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It helped end the French Revolutionary wars in favor of France. -
Hoping to disrupt British trade with India, Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt. It proved to be a disaster, but Napoleon managed to hide stories of the worst losses from his admirers in France. -
By 1799 Napoleon moved from victorious general to political leader. That year he helped overthrow the weak Directory and set up a three-man governing board known as the Consulate. -
The banque de France was created to restore confidence in the French banking system after financial upheavals of the revolutionary period. -
In 1802, Napoleon had himself named consul for life. -
He invited the pope to preside his coronation in Paris. During the ceremony however, Napoleon took the crown from the pope’s hands and placed it on his own head By this action, Napoleon meant to show that he owned his throne to no one but himself. -
Napoleon’s new code of laws embodied Enlightenment principles such as equality, religious toleration, and the abolition of feudalism -
In 1805, Napoleon prepared to invade England. But at the Battle of Trafalgar, British Admiral Horatio Nelson smashed the French fleet. With an invasion ruled out, Napoleon struck at Britain’s lifeblood, it’s commerce. He waged economic warfare through the continental system. -
Portugal did not comply with the continental system. So Napoleon planned to invade Portugal but he wanted Spain’s help but Spain refused, leading up to The Spain’s Ulcer. -
He abolished the tottering Holy Roman Empire and created a 38 member Confederation of the Rhine under French Protection. Helped create a new Germany -
Due to Portugal not comply with the continental system Napoleon tricked the king and prince to Come to France, and imprisoned them. After Napoleon makes his brother king of Spain the Spanish rise up in rebellion. See this the British joined in pushing the French back
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In 1812, Napoleon continued his pursuit of European domination and invaded Russia. This campaign began a chain of events that eventually lad to his downfall. -
The disaster in Russia changed the course of the Napoleonic Wars. Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia formed a new alliance against the weakened France. They defeated Napoleon in the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig. -
After Napoleon lost in 1813 he stepped down from power. The victors exiled him to Elba. Then the people of France recognized Louis the 18 as the new king of France. However many émigrés rushed back to France bent on revenge, as a result loyalty rekindled to Napoleon. As a result Napoleon escaped from Elba and then in March 1815, Napoleon entered Paris in triumph. -
After Napoleon triumphed in Paris he only only got to shine 100 day’s, afterwards he was defeated the battle of Waterloo.
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Napoleon’s triumph was short-lived. On June 18, 1815, British and Prussian forces crushed the French in an agonizing day-long battle. Once again Napoleon was forced to abdicate and to go into exile on St. Helena.