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While in Paris, young Napoleon was met by an angry mob of royalists who were trying to regain power. By using artillery he was able to stop the mob and was highly respected. For this he was rewarded the position of being in charge of defending the French INterior at only 26 years old.
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In order to disrupt the value of trade between Great Britain and India he took a fleet of ships and headed for the Ottoman Empire in Egypt. He easily defeated them but was eventually met by the Admiral Horatio Nelson and the British Navy. He was trapped by the British fleet and surrendered, while losing most of his ships. This defeat impacted him so much mentally that he wanted to cover this loss from the press. He left his fleet with another officer and sailed back to keep is status as a hero.
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As his status as a hero grew, Napoleon's power had grown as well. With him, were his supporters who wanted him to become ruler of France. His supporters surrounded the members of the Directory and forced them to transfer the power over to Napoleon. As voted as the First Consul, with the Second and Third Consul behind him, he would replace the Directory and ultimately become a ruler with a dictator's power.
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When Napoleon became Emperor of France he wanted to make a capital and extend his power to the American colonies across the atlantic ocean. France had owned Louisiana, Florida, and Saint Domingue. When a civil war had broken out in Saint Domingue, Napoleon had sent a fleet of boats in order to recover the sugar plantations and the mess that was made. This expedition had failed and he had to sell Louisiane as a result.
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Napoleon's greed led him to want to rule the entirety of Europe. The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars the led to France's authority over Europe for a period of time. These wars lasted 23 years and kept France in a near-war state for a long time. One enemy of Napoleon were the British. Britain had sided with its allies and tried to overthrow the French. In attempt to invade Britain, Napoleon failed when he was faced with Admiral Nelson who defeated him in the Battle of the Nile.
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As the first consul, Napoleon wanted to bring big changes to France by strengthening his power. His first decision he made was to crown himself Emperor of France. He had submitted a plebiscite that asked the public, whether they want France to become an Empire. They voted "Yes", thus making Napoleon the Emperor of France.
Interestingly enough when Pope Pius VII had come to crown Napoleon, he grabbed the crown and placed it on his on head. Symbolizing his authority over the world. -
With a hatred of Britain, Napoleon did all that he can do make their country worse. With the creation of the Continental System, it did not allow any French or allied ships to trade with Britain. In response to this, Britain had forced all foreign ships to stop at Britain and ask for permission to trade with them. This ultimately led to the peninsula war
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Napoleon who was angered by the Spanish for using guerilla warfare, had responded by killing innocent Spanish civilians. However, the war had given the French army a beating so they surrendered and were driven out of Spain.
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Portugal, who was trade partners with Britain, did not comply to the Continental System because they depend on that foreign relation. Because of this, Napoleon sent over troops to assert his power and remove the king from the throne. He then went on to conquer Spain and took the throne for his brother Joseph. Britain had sent its troops to aid Spain and in response Napoleon had sent more troops. The Spanish fought back using guerilla warfare and killed many of French people in their camps.
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During the time of the French Campaign, Napoleon was faced with different countries threatening to attack France. He had English forces invading Southern France, and Prussian and Austrian forces threatening to attack Paris. He could not stop the coalition from attacking and eventually surrendered to the forces. On April 4th, it was voted by the Senate that his son take the throne after he is abdicated. He would then be sent of to a nearby island of Elba to become the Bourbon King there.
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In order to regain control of France, Napoleon managed to get a ship to send him back to France. Some people were scared and fled to Belgium, while others were excited to hear that their emperor was returning. He had attempted to regain his power with the help of 130,000 troops.
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With his troops marching across Europe, Napoleon was hoping to restore his power. However, the Battle of Waterloo was the last attempt for him. When met by British Commander Wellington and Prussian Officer Blusther, he was defeated in the swampy battle that had over 22,000 casualties.
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After being defeated he had escaped in an attempt to reach America, however he was caught had was exiled to the island of St. Helena. He would eventually go on to ponder on the memories that had made. He went through mood swings, depressions, but even made a garden on the island. His last works before his death were about his wife, Josephine and his army
