Discussion 7

Topic Nine: Napoleonic France and The Congress of Vienna

One of the few people known by one name only

1. Early Life

2. Born 15 August, 1769 on Corisica, on year after it

becomes French

3. Son of a minor Italian noble family, had a good

education, excelled at math, but was good at other

subjects

4. In 1784 went to the Ecole Militaire, prestigious military

academy in Paris, studied to be an artillery officer,

completed the two years of study in one

5. Napoleon Bonaparte was a product of the French

Revolution. Education shows his talent and genius, but

without the Revolution, would not be able to rise so far

Revolutionary Career

1. First Coalition 1793-1797, Britain-Prussia-Austria

2. Siege of Toulon

3. Napoleon promoted to Brigadier General

b.Levee En Masse instituted 1793

c.Batavian Republic (Jan 1795-June 1806)

1. William V of Orange overthrown

2. Napoleon saves the Directory from a royalist

insurrection in 1795

“a whiff of grapeshot” (Thomas Carlyle)

1. given command of the Army of Italy

2. Italian Campaign

3. Battle of Lodi May 1796, Le Petit Corporal

4. Battle of Arcola, November 1796, takes war to Austria

5. Treaty of Campo Formio October 197, ended First

Coalition

6. Austrian Netherlands, Corfu given to France

7. Northern Italy divided into several republics (Liguria,

Cisalpine Republic and others), but in actuality they

become satellites of France

iii. France in control of the Rhineland

4. Second Coalition 1799-1803, Britain-Austria-Russia

5. Europe again tries to contain the French, having success

6. Napoleon in Egypt (Rosetta Stone)

7. In November 1799 he overthrew the Directory, which

had recalled Napoleon to Paris to actually save it

The Consulate (1800-1804)

1. New Constitution written with executive with three

consuls

2. Napoleon is First Consul, given the most power

3. Also have legislative bodies but elections controlled by

Napoleon

4. In 1802 Napoleon elected Consul for life (by a

unanimous vote)

meanwhile

 

5. Battle of Marengo, June 1800 (Napoleon) and

6. Battle of Hohenlinden, December 1800 (Moreau) lead to

7. Treaty of Luneville, February 1801 and end of 2 nd

Coalition

8. Treaty of Amiens, March 1802, peace with Britain

9. May 1803 Britain declares war against France, and

10. In December, Third Coalition is formed 1803-1806

Britain-Austria-Russia (hint: it doesn’t succeed either) The

Empire (1804-1814)

1. In 1804 Napoleon disbands the Consulate, is ELECTED

emperor

2. The pope comes to Paris to crown him, but he crowns

himself

3. Serious naval defeat at Trafalgar in 1805 means cannot

invade Britain

4. Battle of Austerlitz , December 1805, end of 3 rd

Coalition

5. Treaty of Pressburg, December 1805, end of “Holy

Roman Empire”

(British continue to fight) add Austrian holdings in Italy to

the Kingdom of Italy, created by Napoleon in 1805

1. Austria had to give up German states to France,

Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine, a

military alliance and buffer zone

2. the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist, the emperor

was now the Austrian emperor

3. Prussia was exceedingly alarmed at the creation of the

Confederation and a new coalition is formed, the

Fourth 1806-1807, Britain-Russia-Prussia

4. Battle of Jena, October 1806, defeat Prussians, moved

on to Berlin (took him 19 days to take out Prussia)

5. Battle of Friedland, June 1807, defeat the Russians

6. Treaty of Tilsit, July 1807

7. Prussia loses half its territory, to Saxony (new kingdom)

and to Warsaw (new Duchy)

8. Russia loses territory also

9. Britain still fighting the good fight

10. The Peninsular War 1807-1814, in Spain and Portugal

11. gives us the term “guerrilla” warfare (Spanish for “little

war”)

12. Fifth Coalition in 1809 ends in another defeat for

Austria

13. In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, Sixth Coalition is

created

14. invasion was a disaster, French army could not feed

itself

15. by October Napoleon has to retreat and the remnants of

the Grande Armee trying to flee the Russian winter

16. Napoleon’s reputation as being invincible is shattered

17. Napoleon raised another army but is defeated in

October 1813 at Leipzig

18. By March of 1814 the Coalition Army is outside Paris,

and Napoleon is forced to abdicate in accordance with

the Treaty of Fountainbleau (April 1814)

19. Exiled to Elba, but in early 1815, escapes and returns to

France

20. Is eventually defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June

1815

 

1. Napoleon the Good

2. Domestic Policy

3. very complex and efficient bureaucracy created to

govern France, right down to the local level

4. this will provide taxes to support the economy and army

5. anyone with talent can rise in government and

everything is controlled by Napoleon

6. public welfare to alleviate poverty, gangs and beggars

7. vaccination programs, hospitals, requirements for

doctors and midwives

8. IMPORTANT distinction, first time people are treated as

citizens, not as subjects

9. creates a Council of State, experts in various

departments who advise him

2. Law-The Napoleonic Code 1804

3. equality before the law

4. freedom of religion

5. protection of private property

6. abolish serfdom

7. SECULARIZE the state

however

1. outlawed labor unions

2. stripped women of rights

3. Religion, Concordat of 1801

4. use religion to promote national unity, not salvation

5. Concordat makes Catholicism the “favored” religion, not

the “official” religion

6. Catholic Church consecrates priests, but the state pays

their salaries and the state collects tithes

7. people get their religion, France gets their money

8. other religions are also free to worship in France, even

Jews

9. all religions are under state control

4. Education, The University of France

5. established a state run education system

6. needed not only for the bureaucracy but also for the

military (officer corps)

7. also provides indoctrination

8. science academies created, metric system is created

5. Economy

6. established the Bank of France (similar to the Bank of

England)

7. built up France’s industry through government

sponsorship and protection

8. huge public works projects provide jobs and grow the

economy

- in Paris build sidewalks, a new sewer system, a new water

supply system, Les Halles (markets), new slaughterhouses

(sanitation), widened the streets (easier for the army to

march down), house numbers, fire department - also built

the Arc de Triomphe, expanded the Louvre, numerous

fountains, bridges

6. Social

7. “it is by baubles that people are led”, created a new

kind of aristocracy, one of merit, the Legion of Honor

8. supported and helped by the middle class (Bourgeoisie)

because his reforms helped them most of all (support of

industry, protection of private property and equality

before the law)

9. lower classes also helped by his measures because now

have more economic opportunities for advancement,

not tied to the land

1. Napoleon the Bad

2. No real political liberty. Although he kept the trappings

of constitutional government, all power was in his hands

3. elections were held, but they were carefully

manipulated and of course Napoleon always won

4. suppressed all political dissent, newspapers were under

state control and publishers/printers had to swear an

oath of loyalty to the state

5. Use of secret police and arbitrary arrests/executions to

get rid of enemies

6. Strict control of the education system meant

indoctrination of the population

7. Keep the people happy and they will love you

8. Napoleon had a brilliant propaganda machine

9. kept bread prices low and provided entertainment, i.e.

bread and circuses

1. Results of Napoleonic Rule

Revolutionary ideals spread wherever Napoleon’s armies

marched. Napoleon insisted that the ideas of the French

Revolution be implemented in conquered territories…

equality under the law, freedom of religion, elective

government, equitable tax systems, abolition of serfdom

and aristocratic privilege, responsive government. After

Napoleon, Europe cannot go back to the absolutists

monarchial systems of 17 and 18 th

centuries…but they try…