crowning Josephine Empress

6. Reforms He regulated economy Encouraged industry
Placed public schools under his strict control of government
Allowed émigrés – nobles & clergy that fled France, to return as long as they took an oath of loyalty
Let peasants keep the land they had bought from the church & nobles
Created the Napoleonic Code

7. Napoleonic Code Gave equality of all citizens before the law
Religious toleration
Advancement based on merit
However women were not considered citizens
The only people that opposed him were royalists and republicans

8. The Grand Empire
Napoleon conquered most of Europe through annexation or forced alliances from Spain to Russia
He placed his family on the thrones of Europe so his heirs would also rule Europe

9. Napoleon’s Empire

10. Napoleon’s Family

11. France Versus Britain Battle of Trafalgar
Admiral Nelson defeated the French fleet stopping Napoleon from invading Britain

12. Successes and Failures
Napoleon’s attempts at hurting British commerce failed because much of Europe smuggled goods

13. Challenges to Napoleon’s Empire
The Napoleonic Code spread across Europe as France conquered new lands
Brought reforms like:
Abolishing titles of nobility
Ending serfdom
Opening careers to men of talent

14. Nationalism
Nationalism was one of the many ideas that the French Revolution and Napoleon spread to the rest of Europe
Caused the countries he conquered to unite and rebel against him

15. Russian Campaign
To avoid fighting Napoleon the Russians retreated eastward
Burned crops and villages along the way

16. Defeat in Russia
When winter set in, the troops had no food so Napoleon retreated
Out of 600,000 troops only 20,000 survived

17. Downfall of Napoleon
After his defeat Napoleon abdicated from his throne and was exiled to the island of Elba, making Louis XVIII king of France

18. Napoleon Returns
Louis XVIII accepted the Napoleonic code but economic depression occurred once again and people feared that things would revert back to before the revolution
Napoleon escaped from Elba, gained the support of the army
Louis XVIII fled and he became emperor once again

19. Waterloo
His final defeat causing him to be exiled once more

21. Legacy of Napoleon
The Napoleonic Code secured the changes of the revolution
France became a centralized state with a constitution
Many people gained the right to vote and own property
Napoleon’s conquests spread the ideas of revolution

22. The Congress of Vienna
Kept the balance of power over the next 100 years by surrounding France with countries that were strong
They restored the legitimate monarchs, that Napoleon had unseated, back to their thrones
Created the Concert of Europe as a peacekeeping organization