Napoleon's Empire

Napoleon's Empire

World History

Lesson Objectives

• Explain how Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and restored order in France.

• Describe the extent and weaknesses of Napoleon's empire.

• Summarize Napoleon's defeat, comeback, and final downfall.

• List the results of the Congress of Vienna.

• Show how the ideas of the French Revolution continued to influence people.

Open Ended

REVIEW: How should the French citizens protect the goals of the French Revolutions?

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Born on August 15, 1769 in Corsica.

• At the age of 16, he finished his military school and became a lieutenant in the artillery.

• He was known as the "Savior of the French Republic"

• In 1796, the Directory appointed him to lead a French army against Austria and Sardinia, and later to Egypt.

Multiple Choice

How did Napoleon Bonaparte become France's sole ruler?

• He was elected by the citizens of Paris.

• He was restored as a member of the royal family.

• He seized control in a military takeover of the government.

• He was elected by the members of the National Convention.

Napoleon Rules France

• French people through a plebiscite changed the constitution and gave Napoleon more power as the first consul.

• As the consul, he kept many of the changes that came with the Revolution by supporting laws that strengthen the central government.

Improvement of tax collection and dismissal of corrupt officials.

Napoleon built the Lycées or government-run public schools which became the source of competent officials.

Napoleon restored the position of the Church in France through the concordat with Pope Pius VII.

Napoleonic Code - comprehensive system of laws to eliminated many injustices. The laws promoted order and authority over individual rights. e.g. freedom of speech and of the press, and restoration of slavery.

Multiple Choice

How did the agreement with Pope Pius VII affect French politics?

• The Roman Catholic Church's status as a state religion was upheld.

• Napoleon Bonaparte's popularity increased among the French people.

• Napoleon Bonaparte was recognized as a defender of the Roman Catholic faith.

• The Roman Catholic Church was restored to the status it held prior to the revolution.

Napoleon as Emperor

• In 1804, he crowned himself as emperor.

• He wanted to control the rest of Europe and to reassert French power in the Americas.

Loss of American Territories

• The colony of Saint Domingue demanded the same privileges as the people of France resulting to a civil war as Toussaint Louverture seized control of the colony

• In 1808, Napoleon tried to take back the colony and restore its productive sugar industry, but the French forces were devastated by diseases.

• He sold all of the Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million.

Conquering Europe

• Fearful of Napoleon's ambitions, the British persuaded Russia, Austria, and Sweden to join them against France.

• Napoleon's battlefield successes forced the rulers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia to sign peace treaties allowing him to build the largest European empire since the Romans.

Battle of Trafalgar - the only major battle Napoleon lost giving naval supremacy to the British and making Napoleon to give up his plans of invading Britain.

The French empire was huge but unstable. Napoleon was able to maintain it as its greatest extent for only five years -- from 1807 to 1812. Then it quickly fell to pieces because of some costly mistakes of Napoleon.

Multiple Choice

Why did Napoleon decide to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United Staes in 1803?

• He feared that the British would blockade the territory with their superior navy.

• He needed money to retake New World possessions lost in the French and Indian War.

• He abandoned his dream of a New World empire after a successful revolt in Saint Domnigue.

• He reasoned that the continuous attacks by native Americans were making the territory unprofitable.

Napoleon's own personality proved to be the greatest danger to the future of his empire. His desire for power led him to his doom.

Continental System - a blockade set up by Napoleon closing all ports to Great Britain.

Peninsular War - Napoleon sent troops to invade the Iberian Peninsula making Spanish people frustrated and fight against the French.

Invasion of Russia - A disastrous military campaign due to Russia's climate.

Multiple Choice

Why did France institute the Continental System?

• to prevent Germany from becoming a unified nation

• to force Spain to accept the rule of Napoleon's brother

• to prevent Austria from becoming Europe's dominant land power

• to weaken Great Britain by cutting off trade between it and other European nations

Napoleon's Downfall

• European countries joined forces against Napoleon

• Prussia and Russian troops made a triumphant parade through the French capital making Napoleon surrender and gave up his throne

• The victors gave gave Napoleon a small pension and exiled, or banished, him to Elba (a small island in Italy).

Napoleon's replacement, Louis XVIII, quickly became unpopular among his subjects prompting Napoleon to escape Elba and seized power on March 1, 1815.

Battle of Waterloo - The British army led by the Duke of Wellington and later the Prussian army exhausted Napoleon's last bid for power.

The British shipped Napoleon to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic and died in 1821.

Multiple Choice

Why did Napoleon believe he could regain power as emperor following his escape from Elba?

• He gained the support of Austria as a result of his marriage to Marie Louise.

• He called fro Roman Catholics to support his fight against the Protestant British Empire.

• He recognized the restored Bourbon monarchy was unpopular with many Frenchmen.

• He retained the loyalty of an army that had returned to the strength it had had prior to the Russian campaign.

Congress of Vienna - European leaders looked to establish long-lasting peace and stability on the continent after the defeat of Napoleon.

Prince Klemens von Metternich

• The Austrian foreign minister had three major goals:

• First - prevent future French aggression bu surrounding France with strong countries

• Second - restore a balance of power in Europe

• Third - restore Europe's royal families to the thrones they held before Napoleon's conquest

Holy Alliance - agreement between Czar Alexander I of Russia and King Frederick William III of Prussia pushing for the protection of the monarchy and Christian principles against the forces of revolution.

Concert of Europe - group of leaders pledging to help each other if any revolutions broke out.

Did the Congress of Vienna create a balance of power among major European nations?

Multiple Choice

What did Klemens von Metternich hope to achieve at the congress of Vienna?

• to reduce the power of the Pope so that the Italian states may unit in the future

• to weaken Great Britain so that the country may be unable t wage war in the future

• to return Europe to the political state of affairs that had existed before the French Revolution

• to politically isolate Austria so that the country mau be unable to influence the development of Germancy

Multiple Choice

Why were the Holy Alliance and the Concert of Europe formed?

• to restore monarch who had been deposed

• to retake European lands from the Ottoman Empire

• to contain the spread of Protestant ideas throughout Europe

• to combat democratic movements that may erupt into revolution

Lesson Objectives

• Explain how Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and restored order in France.

• Describe the extent and weaknesses of Napoleon's empire.

• Summarize Napoleon's defeat, comeback, and final downfall.

• List the results of the Congress of Vienna.

• Show how the ideas of the French Revolution continued to influence people.

Individual Activity

Deadline: 3 pm today

Access the google form and submit a response to the questions posted.