Napoleon

Napoleon the young military genius

• 1799 Napoleon seizes power through a coup.

• Wanted to preserve the good of the French Revolution.– Enlightenment ideas.– France was a mess.

Napoleon the Consul

• Consul was a name he created for himself.

• In 1802 he gave himself the title “Consul for life”

• In 1804 he gave himself the title “Emperor”– NOT “KING” because of

the negativity associated with the word “king” from the French Revolution.

• Universal MALE suffrage—voting rights.

Napoleon and the Catholics

• 1801—Concordat (French for “treaty”)– “Catholicism is the religion

of the great majority.” – Agreed to pay the clergy.

• Invited Pope Pius to crown him as Emperor.– Took the crown from the

Pope and crowned himself to show that he owed his success to himself, and himself only!

Code Napoleon (Napoleonic Code)

• Napoleon helped create it.

• Tried to protect the gains of the revolution.

• All men treated equal.– Massive step BACK

for women.

Emperor Napoleon

• By 1807 Napoleon dominated most of Europe with the exception of England.

• Made family members royalty in other countries.– Ex. Joseph Bonaparte

his brother the King of Spain.

Napoleon’s demise (the first one)

• Russian campaign in 1812.– “Scorched Earth”

policy of the Russians– Long cold winters– Punishing, humiliating

retreat back to Paris.

• Forced from the throne of France in 1814 by an alliance of countries.

Congress of Vienna

• Determined war was a bad thing.– Wouldn’t see war like

Napoleonic wars until World War I in 1914.

• Napoleon banished to Elba—island in Mediterranean.

• Strong nations set up around France to prevent further war.

Napoleon’s demise…again

• Escaped from Elba.• Came back to rule for

100 days.• Defeated mightily at

Waterloo in Belgium by the British.

• Banished…again—this time he would not return.

Link to today

http://www.expatica.com/actual/article.asp?subchannel_id=25&story_id=46335