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Napoleon's coup d'etat
Due to the dissatisfaction with the leadership of the Directory in France, a group of people including abbé Sieyès devised a plot to overthrow the Directory and establish firm leadership under Napoleon. This change in leadership for the French Republic is often seen as the end of the era of the French Revolution. -
Napoleon is declared First Consul
After the coup in which the Directory was overthrown in favor of Napoleon's leadership, Napoleon was declared the First Consul of France as part of the new constitution that essentially gave him all the power while maintaining the illusion of a republic. Elections, free press, and the legislative branches of government all essentially had no role or power and Napoleon's role as the First Consul was maintained until he declared himself the Emperor of France a few years later. -
Napoleon crowned Emperor
After rising to the top of the French Revolutionary Army and then being part of a coup that thought to instate him as a leader due to the crises that arose under the French government. Many people wanted a strong leader and he was seen as one but seeking more, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France in the presence of Pope Pius VII. This helped convince the French public and surrounding areas of his power and helped establish him as the highest authority. -
Napoleonic Code
The Napoleonic Code was a civil code enacted in France in 1804 that influenced many other civil codes elsewhere in Europe and Latin America. Under this code, all men were deemed equal, hereditary nobility and class privileges were removed, and individual rights, freedom of contract, and the allowance of private property for all, were maintained. -
Napoleon Defeat (Horatio Nelson)
During the Battle of Trafalgar off the coast of Spain, Lord Horatio Nelson and the British Royal Navy were able to defeat combined French and Spanish forces under the command of Napoleon. There was heavy fighting and Nelson himself died near the end of the battle, but the British side ultimately won and stopped Napoleon's forces from invading Britain. -
Napoleon is defeated in Russia (Battle of Bordino)
Despite the alliance Napoleon had built with Russia, he took action to invade Russia. He moved to take Moscow with little resistance from the Russians. During the Battle of Bordino, both sides suffered and the Russians retreated. However, once they reached Moscow, no one was there and Napoleon was forced to retreat, his tired and hungry troops soon coming into contact with Russian soldiers. The defeat they suffered was considered the beginning of the end for Napoleon. -
Battle of the Nations
The Battle of Nations was also referred to as the Battle of Leipzig, and is considered a decisive defeat for Napoleon. The Allies who fought Napoleon, comprised of Austrian, Russian, and Prussian forces, were almost double the size of Napoleon's troops. This happened after an attempt by Napoleon to increase his territory into Germany and ultimately defined the end of the French Empire that existed to the East of the Rhine River. -
Spanish nationalists defeat Napoleon
Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, and began the Peninsular War, part of Napoleon's series of wars with the rest of Europe. The Spanish revolted against his rule due to his heavy taxes and conscription of men. In 1810, the British helped the groups of guerrilla fighters in Spain and Portugal, and by 1813, groups under Wellesley were able to defeat French armies. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba
After his initial defeat at Russia, Napoleon's forces were not as powerful as they once were and he ended up offering to abdicate the throne in 1814 to his son. In the Treaty of Chaumont, Austria, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain threatened to continue war until Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba, so he complied although he broke out of his exile within the next year and was exiled again to St. Helena. -
Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena
After Napoleon escaped his exile to Elba and went back to France after hearing about unrest in Vienna, he was able to rally support from French officials and people who fought under him and formed a new army. However, he was quickly stopped and defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and then exiled again to a prison in St. Helena where he eventually died.
