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On November 9, 1799 when Napoleon came back from Egypt, he was put Napoleon in power as First Consul under the Coup of 18 Brumaire. This coup replaced the Directory with the French Consulate in which there were 3 consuls. Napoleon then claimed position of First Consul. This event can often be described as marking the end of the French Revolution. This is a political accomplishment for Napoleon because it shows he had the power to overthrow the Directory and replace it with the French Consulate.
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In January of 1800, a plebiscite (a vote that comes from the people) was organized to back the new constitution known as the Constitution of the French Consulate. Since the people wanted Napoleon as their elected leader, the vast majority of the people encouraged the new constitution and voted for it. This constitution gave complete power to Napoleon as First Consul. This was a political accomplishment for Napoleon because he now had total power in the place of First Consul.
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On January 18, 1800, the Bank of France (Banque de France) located in Paris, France, was established by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Bank of France was created to recover from the economic suffrage from the revolutionary period. This bank was able to reinforce the French economy by providing paper bills that were funded by a gold reserve. For France, this was a major economic success because it helped them recover from the debt of the revolutionary period.
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On June 14, 1800, Napoleon won the Battle of Marengo which was a big military achievement. This battle came at the end of the Second Italian Campaign where Napoleon led his army over the alps because troops of the Austrian army attacked people of the French army. The Battle of Marengo helped to solidify Napoleon's power as First Consul and got rid of the Austrians attacking his troops in Italy.
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On July 15, 1801, an agreement was brought up between Napoleon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII. Napoleon wanted to make things better between the French Government and the Roman Catholic Church after taking land from them during the French Revolution. Napoleon wanted to do this to re-establish the Catholic religion and get on better terms. Signing this Concordat also made the Roman Catholic Church the main church in France. This was a very major social reform.
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On May 1, 1802, Napoleon restructured the French educational system. Napoleon passed a law that established public education. He restarted and rebuilt the primary schools for the average boy. Also, he built a lot of lycees which was an elite set of schools for only the smartest boys and was run by the government. This was a major social reform considering that he introduced an entire new educational system and promoted greater education.
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On May 3, 1803, Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States for 15 million usd. Napoleon had 2 goals in mind with this sale. The first is to obtain funding to improve things in Europe. The second was to penalize the British by fortifying the United States in hopes that the US would eventually defeat the British which he believed would ultimately benefit him. For these reasons Napoleon viewed this sale as an economic success.
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On March 21, 1804, Napoleon introduced a system of laws in which he thought was his greatest achievement. This system of laws is called the Napoleonic Code. Napoleon saw this as a social reform. The Napoleonic Code gave France a set of laws which were set in stone and got rid of a lot of injustices. Under this set of laws, it limited the amount of freedom the people had and instituted more governing around people's lives. People chose to to give up some of their rights in return for equality.
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The code promoted that equality comes first, then the law for every citizen. It also abolished the system of Feudalism. Parts of the Napoleonic code are still followed today.
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On December 2, 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor in the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris. For Napoleon, this was a huge political accomplishment because by crowning himself, this showed that he would not be controlled by any other entity or person other than himself. The Pope was supposed to perform the coronation which was tradition in France but Napoleon did it himself. With this act of defiance he was showing that he had more power than the church.
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On December 2, 1805, the Battle of Austerlitz took place near Austerlitz in Austria. This battle is widely known as the greatest battle in the Napoleonic Wars won by Napoleon. The Battle of Austerlitz ended the War of the Third Coalition with the signing of a treaty known as the Treaty of Pressburg which was signed by the Austrians after they lost. This was a French victory and a major military achievement for Napoleon.
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The Continental System (Continental blockade) was designed by Napoleon I against Britain to stop their trade. On November 21, 1806 Napoleon introduced the Berlin Decree which prohibited British commerce between countries that were taken by the French or had alliances with the French during the Napoleonic wars. Napoleon did this to weaken their economy and make them suffer which was his goal. This system affected Britain's economy which Napoleon saw as an economic success for the French.
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On June 14, 1807, the Battle of Friedland was another major battle in the Napoleonic Wars. This battle took place in Friedland, Prussia and was between the French and Russian Empires. Napoleon's army took the victory for this battle with the Russian army losing over 40% of its troops. This battle was payback for an earlier battle in February known as the Battle of Eylau and forced Russia to agree with the French's Treaty of Tilsit.
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This battle was a major military achievement which set Napoleon up as the master of West and Central Europe.
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In July of 1807, 2 treaties were signed by Napoleon after Napoleon took the victory in the Battle of Friedland. The first treaty was signed on July 7, 1807 with Emperor Alexander I and Napoleon I.
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The second treaty was signed between Prussia and Napoleon I on July 9, 1807. These treaties ended the war between Russia and the French Empire and created an alliance between the two. This was a military achievement because the Russian Empire and the French Empire now had an alliance which further strengthened Napoleon's military position.
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With one of his greatest accomplishments being the Napoleonic Code, he enforced equality amongst every citizen to better the people. Napoleon has had many economic, military, social, and political achievements and his legacy has lasted for hundreds of years and will most likely last for hundreds more.
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Napoleon Bonaparte, also known as Napoleon I, should be remembered as one of the greatest military leaders of the modern age. He led the French army through the Napoleonic wars with many victories, and created many alliances which bettered his position as an emperor and a military general. He constructed the largest empire in the modern age and ran it mostly on his own.
