Napoleon Quiz

Napoleon Bonaparte: Background & Early Life

• Born: Corsica in 1769.

• Education: Earned a scholarship to military school. Bullied for his accent.

• School Performance: Ranked 42 out of 58 students in his class.

RISE TO PROMININENCE IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION:

• Starting Rank: Lieutenant in the French army (after graduation)

• First Big Victory (1793): redirected artillery and defeated a combined force of British and Spanish troops at the port city of Toulon.

• Promotion: Made brigadier general at age 24.

• (Charles Ohara)

Saving the Revolution

• Date: October 5, 1795 (also known in the French Republican calendar as 13 Vendémiaire).

• The Threat: About 25,000 to 30,000 Royalists marched on Paris to overthrow the National Convention and restore the monarchy.

• Napoleon's Action: Napoleon took command of roughly 5,000 Republican troops and used artillery loaded with grapeshot (point-blank cannonfire) to crush the rebellion in the streets.

• The Result: The government (the National Convention) was saved, paving the way for the establishment of the Directory.

• Napoleon's Reward: He was promoted and given command of the French armies in Italy in 1796, launching his major military rise.

Continuing to Rise- How did Napoleon continue to rise?

-Defeated Austrian forces in Italy and returned to France as a hero. Led an army to invade Egypt, an important British colony.

-Brought scientists and scholars who helped discover the Rosetta Stone, which helped translate Egyptian hieroglyphics.

-On July 21, 1798, defeated the Mamluks at the Battle of the Pyramids.

Defeat in Egypt

1799, the British, led by Admiral Horatio Nelson, defeated the French navy at the Battle of the Nile. Franc lost access to supplies from the sea Napoleon abandoned his army and returned to Paris.

Post-French Revolution

Nov 9 1799 (18 Brumaire),

-N organized a coup d’etat, overthrowing the directory. He was supported by military leaders and revolutionary figure Abbe Sieyes, who opposed the directory.

-N, Sieyes, and Ducos became the three consuls of the provisional government. Napoleon outmaneuvered Sieyes and became First Consul under the new French Consulate.

-In 1804, N proclaimed himself Emperor of Napoleon I, establishing centralized rule and absolute power.

Rule of Napoleon

Claimed to preserve the gains of the revolution despite overthrowing the directory. Made significant changes to French society and gov.

-Napoleonic Code (Civil Code of 1804):

Established one unified code of laws for France. Consolidated basic principles of the 1789 rev:

Civil equality: Equality before the law

Abolition of feudalism and serfdom: Replaced with modern forms of property ownership.

Religious toleration: Allowed freedom of religion.

Women’s Rights under Napoleonic Code

The code undid certain revolutionary gains, especially for women.

Legal Minors: Married women were under their husbands control.

Loss of property control: Needed husband’s permission to buy, sell, or make contracts.

Unequal Divorce: Harder for women to divorce; husbands could divorce infidelity.

No political voice: Could not vote, hold office, or join political clubs.

Domestic Subservience: Expected to bear children and depend on men.

Establishment of a new aristocracy:

Created a new nobility in 1804, with an imperial decree in 1808.

Nobility was based on achievement, loyalty, and service rather than birth.

Emphasized military honors and loyalty to the empire. Wanted aristocrats to serve France rather than restore the old feudal system.

Rebirth of Religion

N sought to reconcile the revolutionary principle of secularism with the traditional authority of the Catholic Church. In 1801, he signed the Concordat of 1801 with the pope, establishing Catholicism as the official religion of France while recognizing religious freedom.

In return the Pope relinquished any claim to Church lands seized during the rev.

Educational Reforms

Created lycees, a system of secondary schools. Open to students from all social classes. Advancement was based on merit and ability.

Negative aspects of Napoleon;s rule

Authoritarian Control: Abolished freedom of the press, restricted free speech and political association, and sent political rivals into exile or prison.

Restoration of Slavery: brought back slavery in French overseas colonies in 1802.

Heavy taxation and conscription: Used aggressive taxation and forced conscription to support his army, draining France and occupied Europe.

Building an Empire

When N became consul, France was at war with European coalition. A peace treaty was signed in 1802, but France remained at war for much of it’s reign.

From 1805-1807, his Grand Army defeated Austria, Prussia, and Russia.

Battle of Austerlitz

Considered Napoleon’s greatest victory. His army of 68,000 defeated a combined Russian and Austrian forces of 90,000. Also called the Battle of Three emperors.

Napoleons Empire. What was N’s empire like from 1807-1812?

Napoleon became the master of Europe. His empire has 3 parts: French estate, Dependent States, and Ally states.

What revolutionary ideals did Napoleon spread throughout his empire?

Legal equality, Religious toleration, Nobles/Clergy lost privileges, and promotion based on merit.

How did British persistence contribute to the failure of Napoleon’s empire?

N;s hope of invading Britain ended after the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). Britain defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets, led by Admiral Lord Nelson, who was killed in the Battle.

France could not control the seas around Britain, preventing an invasion. Napoleon created Continental system.

Continental system

He created it to weaken Britain economically by blocking British goods from reaching Europe. It failed because:

Allied states resented being forced to follow it.

New markets abroad gave Britain other places to sell goods.

How did the Rise of Nationalism weaken N’s empire?

Nationalism: A sense of identity based on a common language, religion, and traditions. Conquered people united in hatred of France. They also recognized the power of Nationalism through France’s examples.

Disaster in Russia: The Invasion

Russia refused to remain in the Continental system.

Napoleon invaded in summer 1812 with 600,000 men known as the Grand Army. On Sept 7,1812, Napoleon won the Battle of Borodino against the Russians. Over 60,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.

Disaster in Russia: The retreat

Russian forces avoided battle and destroyed food and supplies using the scorched earth policy.

Napoleon reached Moscow in September, but found it burning.

He waited 36 days for Tsar Alexander I to surrender, but he refused.

without food or supplies and with winter approaching, Napoleon began the retreat on October 18.

Napoleon abandoned his army and returned to Paris.

Fewer than 40,000 of the original 600,000 survived.

In 1814, Napoleon was captured and exiled to Elba. The monarchy was restored under Louis XVIII.

Final Defeat: Return to Power

Louis XVIII had little support in France.

After only 80 days in exile, Napoleon escaped Elba and returned to France in 1815.

The Royal Fifth Infantry Regiment was sent to arrest him but joined him instead.

On March 20, 1815, Napoleon seized power in Paris without firing a shot, and Louis XVIII fled.

Final Defeat: The Hundred Days and Waterloo

Hundred Days: The length of time Napoleon ruled France for a second time.

The Quadruple Alliance formed between Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Britain.

Napoleon invaded Belgium in June 1815.

On June 18, 1815, the Duke of Wellington led British and Prussian forces to victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

Napoleon surrendered to the British four days later and was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.