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Napoleon's Beginnings
Napoleon was born in Corsica in 1769. Growing up, he went to military school and later was a lieutenant. He then decided to join the government army of France. -
"Hero of the Hour"
A group of rebels attacked the National Convention. Napoleon protected the delegates and drove the mob away with a cannonade. Napoleon became a hero and was greatly admired after his actions. -
Napoleon Seizes Power
Napoleon’s troops drove out the members of the national legislature since France’s political situation was a complete mess. The directory was dissolved and consuls were named, one of them being Napoleon. Napoleon took the power of a dictator and became the ruler of France. -
Napoleon is Elected
After his seize of power, Napoleon acted like the legal leader of France. However, he was technically never chosen as the ruler of France until the year 1800, when a plebiscite took place and he was elected as leader. He now officially had control over France. -
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Conquering Europe
Napoleon conquered several regions of Europe, including the Austrian Netherlands, parts of Italy, among other places. He and his army were excellent; they won most battles they fought and were incredibly skilled and unpredictable. Several countries like Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed peace treaties with France after they realized he was almost undefeatable. -
American Lands
Napoleon wanted to conquer the island of Saint Domingue. However, the French were affected by diseases and were defeated by the powerful rebel fighters. Napoleon decided to give up on trying to conquer American territory and focused only on Europe. -
Napoleonic Code
Napoleon was most proud of his law system, which he called the “Napoleonic Code”. It was an organized set of laws he created for France during his rule. Although the laws promoted equality, they actually restricted several individual rights and gave the people less freedom. -
Napoleon Crowned as Emperor
Napoleon decided to name himself emperor of France. As the pope was about to put the crown on his head, Napoleon took it from the pope’s hands and placed it on his head. His actions showed how Napoleon thought of himself as superior to even the Church. -
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was the only battle that Napoleon lost, but it was an extremely important one. Horatio Nelson, the British commander, defeated him in a naval battle near the southwest Spanish coast by splitting the French fleet and capturing ships. This major loss caused Napoleon to give up on conquering Britain, his most powerful enemy. -
Continental System
Napoleon planned a blockade (closing of ports) to cut off trade between Britain and other countries of Europe. Unfortunately, Napoleon's blockade wasn’t successful. While the blockade did affect the British people's trade, it was not able to end it. The British created their own blockade as a response, and they had a much better navy, which was why they were victorious. In 1812, the Congress declared war on Britain; the war lasted two years. -
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Highest Peak of the Empire
The French Empire was in its prime time for only five years. Although it was extremely large, it was unstable and collapsed after this time period. Napoleon was the main cause of why the empire was crushed, since he was too ambitious and was never satisfied. -
Peninsular War
This war was Napoleon's second large mistake. He sent his troops to invade Spain, and the spanish people were not happy with what Napoleon had just done. Napoleon kicked out the Spanish king and gave the power to his brother. For six years, Spanish peasant fighters (guerillas) attacked the French. During the war, Napoleon lost around 300,000 of his men. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
This event was Napoleon's most tragic error. Napoleon decided to invade Russia because the Russian czar, Alexander I, was not willing to stop selling grains to Britain. In June 1812, Napoleon and his 420,000 men stormed Russia. Alexander decided to respond by burning fields and getting rid of the food supplies of the enemies. -
Battle of Borodino
The Russian and French armies confronted each other in the Battle of Borodino. The Russians let Napoleon to move into Moscow. Seven days later, the city was burnt down by Alexander. Napoleon's armies decided to run back to France after this. Many soldiers died during the battle of Borodino; only 10,000 soldiers were left to fight. -
Napoleon is Defeated and Exiled
Napoleon put together another army, but, the army he had just made was not trained and unprepared. Napoleon was defeated by the experienced armies of his allies. He wanted to continue fighting, but his generals were not willing to do so. He gave up his throne and was exiled to Elba. -
Louis XVIII takes the Throne
Louis XVIII took the throne in France, but he was not liked by the people, especially for peasants. They thought he wanted to undo the work of the Revolution. This news caused Napoleon to try and get back the power he used to have over France. -
Napoleon Regains Power
In March of 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba to regain power. He went back to France, where the people greeted him with tremendous joy. After a few days, Napoleon was the emperor of France once again. -
Napoleon was Defeated and Exiled (Again)
On June 18, 1815, there was a battle near the village of Waterloo in Belgium. Napoleon attacked, but the British and Prussian forces defeated him. Because of this win, Napoleon was left without power. The British sent him to St. Helena, where he was exiled for six years.
