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Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
Born on the island of Corsica in 1769,
(just a year after island came under
French control), Napoleon was a
“Child of the Enlightenment”, who
rose quickly through military ranks
to become a general & hero in
revolutionary France.
Twice he came with
his soldiers to defence
of the Directory. Yet,
while commonly called
a military “genius”, he also
led military campaigns
that had terrible results.
Edmund Burke’s Prediction:
True or False?
Burke (1729-1797) was a British
parliamentarian & political
philosopher sometimes referred to
as the ‘father of conservatism’.
Written straight after the French
Louis
Revolution began, Burke’s
Reflections on the Revolution in
France (1790) was strongly
antirevolutionary, arguing that
revolution would also destroy all
that was good in society, create
disorder, & lead ultimately to the
coming to power of a tyrant seen
as capable of restoring order.
XVI
Revolution
Napoleon I
The Rise of Napoleon
Napoleon entered French military school at age 10, becoming a
professional soldier by age 16
1794, & again in 1795 he helped defend the French regime
against counter-revolution
1796 & 1797 he had spectacular military successes against
Italian & Austrian forces, & Austria forced to accept peace
1797 he again came to the defence of the Directory against its
(& Napoleon’s own) royalist enemies
1798 he invaded Egypt. The campaign became doomed to
failure when his fleet was destroyed by British Admiral Nelson,
(making it impossible for him to get the fresh supplies & men).
By 1802, with continued pressure from the Ottomans & British,
Napoleon forced to completely abandon the Egyptian
campaign. He had personally already left his troops & returned
to France (some say thereby committing treason), in Aug.1799.
The Establishment of the Consulate
9th Nov. 1799, Napoleon, backed by middle
class leaders fearful of royalists & other
counter-revolutionaries, led a coup d'état that
replaced the Directory with the Consulate. (It
was known as the Coup d'état of Brumaire as
it occurred on the 18th of the revolutionary
month of Brumaire).
Under the Constitution of the Year VII (1799)
Napoleon, as First Consul became the most
powerful man in France, & 5 years later, in
1804, declared himself Emperor.
From Consul to Emperor
Napoleon
placing the
crown on his
own head,
instead of being
crowned by the
head of the
Church (1804)
Consul vs. Emperor
Note the plainer
appearance of
Napoleon as
Consul,
compared to the
much more
grand scene of
him once his
imperial
ambition had
been revealed &
he had seated
himself as
Emperor
Napoleonic Reform
While Napoleonic Rule is often taken to signify end of
the French Revolution, it should not be overlooked
that Napoleon instituted several sweeping reforms,
both in France & in the lands he conquered
Napoleon’s reforms included the Napoleonic Code
(codifying & standardizing laws in much of Europe &
contributing to ending feudalism in many areas) & the
general implementation of doctrine of “careers open
to talent” (using best men irrespective of background
& past loyalties). Also introduced rational measures &
practices in administration of Empire, supported the
sciences & expanded scope of education.
Perhaps most impt., however, he brought the order &
stability & sense of unity that the French had been
seeking for so many years
Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon’s rule saw an almost constant series of wars in
Europe. He had risen to power at a time of military crisis, but
defeated &/or made peace with all his enemies by 1802.
(Including the Concordat made with the Catholic Church). After
spending some time on internal reforms & the consolidation of
his power, Napoleon soon turned to vision of establishing a
great empire.
Peace finally made with Britain in 1802, but by 1803 the 2
countries were at war again. By 1805 the British had organized
a new coalition & opposition to France was eventually to
include Prussia, Russia, Austria & Sweden. Again displaying his
military “genius” Napoleon defeated his enemies one by one,
forcing them to accept peace, (notably with Russia in the
Treaty of Tilsit in 1807); Only Britain remaining at war, & she
having only a limited land army. It was only the sixth coalition of
1812-1814 which finally decisively defeated the French.
Napoleon’s “Grand Empire”
FRANCE
Satellite States
Allied States
The Continental System
Napoleon considered an invasion of Britain,
even with its superior navy & natural defence as
an island. Thought that by diverting British ships
to other areas & opening up Channel for 24
hours he could find gap to land a French army
in Britain. With decisive defeat of French navy
(& allied Spanish forces) in Battle of Trafalgar,
even this idea became impossible, & instead
Napoleon turned to economic warfare to
defeat Britain.
