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Italian Campaign (green)
The Italian campaigns of the French Revolutionary Wars were a series of conflicts fought principally in Northern Italy between the French Revolutionary Army and a Coalition of Austria, Russia, Piedmont-Sardinia, and a number of other Italian states ending in a victory for France. -
Egyptian Campaign (yellow)
Napoleon's forces managed to sail past Admiral Nelson and the British fleet to land in Egypt. Napoleon's forces immediately won decisive battles against the Mamelukes, including the Battle of the Pyramids. However, the Egyptian campaign did not consist solely of victories. Admiral Nelson, sore that the landing force had evaded his fleet, attacked the French fleet with a vengeance, decimating their ships at the Battle of the Nile and leaving Napoleon's forces stranded in Egypt. -
Consulate (green)
Consulate, (1799–1804) French government established during the French Revolution. The Constitution of the Year VIII created an executive consisting of three consuls, but the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, wielded all real power, while the other two, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès and Pierre-Roger Ducos -
Banque de France (green)
Banque de France, national bank of France, created in 1800 to restore confidence in the French banking system after the financial upheavals of the revolutionary period. Headquarters are in Paris. -
Concordat of 1801 (green)
In the agreement the first consul (Napoleon) was given the right to nominate bishops; the bishoprics and parishes were redistributed; and the establishment of seminaries was allowed. The pope (Pius VII) condoned the actions of those who had acquired church property, and by way of compensation the government engaged to give the bishops and curés suitable salaries. -
Consul for life (green)
Napoleon proclaimed himself First Consul for Life. A new constitution of his own devising legislated a succession to rule for his son (even though he had not yet fathered any children) and he had taken the major steps in creating a new regime in his own image. -
Napoleonic Code (yellow)
Was the main influence on the 19th-century civil codes of most countries of continental Europe and Latin America. Undid some of the Revolutions reforms. -
Declared self emperor (green)
Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor, and made Josephine Empress. His coronation ceremony took place on December 2, 1804, in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, with incredible splendor and at considerable expense. Napoleon even paid for Pope Pius VII, who had signed the Concordat of Rome, to travel to France for the occasion, believing that his presence would imbue the event with a solemn, religious feeling. -
Battle of Trafalgar (red)
Naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, which established British naval supremacy for more than 100 years -
Abolished Holy Roman Empire (green)
The Holy Roman Empire by the time of the 18th century was widely regarded by contemporaries, both inside and outside the empire, as a highly "irregular" monarchy and "sick", having an "unusual" form of government. -
Continental System (red)
The Continental System hurt English industries and helped spur the Luddite protest movement against unemployment in England. Although it stimulated manufacturing in some parts of France, the system damaged regions dependent on overseas commerce. Because the British had an overwhelming superiority at sea, though, enforcing the system proved disastrous for Napoleon. -
Resistance in Spain (red)
The War of Independence—or, as the English call it, the Peninsular War—became for Napoleon the “Spanish ulcer,” and he attributed his defeat in Europe to its requirements for men and money. He was defeated not by the inefficient Spanish regular army but by British troops under the duke of Wellington advancing from Portugal with the aid of Spanish guerrillas. -
Invasion of Russia (red)
The Grande Armée, led by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, crossed the Neman River, invading Russia from present-day Poland. The result was a disaster for the French. -
Battle of Nations at Leipzig (red)
Battle of Leipzig, also called Battle of the Nations, decisive defeat for Napoleon, resulting in the destruction of what was left of French power in Germany and Poland. -
Hundred Days (yellow)
Hundred Days, French Cent Jours, in French history, period between March 20, 1815, the date on which Napoleon arrived in Paris after escaping from exile on Elba, and July 8, 1815, the date of the return of Louis XVIII to Paris. -
Waterloo (red)
Battle of Waterloo, also called La Belle Alliance, Napoleon’s final defeat, ending 23 years of recurrent warfare between France and the other powers of Europe. -
Abdication (red)
Parliament forced Napoleon to abdicate; he did so, in favour of his son. On July 3 he was at Rochefort, intending to take ship for the United States, but a British squadron prevented any French vessel from leaving the port. Napoleon then decided to appeal to the British government for protection. His request granted, he boarded the Bellerophon on July 15. The allies were agreed on one point: Napoleon was not to go back to Elba.