Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon’s Childhood

• Military School

• Studied Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Caesar.

• October 1795 – Saving the National Convention– Becomes a hero of the government and the people.

• 1796 – Defeats Austria– Becomes most famous general in all of France.

• November 9, 1799 – Seizes control of France.– First Consul– Coup d’etat

Napoleon’s Rise to Power

• 1800 – New constitution is approved by the people, making Napoleon an elected leader.

• By 1802 – Napoleon was in control of France and signed peace agreements with the British, Austrians, and Russians.

December 2nd, 1804

• An “enlightened dictator”– Kept many of the ideas of the Revolution

• National Bank and Tax Collections• Government Leaders

– Dismissed corrupt leaders– Opened schools to train male for leadership.

• Religious Freedom• Napoleonic Code

– Uniform set of laws for the country.– Order and Authority over Liberty.

Emperor Napoleon I

Napoleon’s Conquests

• The Louisiana Purchase - $$$$$

• Annexed the Netherlands, parts of northern Italy, and Switzerland

• British, Russians, Austrians, and Sweden join forces to stop his advances.

Building an Empire

• Battle of Austerlitz – Dec. 2, 1805– He defeats the Russian troops– This forces Austria, Prussia and Russia into

signing peace treaties.

• Battle of Trafalgar – Oct. 21, 1805– Napoleon loses to Admiral Nelson and the

British

• 1. The Continental System– Blockade against Britain backfires.

• 2. Attacking Spain (Peninsular War)– Guerilla warfare in Spain causes the loss of

many of Napoleon’s best troops.• 3. Attacking Russia

– His most famous “blunder”– “Scorched-Earth policy”

Napoleon’s Three Mistakes

• The Grand Alliance– April 1814 – Napoleon forced into terms of surrender.

• Exile on Elba– And the escape – March 1st, 1815

• Fighting King Louis XVIII• Battle of Waterloo – June 18,1815• Exile and Death on St. Helena

• After Napoleon, King Louis XVIII and Limited Monarchy.

• Lessons of the French Revolution & Napoleon

Napoleon’s Defeat