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Summer of 1793
Napoleon took back the vital French port of Toulon from the British troops. -
Leadership
Napoleon stopped an uprising of a mob of royalists who were trying to gain power in Paris by using artillery at the age of 26. Therefore, he became commander of defending the French interior. His troops were low on supplies, but he managed to use it to his advantage. -
Battle of Nile
Napoleon disrupted the trade between Great Britain and India, eventually gaining power over most of Egypt. However, the British commander Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed Napoleon and his troops, causing Napoleon to go back to France and leave his troops with another officer. -
Coup D'etat
Napoleon's supporters forced the transfer of power from the Directory legislature to Napoleon. It led to the creation of the Consulate, which replaced the Directory and made Napoleon the first consul. Even though the structure of the republic was still maintained, Napoleon was a dictator. -
French Expedition Failure
Napoleon wanted to gain power over the Americas; he already had territory including Louisiana and Saint Domingue. But, there was a civil war in Saint Domingue and Napoleon failed to get it back. So, Napoleon had to sell the Louisiana Territory back to the US. He sold it to them for $11.25 million in addition to the forgiveness $3.75 million in French debt . -
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Napoleonic Wars
Napoleon wanted to conquer all of Europe, resulting in continuous wars for over a decade. During this time, France became the dominant power in Europe and grew rapidly, though later it would collapse at an even faster rate. Great Britain was France's greatest enemy and funded many nations to resist Napoleon across Europe. Napoleon was defeated in the Battle of Trafalgar, but he won the Battle of Austerlitz. -
Napoleon Officially Becomes Emperor
Napoleon strengthened his power in France, but he still wanted to conquer all of Europe. He submitted a plebiscite and asked the voters if they wanted France to become an empire—they supported him and said yes, which made him emperor. -
Continental System
To try and stop Britain's trade, Napoleon planned to create a blockade called the Continental System. However, there were several conflicts that were created during this time such as the Peninsular War. Napoleon sent troops to conquer Portugal and took control of Spain. Great Britain supported Spain's revolt, which started a guerrilla war and forced Napoleon to retreat from Spain. -
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Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon moved his troops to invade Russia and teach the czar, Czar Alexander I, a lesson. However, his troops were mostly new men who weren't loyal. In addition, he didn't have many supplies to feed and help his troops—many of his soldiers died from hunger, disease, and desertion. He eventually left but went through one of the most brutal encounters—the Russian winter. Only about 94,000 soldiers came back out of the 600,000. -
Defeat and Exile
Napoleon's disaster allowed other countries to attack France. Napoleon's new troops couldn't defeat them, resulting in Napoleon's surrender—one term being that Napoleon to give up his throne. His new empire became Elba, a small island off the coast of Italy. -
The Hundred Days
The French citizens did not like the new king. After many years, Napoleon managed to sneak onto a boat with his supporters and go back to France. Although there were some people who did not like him, thousands of people still supported him and pledged their loyalty to him. The king fled and Napoleon was declared an outlaw. -
Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon's Downfall
Great Britain and Prussia went against Napoleon, who was driven off at the end of the battle. Both sides resulted in heavy losses of 50,000 men in total. This was the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's military career. He tried to flee and escape, but was captured and sent far away. He never escaped from Saint Helena and died at the age of 51 six years later (1821). His cause of death was never confirmed.
