3/2/2015

1

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Napoleon was a “small man”, he was only 5 ft 6in, but what he did echoed throughout time. (5 ft 6 was actually very average at that time, and average today is 5 ft 8ish)

• In only four years, this military genius rose from a nobody, to the Master of France with military powers that rivaled that of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Hannibal of Carthage.• Napoleon Homework

Napoleon Bonaparte… His story

• He was born on the island of Corsica, (he

was not a native Frenchmen)

• At the age of 10 he was sent to military

school where he was teased for being a

foreigner, and for being short.

• He didn’t let them stop him, he studied

furiously and graduated as a Lieutenant at

the age of 16.

3/2/2015

2

Napoleon Bonaparte… His story

• On his first appointment he proved himself a military genius winning several battles. He essentially conquered Northern Italy.• His men respected and admired

him, They also did what he told them to do.• In 1799 the people of France were

fed up with the Directory (the current government power) Napoleon used this as his time to seize power.

Napoleon becomes Emperor

•When he first seized power he pretended

to be a constitutionally chosen leader of

France.

• He was in all sense of the word however, a

Dictator.

▫ He wrote his own constitution (the people

voted to approve it) appointed himself

consul for life, then appointed himself

Emperor.

3/2/2015

3

Napoleon’s Leadership

• With Napoleon becoming Emperor the

French Republic was dead, and it

became the French Empire.

• He conquered many lands throughout

Europe. Creating the largest most

powerful empire since Roman times.

• The only countries in Europe not

under Napoleons power were Britain,

Russia, Sweden.

3 Types of Control

• Napoleon controlled 3 different types of

territories.

▫ 1. Those directly controlled by France,

basically any lands which were Annexed into

France.

▫ 2. Lands that remained independent in name,

but were controlled by Napoleon (Spain,

Several German State. He even ended the

Holy Roman Empire)

▫ 3. Powerful countries who were not 100%

under his control but were his to command

through a series of treaties and truces. (Russia,

Prussia, Austria)

3/2/2015

4

The Beginning of the End

• Napoleons thirst for power was his undoing. Russia would not stop selling Grain to Great Britain so Napoleon decided he would invade Russia.• He sent 400,000 men into Russia. The

Russians however were not eager to fight and followed a Scorched-Earth Policy. ▫ They would retreat back to the capital and

burn all of the Supplies they could not bring with them. This left little in the amount of Supplies the French Army could utilize.

Moscow Destroyed

• As Napoleon finally reached the Russian capital he was shocked that… Rather than being taken or capture the Russians burnt down their own Capital.

• Napoleon baffled as to what to do ordered his army to return home, however it was now winter in Russia and his army was starving. Temperatures were down to -35 degrees.

• As they walked home, they were also routinely attacked by well fed, and well rested Russian troops. Napoleon’s Army was essentially 100% destroyed.

3/2/2015

5

Opportunity Arises

• Seeing the French Empire in a weak

state Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria,

Sweden all united and fought the

French.

• Napoleon suffered a CRUSHING

defeat at the battle of Leizpig.

• This was the end for Napoleon.

Napoleon’s Exile

• In April 1814, Napoleon admitted

defeat, surrendered to his conquerors

and gave up his throne.

• They gave Napoleon enough money

to survive for the rest of his life and

exiled him to an Island called Elba.

▫ This was the end of Napoleon… or was

it?

3/2/2015

6

Really the end this time…

• Napoleon returned to France in 1815, people

welcomed him back with open arms. He

chased out the Current King Louis XVIII

(Brother of Louis XVI)

• He remained in power for 100 days until

another army coalition united and defeated

him again.

• This time they exiled him to a far away island

St. Helena.

• Six years later Napoleon died, they think from

stomach cancer.

• “Such work as mine is not done

twice in a century. I have saved

the Revolution as it lay dying. I

have cleansed it of its crimes, and

have held it up the people shining

with fame. I have inspirited France

and Europe with new ideas that

will never be forgotten.”� Napoleon Bonaparte 1821 (year he

died)