The Napoleonic Era
1799-1815
1796-1799
Gained popularity during the French Revolution as a military hero
November 1799Napoleon overthrows Directory in 1799 which is called the Brumaire Coup
Directory unpopular, Napoleon and 3 Directors scheme to overthrow it by dissolving legislature
Napoleon named 1st Consul then in November 1799 establishes military dictatorship
1800 - Bank of France ● Established for security of wealth and private property ● Bank privately owned and served the state and financial
oligarchy
1801
1801Concordat of 1801
● Freedom for French Catholics
● Deal with pope in which Napoleon’s government nominated bishops, paid the clergy, and exerted great influence over the church
Remember
Concordat of Bologna (1516)New Monarch Francis I made deal with pope that France recognize supremacy of papacy and in return French crown get to appoint bishops and abbots
Motivation? $
1802 Treaty of Amiens
● Between France and Britain ● France agree to leave Britain’s
colonies in Malta, Egypt, and Cape Colony alone as well as the rest of Europe ○ Napoleon did not listen
● Peace did not last and resulted in Napoleonic Wars in 1803
March 1804Napoleonic Code
1. Simplifies laws for France 2. Eliminates the Estate System3. Allows freedom of religion
Napoleon undertook a number of domestic reforms while often curtailing some rights and manipulating popular impulses behind a facade of representative institutions
Examples
● Careers open to all ● Educational system● Centralized bureaucracy● Civil Code● Concordat of 1801
But all of these undermined by:
● Secret police, censorship, limitation of women’s rights
December 1804Napoleon crowns himself emperor for life, which lasted 1804 to 1814
1805 - War of of the Third Coalition October:
Britain defeats the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar
Spain was ally of France
December:
Napoleon defeats Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz
France victorious because:
● Grande armee - over 500,000 soldiers conscripted and volunteered
● Military strategy of using artillery units as themselves with infantry and cavalry
● Armies not reliant on supply lines so more mobile
● Rewards = high moral ● Industrial Revolution - mass
amount of weapons produced
Napoleon’s empire built to spread ideals of French Revolution
Undermined because empire building led to nationalism across Europe
1807Holy Roman Empire dissolved (officially) and German Confederation of the Rhine established
1808Napoleon’s expanding empire created nationalist responses throughout Europe
Example: Spanish revolt against French occupation
● Guerilla tactics against France● Britain help the Spanish ● France finally pushed out of
Spain in 1813 (War of Sixth Coalition)
Francisco Goya, The Third of May 1808, 1814
1810
1812 - Napoleon Invades Russia Scorched Earth - Russians burn everything as retreat to cut off Napoleon’s supply lines
Retreat from Russia
War of 1812 - America vs. Britain, America wins
1814April
France’s enemies capture Paris
1815
Louis XVIII
Summary of Napoleon Napoleon ruled France as dictator and emperor for 15 years (1799-1814)
Claiming to defend the ideals of the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte imposed French control over much of the European continent
How? Napoleon’s new military tactics allowed him to exert direct or indirect control over much of continent spreading the ideals of the French Revolution
Result? Continental System: blockade imposed to stop trade between continental Europe and Britain with goal of weakening British economy and military
Effects of Napoleon:
● Nationalistic reaction (ex: Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy)● Metric system
1. Robespierre’s Speech Denouncing the New Conditions of EligibilityExcerpt:
“All citizens, whoever they are, have the right to aspire to all levels of office-holding. Nothing is more in line with your declaration of rights, according to which all privileges, all distinctions, all exceptions must disappear. The Constitution establishes that sovereignty resides in the people, in all the individuals of the people. Each individual therefore has the right to participate in making the law which governs him and in the administration of the public good which is his own. If not, it is not true that all men are equal in rights, that every man is a citizen. If he who only pays a tax equivalent to a day of work has fewer rights than he who pays the equivalent to three days of work, and he who pays at the level of ten days has more rights than he whose tax only equals the value of three; then he who enjoys 100,000 livres of revenue has 100 times as many rights as he who only has 1,000 livres of revenue. It follows from all your decrees that every citizen has the right to participate in making the law and consequently that of being an elector or eligible for office without distinction of wealth.”
Explanation: Why this source demonstrates Robespierre was a facilitator of equality: 3 sentences
Citation: Robespierre, Maximilien. “Speech Denouncing the New Conditions of Eligibility." 22 October 1789. Liberty, Equality and Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution. George Mason University, 2012. Web. 26 November 2013.
