1. Here Comes Napoleon
CHY
Lesson 62

2. Here Comes Napoleon!
Learning Goal: Explain how Napoleon built on the French Revolution to secure his power.
The Basics
What did he do?
What Napoleon a reactionary, a reformer, or a revolutionary?

3. The Basics 1769-1821 Born in Corsica, just recently a French island
More Italian than French
Excellent education at École Militaire in Paris (artillery officer)
Supported revolution because he saw opportunities for his own advancement
Came to note in 1793 by clever use of artillery which made enemy flee
Became Brigadier General at 24

4. Allied himself with Robespierre
When R fell, N was in danger
Spent a month in jail but was saved from the guillotine by his allies
Planned invasion of Italy, became Major-General, married Josephine de Beauharnais (from an important political family)
By 1796, he was set for military glory

5. Young Napoleon: A Rising Star

6. What did he do?
Defeated the Austrians and created the Cisalpine Republic
Negotiated treaties establishing French rule in various parts of Western Europe
1797 ruthlessly put down a royalist plot (‘whiff of grapeshot’)
The Directory stumbled from one crisis to the next and the only thing holding the people’s loyalty was the foreign policy, therefore Napoleon’s importance
1797 Napoleon was asked to invade England- he decided against it and switched to British held Egypt

7. Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800)

8. Not …

9. More likely …

10. Art as Propaganda

11. The Rise of Napoleon
The Egyptian campaign ended in failure… Admiral Nelson defeated the French Navy
Did find the Rosetta Stone!
Abbe Sieyès developed a plan to take power. He looked to N for military support
1799: N abandoned Egypt, returned and was involved in the coup d’etat- not a revolution- all they offered was stability and security (18 Brumaire)
Three consuls were created with Napoleon being First Consul (sound familiar?)

14. Consolidation in France
“Child of the Revolution”
“it was much easier to obtain power in a revolution than it was to hold on to it”
Napoleon had no political agenda and he had military and popular support
Napoleon created a new constitution with most legislative authority resting in his hands- the people were willing to accept the authority of Napoleon over the insecurities and Terror of the last decade
He worked hard to unify the French nation, destroyed the feudal state- created the Napoleonic Code and settled with the Church

15. Consolidation in France
Affirmed Freedom, supremacy of the state and equality of all citizens and the right to pursuit of happiness, property rights were sacred as well
Compared with the rest of Europe the French state was quite modern
Realised people were willing to forget the monarchy but not discard religion.
1801 Concordat: the clergy was affirmed as state employees, seminaries reopened
Pope recognized the revolution because it recognized all of the laws of the French state
The clergy lost all special privileges- Machiavellian
1804: a nation wide referendum was held, the result, Napoleon was voted as ruler for life (hereditary power)

16. Peace in Europe
To retain loyalty Napoleon only had one option- secure the borders (defeat the enemy). France had been at war since 1792
France defeated the first Coalition (Austria, Prussia and England) a new Coalition was formed with Russia replacing Prussia.
1801 Napoleon defeated Austria
became the ruler of all Hapsburg territory and reorganized the Holy Roman Empire (German states)
1802 Russia pulls out
Napoleon signs a treaty with the British. Europe was at Peace for the first time in 1792.

17. War Again
1803: he wanted more -- he thought in terms of an universal empire
Created Revolutionary Army
first mass army and citizen soldiers
professional armies that looked to tactics for victory rather than slaughter
created canned food (“Armies march on their stomach”)
1803 a dispute with England reignited the war-
England was determined to keep the state system of Europe, control the seas and world trade
Most European states sided with Britain

18. The Napoleonic Organization of Europe
1805 had most of Europe (80 million people), only Russia, Britain and the Ottomans had land in Europe
1805 tried to limit British trade (Continental System)
all French subjects must boycott British goods
Britain opened other markets (Latin America & Asia)
Also had the Industrial Revolution.
The Continental System bred resentment of the French as the market only favoured French goods
Napoleon needed to control the next two biggest markets, Spain and Russia

19. Battle of Trafalgar 1805

20. Trafalgar Square, London

22. The End (Part 1)
Marched to Moscow, found it burnt and came home, with most of the French army frozen to death (At the same time his armies are attacking Spain)
Spain pushed the French out, united with the British under the Duke of Wellington France was occupied and Napoleon dethroned…so what do you do with him?
This is the first act of a new system of political affairs- a league of nations sort of idea
Major powers decided to restore the old monarchy

24. Retreat from Russia

25. The Restoration
Louis XVIII became the King of France 1814 (Louis XVI’s older Brother) who had fled France 25 years before
Constitutional monarchy
kept most of the Napoleonic reforms, had a parliament and an independent judicial system
1st Peace of Paris: approved the extended French borders and exiled Napoleon to the island of Elba
Napoleon became the Emperor of Elba

26. Exile in Elba

28. And then he came back…
March 1815: N escaped from Elba, landed in France to renew his empire
The rest of Europe united against him
Raised an army under Wellington
Defeated him at Battle of Waterloo in June 1815
Sent him further away to St Helena (South Atlantic)
Until his death in 1821

29. “Flight of the Eagle”
He’s back!!!!

30. Waterloo 1815

36. Social changes:
Development of Napoleonic Code
Creation of Lycee