NAPOLEON’S

IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT

NAPOLEON’S IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT

A. Assassination attempt: In February

1804 a British-financed plot to

assassinate Bonaparte was uncovered

by the former police minister Joseph

Fouche (who recovered his job as a

result of this discovery). Of the leading

conspirators, Jean Charles Pichegru

died in prison, Jean Victor Moreau fled

the country, and Georges Cadoudal was

executed.

NAPOLEON’S IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT

• CORONATION: In the wake of

these events a plebiscite made

Napoleon _emperor__. On

Dec. 2, 1804, therefore,

Napoleon crowned himself

emperor in a ceremony

presided over by Pope Pius VII.

Napoleon created a titled court

that included many of his

statesmen and generals as well

as ex-royalists.

NAPOLEON’S IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT

• Egotism: Believing family ties were more durable than treaties, in the next few years he placed family members on the thrones of several satellite states--Naples, Holland, Westphalia, and Spain--and married his relatives to some of the most distinguished families in Europe.

Louis - Holland Jerome- Westphalia Caroline - Naples Pauline - Italy

NAPOLEON’S IMPERIAL

GOVERNMENT

• DIVORCE: Dynastic

considerations also

caused Bonaparte to

divorce _Josephine___in

1809 because she had

borne him no male heir.

He then married (Apr. 2,

1810) Marie Louise,

daughter of Austrian

Emperor Francis I, within

a year a son, the king of

Rome, was born.

THE THIRD COALITION • In 1805, Britain organized the Third Coalition (Russia,

Austria, and Prussia) against France, but Napoleon's new __Grand Armee___ swept through Germany into Austria destroying both Austrian and Russian armies at Ulm and Austerlitz. Austria signed (Dec. 26, 1805) the Treaty of Pressburg, by which Venice and Dalmatia were annexed to Napoleon's Kingdom of Italy, and in 1806, Napoleon organized the Confederation of the Rhine a grouping of German states under French protection. Soon after, the __Holy Roman Empire__ was formally dissolved.

THE FOURTH COALITION

• Prussia helped organize the Fourth Coalition against Napoleon late in 1806, but its forces were destroyed by Napoleon in the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt (October 1806). After defeating the Russians at Eylau (Feb. 8, 1807) and Friedland (June 14, 1807) Napoleon forced the allies to sign (July 7-9, 1807) the Treaties of Tilsit, which resulted in the creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and the Kingdom of Westphalia. It was agreed that France would dominate Europe as far east as_Poland__ , Alexander could attack the __Ottoman Empire___ .

CONTINENTAL SYSTEM • Dominant in Europe, Napoleon

was obsessed with Britain's defiance and role as the commercial ''paymaster of Europe". To subdue Britain, Napoleon committed his most serious blunder. He imposed (1806) the continental system, a_blockade___of British trade on Europe to undermine the British economy. The policy boomeranged by hurting the economies of France, Germany, and other French-controlled territories

CONTINENTAL SYSTEM

• Peninsular War: The refusal of_Portugal__ to observe the blockade led to French intervention in Iberia and embroilment in the Peninsular War. The war extended to Spain when Napoleon attempted to make his brother, Joseph, king of Spain prompting guerrillas (bands of Spanish peasant fighters; Spanish for ''little war"; used ambush methods to attack French forces); Britain sent troops to aid the rebels; French losses weakened the French Empire.

CONTINENTAL SYSTEM

• War of the Fifth Coalition:

While the Peninsular War

raged, Austria mobilized and

began the War of the Fifth

Coalition. A series of hard-

fought battles culminated in

final French victory (July 5-6,

1809) at Wagram, and

Austria lost Illyria and Galicia

by the Treaty of Schonbrunn

(Oct. 14, 1809).

CONTINENTAL SYSTEM

• WAR OF 1812: fought between U.S. and Britain when the British policy of stopping neutral ships bound for the continent and forcing them to sail to Britain to be searched and taxed angered Americans; ended in a draw.

Europe in 1812

INVASION OF RUSSIA

• Napoleon invaded Russia on June 23-24, 1812 with an army of 400,000 (Grand Army - Napoleon's forces made up of French troops plus soldiers drafted from all over Europe; not all felt loyalty to France). One major reason for the attack was the Russian refusal to accept the Continental System and refusal to stop selling__timber_ to Britain.

