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Napoleon is born
Napoleon was born in the island of Corsica. His family was noble, but not wealthy. He had 11 siblings. -
Teenage years
At age 16, he finished school. Once he did, he became a lieutenant in the artillery. When the Revolution broke out, he joined the army of the new government. -
Slaves Rebel
Planters and enslaved Africans began to request the same rights and privileges as the French, such as freedom. A civil war began and the enslaved Africans took control over the country that they were enslaved in. -
Savior of the Republic
At age 16, he finished school. Once he did, he became a lieutenant in the artillery. When the Revolution broke out, he joined the army of the new government. -
Napoleon vs Nelson
Directory appointed Napoleon to command a French army in a battle against Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. He went into Italy, and won a series of battles. Then, he went into Egypt, but was beaten by Horatio Nelson, but despite that loss, he was still considered a hero back in France -
National Legislature Surrendered
The directory lost control of the political situation. Napoleon took action in early November of 1799, and his troops surrendered the national legislature. Also, the lawmakers voted to get rid of the legislature. Britain and Russia joined forces. -
Napoleon named Consul
A plebiscite was held so a new constitution could be approved. Almost everyone voted in favor of it. This gave Napoleon, who was the first consul, all of the real power -
Napoleon crowned Emperor
Napoleon made himself emperor with the support of the French voters. On December 12, 1804, Napoleon was about to be crowned emperor in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Traditionally, the pope is the one responsible for putting the crown on the head of the emperor, but not this time. Napoleon snatched the crown off the pope’s hands, and put it on himself. Because of this, Napoleon showed that he was more powerful than the Church. -
Countries sign Peace Treaties
After the Battle of Austerlitz, in which he beat Russia and Austria, rulers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia signed a peace treaty with France. The only major enemy left to beat for France was Great Britain -
Battle of Trafalgar Defeat
Napoleon and his army fought in the Battle of Trafalgar, which was his only major loss. It took place in the coast of Spain, and the loss was handed to him by Horatio Nelson. This defeat ensured the supremacy of the British navy fleet, and it forced Napoleon to stop his plans of conquering Britain. -
Continental System
The blockade was set up by Napoleon to stop any trade and communication between Great Britain and other European nations by closing their ports. Napoleon called this the Continental System because it was designed to make Great Britain more self-sufficient. Napoleon wanted to ruin Great Britain’s commercial and industrial economy. -
Peninsular War
Napoleon sent an invasion force to Spain, which caused Spaniards to protest. Because of this, Napoleon removed the Spanish king, and put his own brother, Joseph, as the king. Because of this, for six years, guerrillas fought against French armies. During this battle, called the Peninsula War, about 300,000 men were lost for the French, which weakened the Empire. -
Napoleon In Control
Napoleon controlled most of the countries and many individual countries (Spain, Grand Duchy of Warsaw and some German empires) except for Sweden, Britain, Portugal, and the Ottoman Empire. Napoleon treated the rulers of these countries as puppets and some included his own family. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon’s most costly mistake was invading Russia. Him and more than 420,000 soldiers marched into Russia, but Alexander refused to fight and uneven battle. The two armies faced off, and after a long time, Alexander allowed them to continue into Moscow, which was in flames. This was decided by Alexander, who decided to instead of surrendering this holy city, he destroyed it. Throughout time, the Russians attacked and attacked the Grand Army, and left them with only 10,000 soldiers. -
Napoleon Troops Defeated
He went face to face with allied armies of the European powers. Since his troops fell, his new troops were all either unprepared or ill and were defeated quickly and easy by the allied armies. -
Napoleon gives his throne
Napoleon gave his throne up. He was given a small pension and was exiled to Elba by the victors. -
Napoleon is defeated
After Louis XVIII assumed the throne, he caused uncertainty between the citizens, which caused Napoleon to try and regain power. He escaped from Alba and went to Paris, where he was once again named as Emperor. The British army, with the help of the Prussian army, battled against Napoleon, and beat him. This ended his last bid of power, and he was sent to St. Elena, a remote island in the South Atlantic -
Napoleon's Death
After six years of living alone, Napoleon dies due to a stomach ailment or cancer. Napoleon was considered as a military genius who had many victories throughout his life. His defeat helped European forces to establish a new order.
