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Napoleon Defeated in Egypt
Trying to conquer Egypt and take control of British trading routes through Africa, Napoleon campaigned through Egypt. However he was defeated by Horatio Nelson and Britain but luckily Napoleon was able to return to France before the Egyptian military campaign failure was public. -
Coup d'Etat
This established Napoleon as First Consul of France; he was part of a triumvirate where it was intended that each of the three members would have equal power, but Napoleon quickly gained more power than the other two. -
Napoleon Declared First Consul
Napoleon was declared as part of the First Consul triumvirate with two other men. Napoleon quickly became the most powerful and had great aspirations for France. -
Napoleon Crowns himself Emperor of France
In the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France; Pope Pius handed Napoleon his crown which he placed upon his own head. Napoleon became the first person to hold the title Emperor since 888 AD. -
Battle of Trafalgar
Hoping to invade Britain through a marine landing on the south British coast from the English channel, Napoleon allied with the Spanish Navy to form a French-Spanish force that had 41 ships to battle Horatio Nelson's 27. The French-Spanish force lost about 15,000 men and 21 ships while Britain lost about 1,000 men and zero ships. -
Implementation of Continental System
After France had defeated Russia, Alexander of Russia agreed with Napoleon that if the French continued to fight against the British, Russia would help France by isolating Britain economically. The Continental System included almost all of Europe except for Britain and Portugal. -
Spanish Nationalists overthrow Napoleon
Often referred to as the Dos de Mayo Uprising, Spanish people, particularly those living in Madrid, fought back against the French occupation of the city. While the French smothered Spanish resistance, this fight in Madrid lead to many more civilian uprisings throughout Spain. -
Napoleon Defeated in Russia
Perhaps the most powerful military force in history, Napoleon's Grande Armée was defeated in Russia. The army that had once reached over 1,000,000 strong was decimated on their long march to Moscow in a brutally cold winter. Supplies were limited and many of the supplies that they hoped to use were burnt by the Russians. -
Napoleon Defeated at Leipzig
Napoleon's French army who were supplemented by the Italian and Polish armies were defeated by a coalition of forces headed by Russia and Prussia. This battle was the largest European military battle prior to World War I. -
Napoleon Exiled to Elba
Napoleon abdicated his crown to the Bourbon Louis XVIII, and thus he was no longer Emperor of France. France however let Napoleon live on the Italian island of Elba where they paid 2 million francs annually to support his lifestyle. -
Battle of Waterloo
This battle was fought between France and the Seventh Coalition, which consisted of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Prussia, and other nations. Napoleon was defeated and this battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars. -
Exiled to St. Helena
Napoleon is exiled to the island of St. Helena, a British territory off the coast of Africa. He spent the rest of his life here living for another six years.