INVASION OF RUSSIA • SCORCHED EARTH POLICY:

The Russian armies withdrew,

drawing Napoleon deep into

Russia as they_burned_

everything in his path. Napoleon

defeated them at Borodino on

Sept. 7, 1812 and a week later

(Sept. 14) reached _Moscow_.

There he waited in vain for

Emperor Alexander I's

surrender, while Russian

arsonists set the city on fire

INVASION OF RUSSIA

INVASION OF RUSSIA • FRENCH RETREAT: With reinforced Russian armies

attacking his outlying positions and signs of _winter’s__ approach, Napoleon ordered a_retreat__ in October. Despite the deprivations suffered by his troops, the miserable weather, and the pursuing Russian army Napoleon held the nucleus of his army together and managed to escape Russian encirclement. After crossing the Berezina River he left his ravaged army (only 10000 troops were still fit to right) and hurried back to Paris on learning of an abortive coup in Paris by the demented general Claude Malet.

THE SIXTH COALITION

• After Napoleon's Russian debacle the Prussians deserted their alliance with the French, and in 1813 the Sixth Coalition was formed among Prussia, Russia, Britain: and Sweden (Grand Alliance).

THE SIXTH COALITION

• INITIAL FRENCH VICTORIES: Napoleon soon formed a new army and defeated the allies at Lutzen (May 2) and Bautzen (May 20-21). After a short armistice hostilities again began in August, when Austria joined the coalition.

THE SIXTH COALITION

• BATTLE OF THE NATIONS: Although Napoleon was victorious (August 26-27) at __Dresden__, the French were outnumbered two to one and defeated in the so-called Battle of Nations at Leipzig on October 16- 19, 1813. Withdrawing across the Rhine Napoleon refused to surrender any conquered territory, convinced that such a concession would cost him his crown in France.

THE SIXTH COALITION

• INVASION OF FRANCE: In 1814, France was invaded, and Napoleon again demonstrated his military genius by defeating each enemy army as it advanced on Paris. Hopelessly outnumbered, he attempted to negotiate, but the allies continued to advance and took the city of _Paris__on March 31.

THE SIXTH COALITION

• ABDICATION OF NAPOLEON: On April 6, Napoleon abdicated in favor of his son. When the allies refused to accept this, he made his abdication unconditional on April 11. He then was exiled to the island of _Elba_ (tiny island off the Italian coast), where he was given sovereign power and a small pension; he introduced administrative, economic, and political reforms.

RESTORATION

• RESTORATION OF

THE MONARCHY

Louis XVIII, Bourbon

monarch; brother of

Louis XVI; (Louis XVII

had died in prison);

resumed throne in

April, 1814 and fled in

March, 1815.

THE HUNDRED DAYS

• Aware of France's dissatisfaction over the restoration rule of the __Bourbon_ dynasty, Napoleon decided to return to France in 1815. Landing at Cannes on March 1, he marched triumphantly through sympathetic areas of France and was greeted as the returning hero.

THE HUNDRED DAYS

• . BYE-BYE LOUIS: King Louis XVIII fled abroad, and Napoleon occupied Paris on March 20, beginning the period called the Hundred Days.

• Although Napoleon proclaimed peaceful intentions, the allies, who were meeting in _Vienna__, immediately outlawed him and prepared for war.

THE HUNDRED DAYS

• HELLO GRAND

ALLIANCE: Before

massive Russian

and Austrian forces

could reach France,

Napoleon resolved

to separate and

defeat the Prussian

and Anglo-Dutch

armies in what is

now _Belgium__ .

THE HUNDRED DAYS

• BATTLE OF WATERLOO: Despite several initial victories he was defeated by the duke of ___Wellington___ at Waterloo in Belgium on June 18, 1815. Napoleon returned to Paris, where he abdicated for the second time on June 23, 1815.

THE HUNDRED DAYS

• EXILE: He was exiled to the South Atlantic island of __St. Helena___ .

• Living with his secretary and a few loyal friends, he dictated his memoirs, laying the foundation of the Napoleonic legend. He died on May 5, 1821 of stomach cancer?