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Failed growing Empire in the Americas
Napoleon wished to build an empire and extend French power into the Americas; including Louisiana, Florida, and Saint Domingue. Soon, a civil war erupted in Saint Domingue so Napoleon sent an expedition to take back the colony-because he was interested in their booming sugar industry- but it failed miserably. This made Napoleon realize that he should give up on the Americas and stay focused on Europe, which is why he sold the entire Louisiana Territory to the United States for $15 million. -
Royalist Rebellion in Paris
Napoleon was able to face off a large mob of Royalists that were trying to regain power in Paris. He and his men used artillery to their advantage by shooting into the crowd, killing 1,400 Royalists while the remaining fled. In turn for stopping this mob, he was rewarded with immediate fame and was put in charge of defending the French interior at just 26 years old. -
Napoleon is now in charge of the First Council
Napoleon's supporters went to the Directory Legislature armed and forced members of the French government to turn their power over to Napoleon; called a Coup d'etat. They voted for Napoleon to be in charge of the First Council (three new counsels will replace the Directory as the new government of France). The French people wanted the order and stability that Napoleon had promised them so they are willing to give up their freedoms if Napoleon could bring peace, prosperity, and glory to France. -
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Napoleon's spread of Nationalism
As Napoleon and his army were traveling all throughout Europe, while hoping to unite the entire continent under French control, he spread the sense of Nationalism without even knowing. Nearly every country that felt the result of his ruling was influenced by nationalism in some way and adopted it for their own country. The people of France were extremely loyal to their country and felt a sense of unity and superiority throughout France. Napoleon's influence made them feel this way. -
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The start of Napoleonic wars
These Napoleonic wars first began because Great Britain decided to declare war on France. At this time France was the dominant European power but they will quickly fall apart and Great Britain will take their spot. Some people like to think of the Napoleonic wars as a continuation of wars from the French Revolution. Great Britain and France fought over power in Europe, which meant that Europe was in a continuous war state for over a decade.
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France becomes an Empire
Napoleon sent out a plebiscite which asked the people of France if he should declare France an Empire. They easily agreed and Pope Pius VII was in charge of crowning Napoleon as Emperor but he picked up the crown with the sword and he placed it on his head himself. After that, he was officially Emperor Napoleon I.
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Harsh Russian winters
Napoleon and his men were finally leaving Russia after many battles with the enemy, but one factor that wiped out more of Napoleon's men than any army could have done was its harsh winters. The men were exhausted, starving, and freezing as they were marching their way back to France. Since this weather was unbearable, Napoleon decided to leave his troops on their journey home and take a sleigh back to Paris. His men now had no leader and only 94,000 of the original 600,000 troops remained. -
The Battle of Paris
The allies (that consisted of Austrian, Prussian and Russian troops) under the command of Field Marshal Count Barclay de Tolly entered Paris in triumph, but the Czar of Russia was the real leader. He wanted revenge on Napoleon for what he did. The French surrendered and Napoleon had to give up his throne but was able to keep his title of Emperor. He was named the Emperor of a small Mederteranian Island called Elba off the coast of Italy. He went into exile and took along 400 guards with him. -
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The end of Napoleon
After Napoleon was defeated for good, he decided to flee to America but was captured in attempting to do so. In turn, his captors sent him to a small volcanic island called Saint Helena which is located 1,200 miles off the western coast of Africa. After only six years of being on this remote prison island, he died at the age of 51 and was never given the chance to escape again. It is uncertain the cause of his death, but now it is certain that he would not be an issue in France any longer. -
The return of Napoleon from Elba
The allies thought that once they exiled Napoleon to Elba, that it would be the end of him, but they were wrong. After spending 1 year in Elba, Napoleon hired a ship to take him and some of his guards back to France. Rumors of Napoleon's arrival sparked in France so the allies declared him an outlaw. Napoleon's arrival in Paris marked the beginnings of the Hundred Days (a short period of renewed glory for Napoleon) that was put to an end with the Waterloo battle. (https://youtu.be/Vxb_x2G4Cu4) -
Battle of Waterloo
Great Britain's army had gained immense power with the help of Belgian, Dutch, and German troops. At the battle at Waterloo, Duke of Wellington led Great Britain's army and met with Napoleon's weaker army near a Belgian village named Waterloo. Napoleon's army was no match for Duke Wellington's army because Prussian troops also arrived to help Britain. Napoleon's army was driven off the field by the end of the day. This was a crushing defeat for Napoleon, marking the end of his military career.
