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Napoleon Bonaparte – From his Height, to his Fall
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I. Napoleon’s Empire
1. The Grand Empire: from 1807 to 1812, Napoleon was the master of Europe
a. Three parts: the French Empire, dependent states, and allied states
1. He annexed many areas to French control.
2. Abolished the Holy Roman Empire, replacing it with the
Confederation of the Rhine
3. Cut Prussian territory in half.
4. He put relatives on the thrones of allied nations (ie Spain)
b. Principles of legal equality, religious toleration, and economic freedom
c. Nobility and clergy lost their special privileges
d.. French naval defeat Trafalgar by Lord Horatio Nelson of Britain
1. Napoleon had planned a land invasion of Britain.
2. Led to establishment of the Continental System, which was to
prohibit British trade with the continent of Europe.
3. Britain in turn blockaded European ports.
a. Eventually led to the War of 1812 with United States.
4. Continental System fails because British naval power keeps
open important sea lanes.
e. Napoleon’s conquests led to nationalistic reactions by the conquered
peoples
2. The Fall of Napoleon
a. Growing feelings of Nationalism in Europe lead to anti-Napoleon revolts.
1. Spanish resistance is met with bloody oppression. Encourages
further revolts.
2. Spanish patriots used guerrilla warfare to help defeat French
troops in Spain.
3. A British army later secures victory in Spain.
b. After defeating Austria (again), he marries into the Hapsburg family of
Austrian Emperors.
c. Czar Alexander I withdraws from the Continental System. Napoleon
prepares for war on Russia.
d. Invasion of Russia with 600,000 troops in June 1812, led to disaster
and retreat for French. Russians used “scorched earth” policies on their
own fields/towns. “General Famine” and “General Winter”.
b. Allied opponents captured Paris in March 1814, Napoleon abdicates ad
accepts exile to Elba
c. Louis XVIII restored to French throne
d. Napoleon escaped from Elba and reestablishes his rule for 100 days.
e. Defeated by British and Prussians at Waterloo on June 14, 1815
f. Napoleon exiled again, to the island of Saint Helena in the South
Atlantic, where he died in 1821
g. The memory of Napoleon haunted France and Europe for decades
II. Summary of Napoleon
1. Napoleonic Code had a huge impact of spreading the ideas of the
Enlightenment and Revolution.
2. France under Napoleon WAS more democratic than it had been under the Old
Regime. There were elections, more citizens had a right to property and access
to education.
3. Yet, it didn’t go so far as the National Convention had promised the Revolution
would go. There was no Republic.
4. His own success spread Nationalism to all parts of Europe.
5. His sale of the Louisiana Territory to the US would lead to an era of US
expansion.
III. The Congress of Vienna
1. After years of revolution and war, European leaders meet at Vienna to decide
how to restore order and stability.
2. Two Major Goals of the Congress:
a. Protect monarchies throughout Europe.
b. Establish a balance of power so no Napoleon-type rulers could emerge
again.
3.Four Major Players
a. Prince Clemens von Metternich (Austria)
b. Czar AlexanderI (Russia)
c. Lord Robert Castlereagh (Britain)
d. Prince Charles Maurice de Talleyrand (France)
4. The Balance of Power
a. The political map of Europe is literally redrawn.
b. France is surrounded by powerful nations.
c. Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain form the Quadruple Alliance
5. Restoring Monarchs
a. policy of legitimacy
b. restoring monarchies that Napoleon or the French Revolution had
ended.
c. This included France, Portugal, Spain and the Italian states.
6. Problems
a. Borders were redrawn with no thought of which cultures were where.
b. Nationalist feelings are still strong in many places (Germany, Italy)
c. Many rulers had no ties to those ruled (Austria ruling parts of Italy)