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Napoleon Leads leads French Forces in the Battle for Toulon
As a young soldier, Napoleon had little to no power in the French Army. However, he convinced the officers above him that he had a plan that would succeed. Although the battle took a few months, with Napoleon in command, he was able to take the fort within 48 hours and this brought him both promotion and recognition. -
Napoleon is Put In Charge of Defending the French Interior
As a 26-year-old, Napoleon faced off against a mob of royalists trying to regain power in Paris. However, by using artillery to shoot into the mob, he was able to force the mob to flee and as a reward, was put in charge of defending the French interior. -
Napoleon's Greed for Power
As Napoleon's status as a national hero grew, he became greedy for political power. During this time, the Directory legislature was extremely weak and ineffective, and many French citizens feared for the worst. Supporters of Napoleon surrounded the Directory legislature and forced them to turn the government over to Napoleon. During this coup d'etat, Napoleon became a dictator. -
Napoleonic Wars
This series of wars were started by Napoleon in his quest to conquer all of Europe. Great Britain was still France's biggest enemy and England organized coalitions and gathered funds to help strengthen resistance against Napoleon all across Europe. An example of some wars are the Battle of Trafalgar, which Napoleon lost against England, and the Battle of Austerlitz, in which Napoleon defeated Russian and Austrian troops. -
Napoleon Crowns Himself
Napoleon submitted a plebiscite and proved that the French voters supported him. Napoleon thus became known as Emperor Napoleon I. However, this is not all. As all emperors and kings are crowned, Pope Pius VII came from Rome to crown Napoleon. However, as the Pope was about the place the crown on Napoleon's head, Napoleon took it and crowned himself. This action symbolized that no one gave Napoleon authority... he took it for himself. -
Age of Napoleon
Even as Napoleon dominated other nations, he also strengthened the power of France's central government. He made many reforms in church-state relations, economics, and laws and education. For example, he put into place the Concordat, established the Bank of France, and created the Napoleonic Code. These actions revolutionized France and helped fuel the spread of nationalism. His impacts even made people that he conquered feel nationalism towards him. -
Continental System
As Great Britain's economy heavily relied on overseas trade, Napoleon came up with the idea of disrupting trade in England to weaken their ability to fund the rebellion against him. Napoleon created the Continental System which prohibited French or allied ships from trading with England. In response, however, England also enforced trade restrictions by requiring all ships from neutral countries to stop in British ports for permission to trade with France. -
Napoleon's Europe
Napoleon was a dominant force in Europe. He managed to take control of most of Europe through treaties, alliances, and victories in battle. Only Great Britain, Sweden, Portugal, and the Ottoman Empire were not ruled by Napoleon. Since Napoleon could not rule all of Europe alone, he placed many of his relatives in power of the European nations he conquered. -
Napoleon Faces Russia
Napoleon decided to move into Russia to attack Czar Alexander I's troops. However, as the French army went deeper into Russia, they encountered very few Russian troops and found the capital of Moscow to be deserted and in flames. Napoleon, knowing that he could not support his troops in Moscow through the winter, had no choice but to retreat. The French troops turned back the way they came and faced the Russian winter. This winter did what no military was able to do: decimate Napoleon's troops. -
Napoleon's First Exile
The disaster Napoleon faced in Russia gave his enemies hope. Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain all allied themselves against France and defeated Napoleon's forces in Leipzig, and eventually entered Paris in triumph. Napoleon was forced to give up his throne but was allowed to still be the empire of a small Mediterranean island named Elba. -
Napoleon's Escape and the Hundred Days
Napoleon managed to escape after a year in exile. As these rumors spread, the newly crowned king, King Louis XVIII panicked and fled to Belgium. There were mixed feelings in France about his return, but regardless, he arrived in Paris to cheering crowds which began the Hundred Days, a brief period of renewed glory for Napoleon and of problems for his enemies. -
Battle of Waterloo
The final confrontation was at Waterloo in Belgium. Napoleon's troops would face the British troops led by the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon's troops were unable to fend off the combined strength of the British and Prussian forces and were eventually driven off by the end of the day. This defeat marked the end of Napoleon's military career and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. -
The End of Napoleon
Napoleon fled to a port and tried to escape to America when he was captured. This time, he was exiled to Saint Helena, a volcanic island in the South Atlantic some 1200 miles from the nearest mainland. He was unable to escape and died six years later at the age of 51.