The Continental System II
The Continental System was based on idea of
embargo. Industrial Revolution was advancing in
Britain, the center of manufacturing in Europe.
Napoleon believed Britain’s economy would collapse if
it could not sell products on European markets.
Having conquered or allied with all major powers in
continental Europe, Napoleon issued Berlin Decree of
Nov. 1806, forcing rest of Europe to stop importing
from Britain. All, except Portugal, complied, but
embargo ended-up hurting these European territories
more than Britain (!), & ultimately they began to
oppose Continental System. On Dec 31st 1810,
Russia declared it would no longer accept Continental
System. Napoleon felt betrayed by Tsar Alexander I.
Battle of Trafalgar
Reasons for the Failure of the
Continental System
British Counter-Blockade of continental Europe
Insufficient alternative means of transportation
(i.e. alternatives to sea routes)
Infant Industries of mainland Europe unable to
replace previous supply of goods from Britain
Britain made up for lost trade with Europe by
finding new markets around the world
British monopoly of many “luxury goods”
Smuggling
March on Moscow ... & back!
Napoleon’s Russian Campaign
Napoleon raised a massive army, the “Grand Army”
of around ½ a million men (by some estimates more!).
Yet, only about ⅓ were Frenchmen (& thus likely less
committed to his cause). On June 23rd 1812 the
campaign began
Things did not go according to plan! Napoleon had
intended a short campaign, (his army had only 3
weeks worth of supplies), with a decisive battle
against Russian forces close to the Russian border.
The Russians, however, withdrew deeper & deeper
into the Russian heartland forcing Napoleon’s forces
to follow
Napoleon’s Russian Campaign (2)
Many of Napoleon’s men began to die as the harsh
Russian winter set in, & the Russian “scorched earth”
policy (burning the lands they left-behind as they
withdrew) meant that Napoleon’s forces could find little
food or shelter. Hunger & disease spread.
Despite eventually taking control of Moscow, (which
was also put on fire before they entered) Napoleon’s
forces could stay no longer & began to withdraw with
Napoleon having concerns about losing control in
France itself. On the long, cold march back to Paris
many more died, often as a result of Russian “hit-andrun” attacks. Only about 20,000 men made it back!
Napoleon Enters Moscow
The Demise of the “Grand Army”
The light grey area represents the size of the Grand Army as it
advanced to Moscow, the black shows it as it withdrew from Russia
Exile to Elba
After being forced to retreat from
Russia, Napoleon fought a series of
often brilliant battles in an effort to
defend his crumbling empire. But,
odds grew progressively worse as
more states, seeing him weakened,
joined the coalition against him. By
the end of March 1814 Paris was
occupied & on the 11th of April
Napoleon was forced to surrender
unconditionally. He was allowed to
keep the title of Emperor... But his
“Empire” was limited to the small
island of Elba to which he was exiled.
“The Hundred Days”
“The Hundred Days” is name for period during which
Napoleon escaped from Elba & returned to France, raising new
army (less well-trained) & claiming he would now be satisfied
with constitutional monarchy & limited borders for France.
Why did Napoleon begin the Hundred Days? :
- Ambition
- Concern for Family
- Rumors of being exiled further afar
While French people generally greeted their charismatic ruler
enthusiastically, & while unpopular restored Bourbon
monarch – Louis XVIII – had fled, European powers not
convinced by Napoleon’s promises
Napoleon finally defeated by combined force of British &
Prussian troops at Battle of Waterloo that began 18th June 1815
Louis XVIII
Louis XVI
Louis XVIII
Louis XVII
Louis XVIII was brother of
Louis XVI. He was restored
to the throne by the
European powers upon the
defeat of Napoleon. (Louis
XVI’s son having died in
prison in 1795 during the
French Revolution – never
having been officially
crowned). After being
forced to flee during the
Hundred Days, Louis XVIII
returned again to France
where he reigned as king
till his death in 1824.
St. Helena ... THE END!
The German
cartoon on
the right
ridicules the
defeated
Napoleon,
showing him
commanding
an army of
mice during
his exile in
St. Helena
St. Helena in Perspective
The choice of St.
Helena was no
coincidence. Unlike
Elba, this island
was not as pleasant
a location. In the
middle of the South
Atlantic, thousands
of miles from any
major land-mass,
escape was now
virtually impossible.
It was here that
Napoleon was to
die in 1821