-
Birth of Napoleon
Born in Corsica as the second son of parents Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino -
Napoleon Attends French Military School
At this school, Napoleon specialized in artillery. -
Napoleon Graduates From the École Royale Militaire
Napoleon comples a three-year course in one year, becoming a second lieutenant for the French Army. -
Napoleon Becomes Brigadier-General
Civil War caused the Bonaparte family to flee to France. Napoleon was able to fight quickly against the 1st Coalition, because of the changes in social class and his military skill. He was recognized for his talent at the Siege of Toulon for helping capture Fort Mulgrave and L’Equillette, and was promoted to Brigadier-General. -
Napoleon Gets Promoted To Major-General
Coup d’état of Fructidor – After being arrested for treason, Napoleon returns to France, viewed as a hero when he defended the gov’t of the Directory from counter-revolutionary forces by firing “whiff of grapeshot” into the crowd. He was then promoted to Major-General and then to 2nd in command of the Army of the Interior -
Napoleon Marries Josephine
Before his departure to Italy to attack Austria, Napoleon married Josephine de Beauharnais, a widow with two children. -
Napoleon Continues Military Success
While appointed General of French forces at the age of 27, Napoleon secured victories at Montenotte, Mondovi, Cherasco, Lodi, Castiglione, Bassano, Arcole, Rivoli, and Mantua, driving the Austrians out of northern Italy. And after signing the Treaty of Campo Formio, France also received the Austrian Netherlands in exchange for the Venetican Republic. French territory now expanded to the Rhine River -
Period: to
Napoleon's Expedition to Egypt
Napoleon plans an expedition to Egypt to isolate British colonies. But after a series of victories, the French army was defeated by the British forces of Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile. Napoleon returns to France, before word of the defeat reached France; he was still viewed as a hero. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
After changes were not made, Napoleon overthrew the Directory in the "coup de Brumaire" with the help of the army. He immediately created a new constitution that stated that France was to remain a republic under the leadership of three Consuls, himself being the first Consul. -
Period: to
Defeat of the Second Coalition
1801: Russia was persuaded – through diplomacy – to withdraw from the Second Coalition;
Treaty of Luneville: signed February 9th, 1801, terms of the Treaty of Campo Formio are re-established;
Concordat of 1801: signed July 15th, 1801, an agreement with Pope Pius VII under which the Roman Catholic Church is re-established as the church of France, bring religious stability to France. -
Peace of Amiens Signed
Peace of Amiens is signed between Great Britain and France;
Austria (along with the rest of the Second Coalition) is defeated at the Battles of Marengo and Hohenlinden -
Napoleonic Code is adopted in France
This code makes significant changes to both economics and social policy -
Napoleon Corwns Himself Emperor of the French
Napoleon crowns himself in front of Pope Pius VII and the rest of the French population -
Napoleon defeats 3rd/4th Coalition at the Batte of Trafalgar
1805: Austria joins Great Britain to become the 3rd Coalition. Later, Russia and Sweden also allied with Britain to become the 4th Coalition.
Treaty of Pressburg: Austria withdraws from the coalition and pays indemnity to France and gives land to Napoleon’s German allies and Venice to Italy.
Battle of Trafalgar was fought, and Horatio Nelson’s forces conquered the Franco-Spanish fleet, cementing Britain’s control of the seas. -
Russia Joins Continental System
1806: Berlin Decrees brought the Continental System into effect in Russia. This had a major influence on Britain’s commerce and exports fell by 20%. -
Period: to
Peninsula Wars
1808: Peninsula War begins, but with the help of the British, under the command of the future Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesly, the Portuguese drove the French out of Portugal. -
Signing of the Treaty of Tilsit
1807: Treaty of Tilsit: agreement between France, Prussia, and France; France would aid Russia against the Ottoman Empire, if Russia joined the Continental System (Napoleonic Code). Prussia lost land to France, and France occupied Berlin. -
Napoleon's defeats the 6th Coalition
The combined forces of Austria and Britain (Fifth Coalition) rose up against Napoleon, but the French were again victorious at the Battles of Landshut and Eckmühl, and Wagram. The Treaty of Schönbrunn was then signed. -
Napoleon Marries Marie Louise of Austria
Napoleon marries Marie Louise of Austria so that he can have a son. -
Napoleon and the Grande Armee
Alexander I of Russia withdraws from the Continental System, in which case Napoleon created the grande armée of 700,000 soldiers and marched into Russia. But using the Scorched Earth Policy, Russia managed to slowly bring down the French army until Napoleon was forced to escape Russia (over 500,000 French soldiers died). -
Napolson's Defeat at the Battle of Leipzig
The Sixth Coalition (Britain, Austria< Russia, Sweden and German states). The weak French army battled the allies at the Battle of Liepzig, but were defeated. -
Formation of the Quadruple Alliance
Napoleon abdicates and exiled to Elba while the Quadruple Alliance settle on an agreement to settle the question on what to do with the Napoleonic Empire. -
Period: to
Congress of Vienna
Made up of Czar Alexander I (Russia), Karl August von Hardenburg (Prussia), Lord Castlereagh (great Britain) and Maurice de Talleyrand (France). The congress was guided by four key principles: balance of power, legitimacy, buffer states and conservatism. The results of the congress were the formation of the German Confederation, the creation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the extension of Prussian borders, the strengthening of Sardinia, and Switzerland was declared independent and neutral. -
Napoleon's Hundred Days
Napoleon escaped from Elba and returned to France. On his way to France, troops that were sent to arrest him end up joinging Napoleon, and by the time he entered Paris, he had more then 1,000 followers. Louis XVIII had fled from the throne, and Napoleon attempted to rebuild his empire. -
Battle of Wateloo (End of Napoleon's Hundred Days"
Napoleon's Army is defeated by the army of the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon surrenders and is once again exiled this time to the island of St. Helena, where he spends his last 6 years. -
Death of Napoleon
Napoleon dies alone on the island of St. Helena.
