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Napoleon is born
Napoleon Bonaparte was born August 15, 1769 in Corsica, Ajaccio, France to Carlo Maria di Buonaparte and Maria Letizia Ramolino. -
Start of the French Revolution
The French Revolution began when Louis XVI, the current king of France, needed money and demanded it from the Third Estate, to which they became angered that they had to pay all the taxes. Napoleon grew to be a militant prodigy and rose through the ranks over the years. He crowned himself emperor of France after performing a coup d'etat and started to wage wars across Europe in different nations to increase his empire. -
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The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror started when Marie Antoinette, demanded public executions by guillotine, which she wanted all citizens to see and learn from. Over 2,400 people were exectuted in Paris by July 1974, leading to a total of 30,000 people dead all over France. Napoleon gained fame after the Siege of Toulon and was appointed the First Consul of France after the Directory was revoked in 1799. -
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Seige of Toulon
The Seige of Toulon was one of the several rebellions that occured when French citizens decided to rebel against the French Revolution. Toulon is located on a port on the southern coast of France. The rebels of the war were persistant in winning against their opponent, so they requested that the British naval army and take over command. Napoleon and his army, in the end, won the battle by using his quick thinking and skills, to which he was promoted to Brigadier General after the port fell. -
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Egyptian Campaign
Napoleon's goal at this time was to impede on the trade route going through Great Britain and India by dominating the eastern part of Europe. He and his army invaded the port of Malta then landed on Egypt with 35,000 soldiers. Further on, his army began taking over and invading places like Alexandria and Cairo, and the army of the Turkish Empire fought back to no evail. -
18 Brumaire Coup
Napoleon led this coup whose objective was to overthrow the government system under the Directory in France so Napoleon could be the absolute ruler. Most people find this to be the end of the French Revolution, especially since this takes place after the Egyptian Campaign which did not end on good terms for Napoleon. This resulted in Bonaparte's troops enforcing France and putting the council away from the city. -
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First Consul for Life
This was the time where Napoleon was the absolute power of France. Even though there was no longer a republic, Napoleon made it seem there was still a legislative body and council of notables. His goal in being the First Consul was to make France forget about the French Revolution and restore peace and unity among his citizens. -
Napoleonic Code
The Napoleonic Code is also known as the French Civil code. This code went against many natural born priveleges such as birth, religious freedom, and government jobs going to people with merit. -
Coronation of Napoleon
Napoleon declared himself emperor of France and ordered a coronation for himself. This event took place at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The citizens of France approved Napoleon becoming the emperor by popular vote. -
Battle of Trafalgar
In this battle, the British fleet defeated a combined Spanish and French fleet so Napoleon could not reach his goal of invading Great Britain. The British fleet destroyed 19 enemy ships after fighting for five hours. This battle was particularly one of Napoleon's worse loses against another unallied country. -
Battle of Austerlitz
Napoleon's army entered Vienna, Austria on November 15th to trail the allied Russian and Austrian armies to battle them. The allied armies decided to fight the French armyest of Austerlitz at the Pratzen Plateau. The French army won the battle losing 9,000 soldiers while the Russian and Austrian army lost 15,000 men with 11,000 captured by Napoleon. -
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Continental System
The Continental System was an attempt from Napoleon to have the French army's greatest enemy - Great Britain- destroy all their trade and ruin their economy so France could have a better economy since they have lost access to their usual trades. This became a fail on Napoleon's part since he is the one who destoyed France's trades in a economic matter. Another failture of Napoleon was that he isolated all his conquered territory. -
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Peninsular War
This war occured between the French army and Great Britain's army along with Ireland, Spain, and Portugal for dominance over the Iberian Peninsula. Napoleon's struggle for the peninsula is one of the reasons for his downfall. The French lost to Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal, making Great Britain rise in the rankings of military stature. -
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Invasion of Russia
Napoleon was willing to start a deadly Russian campaign which would soon become a milestone in destructive warfare at this time. While Napoleon's army took an entire two months to walk on foot to Russia for a battle, Russia did not stay and decided to move while burning everything behind them that was a form of survival so the French could not seek any rations or means to live. -
The Retreat from Moscow
Napoleon had his troops turn around to return to France when he decided not to wait any longer for a negotiation from Alexander I, the tsar or king of Russia. His army had to wait until October for them to depart, which was the midst of winter. Several of Napoleon's troops either turned around on the way to Moscow or died from harsh conditions and little rations. -
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Battle of Leipzig
Another name for this battle is the Battle of the Nations, yet another terrible loss for Napoleon. It took place in Leipzig, Saxony against the French army and the allied forces of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden. These two opponents were widely outnumbered (the French army had 198,000 troops with 717 guns while the allied forces against them had 370,000 troops with 1,384 guns). -
Exile to Elba
Napoleon was banished from being the emperor of France to an island in the Mediterranean called Elba after renouncing his throne. in his time there, Napoleon made changes in the island's economy and social issues to mostly part the time but also because of his want to help the islanders. He was banished here for exactly 300 days. -
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Hundred Days
The Hundred Days happened when Napoleon arrived in Paris when he escaped his exile on Elba island. His intention was to stake his claim as the ruler of France while continuing his Napoleonic Wars and and liberate France from their allies. The king Louis XVIII wanted Napoleon to be captured and lock him up. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo took place in Belgium and was also the final battle and defeat for Napoleon Bonaparte. This battle also ended his reign and France's dominance over all the Europeon countries he conquered. In this battle, France went against Great Britain and the Prussian army. -
Exile to Saint Helena
To ensure that Napoleon would not return to Europe, the powers exiled him yet again but this time, he was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. When he arrived, his home Longwood was not ready yet, so he spent his next five and half years with a British family called the Balcombes. -
Napoleon's Death
Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821 in Longwood on the island of Saint Helena where he was last exiled. There are many speculations of whether or not he died of natural causes or if he was killed, but most assume that the cause of his death was stomach cancer. Others say that his cause of death was my poison, but it was confirmed by scientists that Napoleon did indeed die of stomach cancer.
