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Napoleon's Birth
Napoleon is born in Ajaccio, France. -
Becoming an Officer in the French Army
He became an officer in the French artillery and a master of war tactician when he was 16 years old. He was only 5'6 as an adult. -
Military Campaign in Egypt and Syria
The Battle of the Pyramids was July 21st, 1798. Napoleon won support across class lines. Once he crossed, they took the oath of loyalty, peasants were relieved when they had rights to land. -
Coup D'etat
An overthrow of the government. -
Napoleonic Code
Among Napoleon's most lasting reforms, there was a new code laws that was named the Napoleonic Laws. Embodied in enlightenment principals, such as equality and religious toleration. -
Joseph Bonaparte Becomes King of Spain
Napoleon controlled much of Europe through forceful diplomacy. One example of placing friends and relatives on thrones was unseating the king of Spain, and placing his own brother on the throne. -
Napoleon’s Coronation
Napoleon had acquired enough power to assume the power of emperor. During the ceremony when he was being crown, he took the crown for his own and placed it on his head. Held in Paris. -
The Battle of Trafalgar
Napoleon valued rapid movement and made effective use of large armies. His game plans were never anticipated, but he made the new game plan for this battle. -
The Battle of Wagram
After winning a war against the Russian army, in 1809 the Austrians sought revenge, but once again Napoleon triumphed. After the War of Wagram there was a peace agreement that surrendered Austrian lands populated by more than 3,000,000 people. -
The Grand Empire
Napoleon named his empire the Grand Empire. By 1812, his Grand Empire reached its greatest extent. After he took over some of the greatest powers in Europe, his land thrived. -
Invasion of Russia
The Russians conquered the Grand Army, so Napoleon rushed to Paris to raise new force to defend France. His reputation of success has been shattered. -
Battle of the Nations (Leipzig)
After the fall of the Grand Army, Russia brought new alliances to France which included Britain, Austria, and Prussia against the weakened France. In 1813 they defeated Napoleon in the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig. -
Napoleon’s Exile to Elba
After Napoleon stepped down from power, the victors exiled him from Elba, an island from the Mediterranean. They throned Louis XVIII as king of France. -
Napoleon’s Exile to St. Helena
Once again he was exiled from another place called St. Helena among the islands in the South Atlantic. This time, he shall never return. -
Napoleon’s Return
After they put Louis XVIII on the throne, it didn't go as planned. He agreed to accept the Napoleonic code and honor the land settlements made during the Revolution. There was an economic depression and feared that Napoleon would return. -
The Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon's triumph was short lived. It only lasted about 100 days. Allied reassembled their forces. On June 18th, 1815 apposing armies met near the town of Waterloo, Belgium. Napoleon met British forces under the Duke of Wellington, and got crushed once again.
