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Napoleon's Birthday
Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica. He grew up with values of strength and pride. -
Graduates Military School
He graduated military school when he was 16 and later he became a lieutenant in artillery part of the military. He fought for the new government during the revolution. This was the beginning of his journey towards power. -
Fight against royalists
Napoleon got an assignment to protect the delegates of the National Convention from the royalists. He quickly drove out the attackers due to his military experience. He became known as the hero of the hour and his power steadily rose. -
Becomes leader of army
Napoleon was appointed to lead the army to fight against Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. This was his first big role in the army after his fame gained from when he protected the delegates from the National Convention. He fought many battles and had many victories. -
Travels to Egypt
Napoleon was sent to Egypt to break up the trade between India and England. He hoped to be able to take control of the trade routes. However, he was unable to win against the British army and he returned to France. The reports of his lost were never made public so he still had a good view in the eyes of the public. -
Coup de 'Etat
When Napoleon returned to France he saw an opportunity to gain power because the Directory had lost control of the political situation. The French people favored Napoleon because of his great leadership skills. He was able to turn his army against the Directory, but he only threatened them. Overall, his rise to power was bloodless. -
Some accomplishments as ruler of France
After Napoleon took control of France he wanted to create a stable economy for people by collecting taxes and setting up a banking system. He also sought to cleaning up the government by dismissing corrupt officials. He filled these roles with people he thought were fit for the job. To rekindle the relationship of the church and the state he signed a concordat. Finally, he created a system of laws called the Napoleonic code. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor
Napoleon decided to crown himself emperor in 1804. This was interesting because normally the pope would crown the king, but Napoleon put the crown on himself. -
Continetal system
Napoleon set up a blockade to stop trade with other lands. By doing this he hoped that he could destroy Britain's economy and make Europe more self-sufficient. However, his plans failed because people disregarded the blockade and smugglers got in and out. In the end this weakened Britain's economy but it didn't destroy it like he hoped. Britain responded to this by making a blockade of their own. This was one of the three big mistakes Napoleon made as leader of France. -
Peninsular war
Napoleon wanted to make Portugal accept the continental system and he sent an invasion force through Spain. The Spanish people protested this so Napoleon removed the king of Spain and replaced him with his brother. This only angered the Spanish people more so people called guerrillas would ambush the French army. This led to the Peninsular War where Napoleon lost a lot of troops. -
Invasion of Russia
Napoleon made an alliance with Russia. However, this alliance failed because Russia kept sending grain to Britain and they both wanted to invade Poland. So, Napoleon decided to invade Russia instead. When he attacked the Russians retreated and they set fire to crops and other livestock. This is called scorched earth policy. Finally when Napoleon made it to the capital it was up in flames and the winter was setting in. When his troops were weak and freezing the Russians attacked and won. -
Controlling most of Europe
By the year 1812 Napoleon's empire was at its largest point. His empire stretched across most of Europe. -
March
After his battle with the Russians Napoleon was exiled to Elba. Later Napoleon was able to escape the island and when he marched through France people welcomed him back and joined him in his march. This was a big moment for Napoleon. -
Battle of Waterloo
Short after Napoleon regained power in France the other nations prepared for battle. Napoleon met the British army and fought in Waterloo. He was able to fight against the British but he wasn't expecting the Prussian army to show up. Not soon after the Prussians arrived the French army gave way and was chased from the battlefield. Napoleon was then exiled the St.Helena where he would spend the rest of his days. -
The rest of Napoleons days
Napoleon lived out the rest of his days on St.Helena after he was exiled by the British in his last attempt for power in France. Overall, I think Napoleon made some really good changes to France in his early days such as building a stable economy and making education a priority. Over time however he seemed to become more and more power hungry and did things that in the end contributed to his downfall. For example, he fought against Russia in winter and he forced people to accept his blockade.