-
Italian Campaign (Green)
In Napoleon’s early military career, he took over much of northern Italy for France. This helped him discover that he enjoyed governing and having power. -
Egyptian Campaign (Red)
Napoleon had hopes of gaining control of Egypt. However, in the Battle of the Nile, the French army was defeated. They were stuck in Egypt after Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed their fleet on Egyptian coast. Napoleon decided to abandon his soldiers in Egpyt. When he got home to France, he had claimed that they won the battle. -
Consulate (Green)
On December 13, 1799, Napoleon was declared as First Consul and became a leading political figure in France. He decided to get rid of the Assembly and instead have a Senate. -
Banque de France (Green)
Napoleon established the Banque de France to help with economic growth in France. -
Concordat of 1801 (Yellow)
Napoleon wanted to make reparations with the Catholic Church. He mainly did this as a way to strengthen his regime. The Concordat declared that Catholicism would be the religion of most Frenchman and that they would accept the loss of Church land. -
Consul for Life (Green)
In 1802, Napoleon proclaimed himself as “Consul for Life.” -
Napoleonic Code (Yellow)
The Napoleonic Code was applied under Napoleon’s control. It gave men much more individual rights and authority over their families. However, it denied women those individual rights. -
Battle of Trafalgar (Red)
The Battle of Trafalgar includes what is known as one of the greatest military maneuvers. The Royal Navy defeated the combined forces of France and Spain. This was a failure for Napoleon as it ensured that he would never try to invade Britain. -
Declared Himself Emperor (Green)
Rather than have Pope Pius VII crown Napoleon as emperor, Napoleon decided to do it himself. He wanted to demonstrate that he was the most powerful. -
Resistance in Spain (Red)
Portugal wanted to continue trade with Britain, which was against the Continental System. So, France asked Spain if they wanted to support an invasion of Portugal and they denied. Napoleon then wanted to invade Spain as well. This is also called the “Spanish Ulcer.” On May 2, 1808, the Spanish began a rebellion. After five years of fighting and with British help, the French were finally pushed out of Spain. -
Continental System (Red)
Napoleon wanted to establish his reign over Continental Europe and isolate Great Britain from the rest of Europe. To do this, the Berlin Decrees were established. The Berlin Decrees declared that British ships weren’t allowed in other European ports. Napoleon also created the Milan Decrees, which stated that any ship stopping in Europe would be seized. These eventually led to the War of 1812. -
Abolished Holy Roman Empire (Green)
The Holy Roman Empire was abolished formally on August 6, 1806 when Francis II abdicated after a military defeat led by Napoleon. -
Invasion of Russia (Red)
Napoleon’s invasion of Russia is also known as the ‘Big Blunder.” In July of 1812, Napoleon led his men across Russia. The Russians were luring them into the country and they began practicing “Scorched Earth” to prevent the French from having any source of supplies. In early 1813, the French began to retreat. Of the 100,000 men that retreated, only 10,000 survived. -
Battle of Leipzig (Red)
The Battle of Leipzig was also known as the Battle of Nations, as there were many nations fighting against Napoleon. Some of these countries were Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Sweden. Napoleon was defeated by the large coalition against him. -
Abdication (Red)
Napoleon abdicated and wanted his son to take over. The Allies continued to push for his surrender and he abdicated again on April 11. He was exiled to Elba. -
Hundred Days (Red)
Napoleon escaped Elba and returned to France on March 1st. This began the War of the 7th coalition. March 20th began the “Hundred Days” which marked the period from Napoleon’s return from exile to the return of Louis XVIII. -
Battle of Waterloo (Red)
The Battle of Waterloo ultimately marked the end of Napoleon’s military career. It was a large failure for the French with over 33,000 casualties.
