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In this political accomplishment, Napoleon used the French people's lack of faith in the government to overthrow the Directory. With the support of the French people, he was then established as the first of three consuls in the newly formed Consulate government. The painting in this post is The Coup d'etat of 18 Brumaire, by François Bouchot. It is a representation of Napoleon's Coup in 1799.
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In this economic success, Napoleon established the Bank of France to prevent any financial crisis similar to ones in French history. He also used gold and silver standard backings instead of paper in order to stabilize currency in France. The image included is a representation of the Bank of France.
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In this social reform, Napoleon signed an agreement with Pope Pius VII that recognized the Catholic Church as the religion of France, but it got rid of the church's control in national affairs. It also gave permission to the French people to keep the land they had seized from the church during the French Revolution. The image included is Allegory of the Concordat of 1801, by Pierre Joseph Célestin Fransçois. It is a representation of the agreement that Napoleon signed with the Pope.
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In this social reform, Napoleon created a bunch of government-owned schools called lycées. His lycées were open to male students of all backgrounds, who were able to get into public offices by merrit and not just because of family connections. In reality, Napoleon had the schools made as his recruiting grounds for his officers and officials. The image included is a colored drawing of what a lycée would have looked like.
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In this political accomplishment, Napoleon proclaimed himself First Consul for Life in August, 1802 in order to pass the position of First Consul down by heir even though he did not have a son. Napoleon also did this because there was no guarantee that the Consulate was going to last very long, with the French Revolution not far behind them. The featured image displays Napoleon as First Consul.
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In this social reform, Napoleon established peace in France and the rest of Europe by signing the Peace of Amiens with Britain. Unfortunately for Europe, that peace was short lived because, only a year later, Britain violated the treaty and war broke out again between France and Britain. The picture included is Allegory of the Peace of Amiens, by Dominique Doncre. It represents Napoleon bringing peace to France in 1802.
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In this economic success, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for 15 million dollars. He sold the territory in order to gain money towards his conquests in Europe and to provide a rival for Britain by giving power to the United States. The image included is a representation of the Louisiana purchase, that Napoleon sold to the U.S..
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In this economic success, Napoleon produced a set of laws that he was sure were his greatest work. The laws got rid of many injustices, but in reality it reduced the rights of an individual, got rid of many freedoms gained during the French Revolution, and it reestablished slavery in the French colonies of the Caribbean. The image included is a representation of Napoleon and his Code Napoleon.
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In this political accomplishment, Napoleon used support from French voters to become Emperor. He invited Pope Pius VII to the Notre Dame Cathedral in order to crown him and to make the coronation official, but during the Coronation, Napoleon took the crown from the Pope and placed it on his own head, symbolizing that he was above the church. The image is a painting by Jacques Louis-David that shows Napoleon being crowned in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
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In this military achievement, Napoleon and the Grande Armée arose victorious in what is claimed to be Napoleon's greatest victory. In the campaign, he defeated the British along with the Third Coalition, consisting of Austria, Russia, and Sweden. Napoleon was faced by an army with twice the number of men as his own, but he was able to defeat them by luring the Russian army into a trap and using the terrain to his advantage. The featured painting is, The Battle of Austerlitz, by Francois Gerard.
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In this military achievement, Napoleon destroyed a lot of the Russian army at Friedland. Russian forces were only supposed to be marching by, but the Russian Emperor tried to take out an isolated group of the French troops. The French forces fought hard and held back the Russians until Napoleon amassed a greater army and defeated the Russians. The image included shows Napoleon giving instructions to his generals during the battle.
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After his victory at Friedland, Napoleon forced Alexander of Russia to sign a treaty that ceded 50% of Prussian lands to France. They met on a raft in the middle of the Neman River to sign the treaty. In the treaty, Napoleon also received a promise, saying that if the war with Britain continued, Russia would join the blockade, being use to isolate the British Economy. In the image included, Napoleon meeting with Alexander of Russian in a pavillion set up on a raft.
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In this military achievement, Napoleon defeated the Fifth Coalition, which was Britain and Austria. Napoleon's victory was his last successful campaign. Austria invaded France while their numbers were lower. Through many battles, Napoleon was able to arise victorious. The picture featured is Napoleon at Wagram, by Horace Vernet. It represents Napoleon fighting in one of the major battles. Napoleon should be remembered as a tactically smart leader, who won many wars and became Emperor of France.
