1. Rise & Fall of Napoleon’s Empire
Mr. Stowinsky
World History

2. Napoleon Seizes Power
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the island of Corsica
Sent to military school at age 9
Became an artillery lieutenant at age 16
Saved the French Republic by defending the National Convention from royalist rebels
Fought many battles in Austria, Italy, and even Egypt

3. Coup d’etat – sudden seizure of power
Republic was weakened. Napoleon named himself first consul and battled Britain, Austria, and Russia
Kept many of the laws and ideas of the Revolution
Fired corrupt officials and set up public schools
Napoleonic Code – universal law set that limited liberty and promoted order and authority over individual rights
Crowned emperor of France in 1804

4. Napoleon Creates an Empire
Napoleon sold France’s last North American lands to the United States – The Louisiana Purchase
Conquered the Austrian Netherlands and parts of Italy
Britain, Russia, Austria, and Sweden all teamed up to fight him… and lost.
Battle of Trafalgar – only major battle Napoleon lost. British navy became stronger than the French and forced Napoleon to give up trying to invade Britain
Most of Europe was part of Napoleon’s Empire but only lasted 5 years –

5. Section 2 Napoleon’s Empire Collapses
Napoleon made 3 huge mistakes
1. The Continental System
Blockade – forcible closing of ports
Closed off all ports from and trade with Britain
Many ports and officials ignored the blockade or allowed smugglers in anyway
Britain also set up a better blockade because they had a stronger navy

6. 2. The Peninsular War
Napoleon sent a group of invaders through Spain to invade Portugal
The Spanish protested, and Napoleon got rid of their king and made his brother king
Guerrillas – small groups of fighters that lead surprise attacks
Britain sent troops to help Spain.
Peninsular War – Spain & Britain vs. France

7. 3. The Invasion of Russia 1812 – Napoleon attempted to invade Russia
As the French advanced, the Russians pulled back
Scorched-earth policy – burning grain fields and killing livestock so the enemy has nothing to eat
Only 10,000 of the original 420,000 French troops made it out of Russia

8. Napoleon’s Downfall
All of the main powers of Europe were not at war with a weakened Napoleon
He raised a second army, but it was untrained and easily beaten
Napoleon was exiled to Elba Island, off Italy’s coast
The French hated their new king and wanted Napoleon back, so he escaped Elba and took back the throne

9. European nations sent armies to once again defeat Napoleon
Waterloo – small town in Belgium where Napoleon was finally defeated
Hundred Days – Napoleon’s short second time as emperor
Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic
Died in 1821 of stomach issues