Napoleon Bonaparte
Unit 3, Chapter 18, Section 3
6.3.1
Europe - 1789
• Compare the size of France here to the next maps
War, Huh, Good God Y’all
• Napoleon is a great General
• Selected to invade…– ENGLAND
• Instead volunteers to take Egypt
• Ultimately unsuccessful
Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way
• Overthrows French Government, proclaims himself “first consul”
• 1802 – Crowns himself Emperor Napoleon I
Napoleon at home
• Makes peace with Catholic Church
• Simplifies and codifies law in France
• Develops a bureaucracy of capable officials
Napoleon’s dominance
• Conquers or makes allies with almost all of Europe
• Could never conquer England– Sea invasion? – England’s navy too strong– Cut off supplies from other countries? – Too
many, too well defended
Europe - 1812
• Note the size of France, its allies, and its holdings
The Fall of Napoleon
• England was too strong• Other countries united in their hatred of invading
French• Sells French holdings in United States for
approximately 3 cents an acre or $15,000,000 total– Today known as the Louisiana Purchase
• Too hard to defend• United States threatening to make an alliance
with England
Louisiana Purchase - Red
Russia - 1812
• Napoleon invades Russia• Russia retreats
– And retreats– And retreats– They burn everything along
the way, leaving the French with no supplies
• France eventually retreats
• Other nations attack Napoleon, eventually exiling him to Elba– 40,000 return to France– 600,000 started
The Return and Re-Fall of Napoleon
• Napoleon returns to Paris and is welcomed by the people
• Raises another army, intends to attack England
• Waterloo – 1815: Defeated by English and Prussian forces
• Exiled to St. Helena in 1815, dies in 1821
Europe – 1815 (After Napoleon)
• Note the reduction of size of France and its empire