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Directory Appoints Napoleon
Directory appoints Napoleon to lead French army against Austria and Sardinia. He swept into Italy and won many victories. He then leads an expedition to Egypt after a series of wins. -
Napoleon is Born
Napoleon was born in the island of Corsica which is located in the Mediterranean sea. His family was part of the nobility but they were not that wealthy. Napoleon Bonaparte had eight siblings, he had a big family. -
School and Joining Army
Napoleon finishes school at the age of 16 after getting in at nine years old. Napoleon becomes a lieutenant in artillery. As the revolution breaks he joins the army for the new government. -
Directory Loses Political Power
Directory loses political power and trust of the French people. After Napoleon returned from Egypt they urged him to take action. After he drove out its members the lawmakers who remained dissolved the directory. -
New Constitution
Their is a vote of the people to approve a new constitution. This constitution passed with no hesitation because the people wanted stability and leadership. The passing of the new constitution basically gave real power to Napoleon as first council. -
Santo Domingo
Napoleon decides to take back colony of Santo Domingo that recently had a revolution held by Toussaint L'Ouverture. He wanted to take back the colony because it had a great sugar industry and he wanted to restore it. They couldn't do this successfully because the French were devastated by disease and fighting. -
Selling Louisiana
After failing to take back Santo Domingo Napoleon had to find a way to cut his losses. He sold Louisiana for 15 million dollars to President Jefferson. This was smart because he would gain money to fund his operations. -
Emperor Bonaparte
Napoleon decides to proclaim himself as Emperor this was to take place in Dec. 2. In this day wearing a velvet robe he went through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. As the coronation was taking place he grabbed the crown from the Pope and placed it on his head. -
Battle of Austerlitz
British persuaded Russia, Austria, and Sweden to join them against the French. The battle of Austerlitz was a big success. All of these successes forced these countries to sign peace treaties with him which enabled him to build a huge empire. -
Continental System
Napoleon decided to close off all ports to prevent communication between the British and the rest of Europe. Since Britain is an island blocking ports will eventually be very devastating to the country. He called this policy the Continental System, the idea of this was to help Europe sell more stuff. -
Invading Spain
Napoleon to make Portugal accept the Continental System he invaded Spain. After he invaded and the Spanish opposed this action he placed his brother Joseph to the throne. The Spanish being highly Catholic feared that Napoleon would attack the church. -
Scorched Earth Policy
Napoleon marches into Russia with over 420,000 soldiers. Russia practiced the Scorched Earth Policy which involves burning everything in the path of the Enemy. This was highly successful because they also killed all the livestock and removed all shelter. -
Battle of Borodino, Napoleon Enters Moscow
Napoleon battles the Russians in the Battle of Borodino, then the Russians retreated. Napoleon had entered Moscow which the Russians also burned. Alexander burned the city instead of letting Napoleon take over it, he stayed there until October. -
Napoleon Raises Another Army
Napoleon raised another army, untrained but he tasked this army to face the allies in the German city of Leipzig. The allies defeated this army. They were defeated because of how unprepared they were fighting the allies. -
Exile to Elba
Allies push into Paris, Frederick III of Prussia and Alexander I of Russia marched into Paris. Napoleon's generals refused to fight on although Napoleon wanted to continue on. He gave up his throne and was exiled to the island of Elba. -
Napoleon Escapes Elba
Napoleon escapes the island of Elba with his men. He landed in France in where crowds welcomed him back. Napoleon became emperor of France after many people volunteered to join his army. -
Waterloo
The battle of Waterloo took place between the Prussians, British and Napoleon. Napoleon defeated the Prussians but because of the wet ground he couldn't attack the British. What was left of the Prussian army joined the British too then defeat Napoleon. -
Death and Exile to St. Helena
Napoleon's reign had officially ended, he returned to Paris and was exiled to the island of St. Helena. He lived here in his final years. He dies of a stomach ailment or cancer.
