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The Birth of Napoleon
Napoleon is born in the town of Ajaccio on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. The island was transferred to France from the Republic of Genoa. -
Napoleon Becomes Officer in French Artillery
He became an officer in the French artillery and a master war tactician. As an adult he was only 5 feet 6. He used the French Revolution as his opportunity to get power. Then Napoleon was promoted because of his victory over the British. -
Egyptian Campaign
Bonaparte proposed a military expedition to seize Egypt, then a province of the Ottoman Empire, seeking to protect French trade interests and undermine Britain's access to India. The Directory, though troubled by the scope and cost of the enterprise, readily agreed so the popular general would be away from the center of power. The land battles were a success, but the British Navy continued to control the seas. Napoleon returns to France. -
A whiff of grape-shot
Bonaparte was serving in Paris when royalists and counter-revolutionaries organized an armed protest against the National Convention on 3 October 1795. Bonaparte was given command of the improvised forces defending the Convention in the Tuileries Palace. Using the "whiff of grapeshot" Napoleon was able to drive the mob away from the National Convention. -
Oct 26th, 1795 Become a General in the French Army
Napoleon becomes commander in chief. -
Campaign in Italy.
Napoleon Bonaparte's fame as a military commander can be dated back to his campaign in Italy in 1796-97, where as the young and relatively unknown commander of a ragged and poorly supported army he managed to defeat a series of much larger Austrian and allied armies, conquer most of northern Italy, and force the Austrians to the negotiating table -
Treaty of Luneville
This Treaty was a renewal of the earlier, Treaty of Campo Formio, which secured France's defeat of Austria and right to administer Italian lands independent of Austria's will. This treaty also ends the Second Coalition. -
Concordat
agreement reached on July 15, 1801, between Napoleon Bonaparte and papal and clerical representatives in both Rome and Paris, defining the status of the Roman Catholic Church in France and ending the breach caused by the church reforms and confiscations enacted during the French Revolution. The Concordat was formally promulgated on Easter day, 1802. -
Treaty of Amiens
Treaty of Amiens signed with the British. This treaty was essentially a pact in which British and French forces agreed not to fight, and had no significant territorial provisions. With Austria defeated, a peace signed with the British, and Russia's withdrawal from the Second Coalition, for the first time in 10 years, Europe was at peace. -
First Consul for Life
Upon returning from Egypt, Napoleon took advantage of the political turmoil in France plaguing the Directory. Napoleon was able to overthrow the Directory in a bloodless coup d'etat. He became First Consul at this time. -
The Napoleonic Code
Napoleon set out to reform the French legal system in accordance with the principles of the French Revolution because the old feudal and royal laws seemed to be confusing and contradictory to the people. Before the Code, France did not have a single set of laws. Napoleon set out to create a set of laws that were easily accessible, easy to understand. The Napoleonic Code forms the basis of many legal systems in Europe today, and is the basis of civil law in the province of Quebec. -
Napoleon Becomes Emperor
The coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor of France was preceded by a vote on the issue of whether or not Napoleon should be appointed "First Consul for Life", which he won. Napoleon put the crown on his own head at his coronation. -
Battle of Jena
Military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought between 122,000 French troops and 114,000 Prussians and Saxons, at Jena and Auerstädt, in Saxony (modern Germany). -
The Continental System
The Continental System was the foreign policy of Napoleon Bonaparte's in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was inaugurated on November 21, 1806 and lasted until 1814. It was an attempt to prevent the British from trading on the European continent. -
Treaty of Tilsit
Treaty of Tilsit between France, Russia, and Prussia. The Treaty required Russia and Prussia to abide by the Continental System. -
Napoleon's campaign in Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe. -
Oct 16th, 1813 The Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of the Nations (or Battle of Leipzig) which occurred on October 16-19, 1813 was one of the most decisive defeats suffered by Napoleon Bonaparte. -
Allies enter France
The Russian, Prussian, and Austrian armies entered France and after several battles reached the gates of Paris.
The British army entered southern France, while Bellegarde's Austrian corps pursued Eugene's French army in Italy. -
May 30th, 1814 First Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris, signed on 30 May 1814, ended the war between France and the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars, following an armistice signed on 23 May between Charles, Count of Artois, and the allies -
The Congress of Vienna Begins
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich and held in Vienna from November 1, 1814, to June 8, 1815. The Congress of Vienna was an attempt to turn back the clock in Europe, to a time before the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, to return France to its pre-revolutionary size. The legitimate monarchs of Europe were returned to their thrones, including Louis XVIII to France. -
Elba
Napoleon saw an opportunity to escape from Elba when the commander went to visit Italy. Napoleon left Elba by sea and arrived in France on March 1, 1815. -
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon's forces were defeated near the village of Waterloo in Belgium by the British and Prussian forces. It was the first time that Napoleon had met the Duke of Wellington on the field of battle, and Wellington (who had studied Napoleon's techniques) anticipated his every move, and was able to defeat him. The Duke of Wellington is depicted in the painting on the left. -
Napoleon Sent Into Exile on St. Helena
After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon was sent into exile for a second time, this time to the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. -
Nov 20th, 1815 Second Treaty of Paris
Second Treaty of Paris signed, whose provisions are essentially the same as the first. -
Death of napoleon
Napoleon dies in exile on the island of St. Helena. -
Napoleon Dies
Napoleon dies in exile on the island of St. Helena.