Napoleon Bonaparte

“Ambition is never

content even on the

summit of greatness.”

Became dictator (all

power held by a single

person) of France for 10

years in 1799 when he

launched a coup d’ etat

(military overthrow)

against the Directory

Became Emperor for life

after winning a plebiscite

(yes or no vote)

Napoleon was immediately at war with

the Second Coalition (countries united

against France)

Coalitions were formed because other

European Monarchs did not want their

people to see the French get away with

killing their king and starting Republics.

Loved by all of the French

General Reforms

Freedom of worship

Stabilized food prices

Class Equality

Rebuilt Paris

Got rid of 10 day week (& calendar)

Legal Reform:

The Napoleonic Code – single set of laws for

all of France

Equality of law

Basic liberties

Restored slavery

Limits on women’s rights

Limits on political rights and freedom of

speech and press

NO LAWS APPLIED TO NAPOLEON

Class Reforms

1. Clergy

Improved Catholic

church’s status

Gave back land

Dropped state

controls

2. Nobility

Allowed nobility to return from exile

Gave back land and political status

3. Bourgeoisie

Stabilized markets and trade

Lowered taxes

Peasants

Jobs

Lowered food prices

THREE BLUNDERS

1. Spain – kicked out old king and put his brother, Joseph, in charge of Spain. Spanish fought back with help from the British. Guerrilla

Warfare destroyed the French. Napoleon has to pull out

(300,000 French killed)

2. Continental System Napoleon tried to isolate

trade with Britain (to hurt their economy), but it

backfired.

Battle of Trafalgar - Napoleon lost to the

British navy. This was Napoleon’s first major

defeat

BATTLE OF TRAFALGARBritish French

Lord Nelson – Admiral Villeneuve-

The British More ships, slower ships

have better communication Shoot chainshot into

faster fire of cannons rigging

and shoot the hull of the ship

Battle of

Trafalgar

3. Russia (1812) Napoleon goes in with 400,000 + troops, comes back with 10,000

While Napoleon was “down,” the other countries

ganged up to defeat him at the Battle of Leipzig

(Battle of Nations) - 1813

Napoleon gives up the

throne and was exiled

to Elba.

100 Days - Napoleon’s return to power

People didn’t like Louis XVIII (brother of the

guillotined king)

Napoleon escaped Elba (Louis fled)

Napoleon regained full power

Napoleon: best defense is a good offense. He

attacked the British General Wellington at

Waterloo (Belgium)

Napoleon was defeated

for the final time

This time he’s sent to St. Helena, between Africa

and South America

He died in 1821 of

a stomach ailment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Napoleon_sainthelene.jpg

LEGACY

Rise of Nationalism

·Division of people by country not social class

·People willing to go to war based on love of country

·Wars to combine city-states, divide empires