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Napoleon is born
Napoleon was born in Corsica, a Mediterranean island. -
Military school
Napoleon completed military school and became a lieutenant in the artillery. He had gone to Ecole Militare and presented exceptional abilities in leading an army. -
Napoleon becomes a savior of the French republic
In October 1795, when royalist rebels attacked the National Convention, Napoleon defended the delegates by fighting the royalists off. Panicked and confused, the Royalists fled quickly. This was important because Napoleon was considered a hero, and a savior of the French republic. -
Army leader
Napoleon was appointed by the directory to lead a French army against Austria, and Sardina. He won many victories there. Napoleon was unable to do the same in Egypt though. He was pinned down in Egypt, and then the British defeated his naval forces. Although, he was still able to remain a hero to the French people because the stories of his setbacks had not reached them. -
Coup d'Etat
While the Directory was not effective and the people did not trust it, Napoleon saw a chance to seize political power. Napoleon took action in November. His troops surrounded and drove out many members of the National legislature. The lawmakers got rid of the Directory and established a group of three consuls, one of which was Napoleon who took the title of first consul and the power of a dictator. -
Britan, Austria, and Russia form an alliance
Britain, Austria, and Russia formed an alliance with the goal of driving Napoleon out of power. -
Plebiscite
In 1800 the people of France voted to approve a new constitution and voted in favor of it because of their desire for a strong leader. This vote gave Napoleon all real power as the first consul. -
Loss of American Territories
Napoleon wanted to rule all of Europe including Louisiana, Florida, French Guiana, and more. He knew that the key to these areas was through St. Domingue, a sugar-producing colony. When the people of St. Domingue heard the revolution ideas, they demanded the same privileges as the French. A civil war started and enslaved Africans took control of the colony. Napoleon tried to take it back and restore the sugar industry, but the French forces were diseased and the rebels where good fighters. -
Concordat
The clergy and the peasants wanted to restore the position of the Church in France. So in 1801, Napoleon signed an agreement with the pope that said the government would recognize the influence of the Church but did not let the Church get involved with national issues. As a result of the agreement, Napoleon got the support of the Church as well as the French people. This also established a new relationship between the Church and the state. -
Napoleon sells Louisiana
Napoleon sold Louisiana to U.S for $15 million. In result, he would gain money for operations in Europe. In addition, he would punish the British because the sale assured forever power to the U.S and had given England a rival. -
Napoleon becomes emperor
The French voters supported Napoleons decision to make himself emperor. When Napoleon placed the crown on his head, he signified that he was more powerful than the Church because the Church traditionally crowned the rulers of France. -
Napoleonic Code
Napoleons set of laws that were enacted in 1804. It gave the country a uniform set of laws and got rid of many injustices. However, It limited liberty and promoted order and authority over individual rights. It also brought back slavery in the French colonies. -
Battle of Trafalgar
This was Napoleon's only major loss. In Napoleon's goal for a European empire, he fought in a naval battle with the British. The British destructed the French fleet. This had two results. It ensured the supremacy of the British navy for the next 100 years and forced Napoleon to give up his plans for invading Britain. Napoleon's drive to destroy Britain would lead to his own self-consequences. -
Continental system
Napoleon set up a blockade to prevent trade communication between Great Britain and other European nations called the Continental System. It was supposed to make Europe more self-sufficient though sometimes it did not work. Napoleon also intended for it to destroy Great Britain's commercial and industrial economy. It weakened the British but did not destroy them. Britain responded with their own stronger blockade. -
Peninsular war
Napoleon wanted Portugal to accept the Continental System so he sent an invasion force through Spain. When the Spanish protested, Napoleon removed the Spanish king and replaced him with his own brother, Joseph. Spain was outraged. They were also worried that Napoleon would attack the Catholic Church. For six years, French fighters called guerrillas worked to slowly ambush French troops. Napoleon lost about 300,000 men. These losses weakened the French Empire. -
Napoleon goes to Russia and the Battle of Borodino
Napoleon went to Russia with 420,000 soldiers. The Russians kept the French army from Moscow using the scorched earth defense method until September when the two armies fought in the battle of Borodino. Napoleon was able to move to Moscow. In Moscow, a fire broke out and destroyed the town. Napoleon stayed there until the middle of October. Finally, when he decided to go back to France it was the beginning of winter. Enemies easily attacked the weak cold army leaving only 10,000 able fighters. -
Battle of Leipzig
After Napoleon's losses in Russia, he quickly raised another army. However, most men were unprepared for battle. Allied armies attacked and defeated them easily in the battle of Leipzig. The allied forces kept pushing further toward Paris. Napoleon wanted to keep fighting, but his generals refused. In 1814, he surrendered, gave up his throne, and was exiled to Elba. -
Napoleon returns to France
The new king that replaced Napoleon was very unpopular amongst the French people because he was accused `trying to undo the Revolution's land reforms. Upon hearing this, Napoleon escaped from Elba and was joyously welcomed back to France. He quickly became emperor again. -
Battle at Waterloo
In response to hearing that Napoleon was emperor again in France, European allies took their armies to the village of Waterloo. On June 18th, 1815 Napoleon attacked the allies. The British, with the help of the Prussian army, were able to defeat Napoleon. This defeat ended Napoleons last attempt for power, called the Hundred Days. This time, the British shipped Napoleon to the remote island St. Helena. -
Death of Napoleon
Napoleon spent six years in exile writing memoirs. In 1821 Napoleon died at St. Helena of a stomach ailment.
