6.9: Napoleon and the French Empire

Napoleon and the French Empire

Lessons 6.9 ​

Lesson Overview

Learners can:

• identify the changes Napoleon’s reforms made to France

• evaluate whether Napoleon’s leadership exhibited the values of the French Revolution

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Vocabulary:
Consulate, fraternity, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Code, Napoleonic Wars

Exit Ticket Preview

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Why?

• "Napoleon’s leadership demonstrated the French Revolution’s values of liberty, equality, and fraternity"

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the most famous and powerful European leaders in history.

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He became France’s ruler in 1799 and quickly conquered much of continental Europe. Napoleon Bonaparte often known simply as Napoleon,

Picture it--France 1789

In 1789, France was an absolute monarchy.
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Six years later, it was a republic with two branches: an executive branch called the Directory and a legislative branch with two councils.
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During the conflicts of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte proved his military skill as a soldier in the French army.
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In 1795, Napoleon successfully put down an uprising against the Directory government launched by Royalists,

Napoleon Bonaparte

The Royalists were a group of clergy and nobles who had benefited under France’s absolute monarchy and wanted to return to the old system.
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France was involved with wars against Austria and Prussia, whose monarchs feared France’s revolutionary spirit would spread and threaten monarchs' power.
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In 1796, Napoleon launched an attack on Austria’s territory in northern Italy. Napoleon defeated the Austrian forces and was promoted to the Commander of the French Army in Italy.
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Napoleon successfully conquered Egypt striking a blow to France’s rival, Britain.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon’s military successes and charisma as he led his troops made him popular with the French people. France’s Directory government was losing popularity.
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The government had no system in place for resolving stalemates between its executive and legislative branches. Disagreement between the branches prevented the government from taking actions.
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The French populace grew frustrated with the government’s inability to solve economic problems or respond to foreign threats.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon took advantage of his own popularity and the populace’s dissatisfaction with the government.
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Napoleon launched a military overthrow of the French government, a move the population welcomed.
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With Napoleon's seizure of power, France once again underwent a change in leadership.

Consul and Emperor

Napoleon took over France in 1799.
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Once in power, he set up a new French government system called the Consulate.

The Consulate’s highest leaders were three people known as consuls.
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Napoleon proclaimed himself the First Consul. With this position, he held most of the power. The other two consuls were figureheads.

Consul and Emperor

As First Consul, Napoleon continued his military victories, winning battles against Austria and Britain.
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Napoleon joined the army on the battlefield. Napoleon also signed an agreement with the Catholic Church that mended relations between the Church and France.
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The agreement allowed the French government to appoint leaders of churches.
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This gave the government influence in religious power in addition to political power.

​The three consuls: Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles-François Lebrun

Consul and Emperor

​Napoleon quickly increased the strength of his own position. In 1802, he named himself First Consul for life.
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Two years later, he declared himself Emperor of France. He intentionally avoided using the word king to separate himself from the monarchy the French Revolution had overthrown.
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The title Emperor indicated that France no longer operated with a feudal system with a king and nobles who answered to the Church. Instead was a nation-state with a new political system: the French Empire.
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During the coronation ceremony to crown Napoleon as Emperor of France, Napoleon took the crown out of the pope’s hands and placed it on his own head.
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Napoleon declared that his power came from himself. This meant he, not the Church, was the highest authority in France.

The Napoleonic Wars

​During Napoleon's reign as France’s emperor, France almost continuously fought wars against other European nations.
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The Napoleonic Wars: French Wars against other European Countries during Napoleon's Reign. The wars occurred due to multiple factors:

• European monarchs continued to fear that France’s success in ousting its monarch would inspire other revolutions against monarchs.

• Napoleon sought to establish the French Empire as the supreme power in Europe and launched military campaigns of conquest.

• Napoleon wanted to conquer territory to create buffer zones between France and its enemies, including Britain and Austria.

​After receiving his crown as Emperor of France, Napoleon crowns his wife Josephine Empress of France.

The Napoleonic Wars

​France’s adversaries in the Napoleonic Wars included Britain, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Prussia.
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From 1807 to 1812, France won a series of victories and defeated the armies of Austria, Prussia, and Russia and forced them to ally with France in its struggle against Britain.

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Napoleon also defeated Spain and placed his brother, Joseph, on the Spanish throne. France, under Napoleon, became the dominant power in Europe.

​Examine the map of Europe in 1812 below. The area of France and its allies is outlined with a pink line. Notice, it does not include Britain. Britain is located in the upper left corner.

The Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars

Britain survived the French Empire’s expansion. As an island nation with a powerful navy, Britain was protected from France.
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France and Spain planned to launch an invasion of Britain, but Britain struck first and decisively defeated the French-Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain in 1805. Napoleon continued conquering on Europe's mainland, he realized he could not defeat Britain with an invasion.
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Napoleon aimed to spread the values of the French Revolution, such as religious tolerance, economic freedom, and equality under the law. In his conquered territory, Napoleon took away the special privileges of the clergy and nobility.
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He declared that official positions should be attained based on talent, not birthright. Napoleon also made changes to the legal system of France and its conquered or allied territories.

The Napoleonic Code

One of Napoleon’s major accomplishments was the reform he made to French law. Napoleon sought to make laws uniform and formulate a legal system that was consistent with the ideals of the French Revolution.
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The result was the Napoleonic Code. The Napoleonic Code protected some of the rights revolutionaries had fought for, including freedom of religion and equality for men. It brought important legal reforms to France, but not everyone benefited equally from these reforms.
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Napoleon brought the Napoleonic Code to the places he conquered. This civil code influenced the laws of European nations and colonies.
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Today, versions of the Napoleonic Code still provide the basis of laws in the countries of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Monaco. Despite Napoleon’s rapid expansion of the French Empire, his success did not last.

Video Question

How did Napoleon’s reforms affect France? 

Multiple Select

How did Napoleon’s reforms affect France? Select all that apply.

• The number of schools in France increased.

• Women gained equal property rights to men.

• Rules about property became easier to understand.

Napoleon’s Failed Invasion of Russia

Napoleon tried to fight Britain economically. Napoleon ordered a blockade of Britain called the Continental System.
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It aimed to hurt Britain's economy by limiting its ability to trade. Russia refused to take part in the blockade since the blockade hurt Russia’s economy as well as Britain’s.
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In response to Russia's refusal, Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. This failed invasion was a turning point after Napoleon’s long series of victories.

Video Question

Which action demonstrates scorched earth tactics?

• Defenders destroy their own crops before invaders arrive

• Invaders attack during the hottest part of the day to exhaust the defenders

• Defenders stop supply deliveries from reaching the invaders

Multiple Choice

Which action demonstrates scorched earth tactics?

• Defenders destroy their own crops before invaders arrive

• Invaders attack during the hottest part of the day to exhaust the defenders

• Defenders stop supply deliveries from reaching the invaders

Napoleon’s Exile

The failure of the military campaign against Russia damaged Napoleon’s reputation and weakened French supremacy in Europe.
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The event triggered a major shift in European politics.
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Prussia broke its alliance with France. Austria soon followed.
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Napoleon's reign was about to come to an end

Napoleon’s Exile: Exile to Elba

The French Empire steadily lost ground to its European neighbors. European nations turned against Napoleon.
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In 1814, an alliance of Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Britain invaded Paris. The invaders defeated Napoleon and exiled him to Elba, a small island in the Mediterranean Sea.
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They then brought back the French monarchy and installed Louis XVIII (Louis the eighteenth) as France’s king.

​The image shows Napoleon on the island of Elba.

Napoleon’s Exile: Return for 100 Days

The following year, Napoleon escaped from the island of Elba with a group of soldiers who were loyal to him.
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He returned to Paris, where French soldiers celebrated his return (image). Napoleon once again took the French throne.
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His supporters in France considered his return a victory of the French Revolution over the monarchy.
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Most of Europe remained united against Napoleon. Napoleon held the throne for only 100 days.

Napoleon’s Exile: Final Defeat at Waterloo

A force of European armies united against Napoleon and marched toward France.
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When Napoleon heard of the approaching invasion, he left France and marched his army to Belgium. He met the enemy force at the Battle of Waterloo.

Napoleon lost the battle.
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He was once again exiled, this time to the Atlantic island of Saint Helena, thousands of miles away from France. Napoleon remained on Saint Helena until his death.

Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

• Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew France’s government and made himself France’s emperor.

• Napoleon was a skilled military commander who led successful military campaigns against European neighbors.

• The Napoleonic Code standardized laws throughout France.

• Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia was a turning point that led to his downfall and exile.

Poll

Exit Ticket: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Why?

"Napoleon’s leadership demonstrated the French Revolution’s values of liberty, equality, and fraternity"

• Agree--I Agree with this statement

• Disagree--I disagree with this statement