Napoleon’s rise to power

Napoleon’s Rise to Power

By Kenisha Browning

Introduction‘ To do all that one is able to do, is to be a man; to do all that one would like to do, is to be a God’ Napoleon Bonaparte

Undoubted genius, megalomaniac, general, statesmanand ruthless dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte is one of themost controversial characters in world history. In 20years from the base of revolutionary France hetransformed Europe into a largely personal Empire – buthis eventual fall was as fast as his meteoric rise to power.To the French for a time he was a superstar, to Europe’smonarchies he was ‘the enemy of humanity’. His legacyis perhaps the foundation of modern Europe. Thispresentation traces the major events in the life of the‘little corporal’ that led him to power in France.

The Early Years

On the 15th August 1769, in Ajaccio, on the

Mediterranean Island of Corsica, Napoleon

Bonaparte was born to a middle class family.

Napoleon was not of French origin as

Corsica had only just been sold to France by

the Italian republic of Genoa, therefore

French was always a second language to

him. This has led to comparisons with Adolf

Hitler, who also became the supreme leader

of a country other than his birth nation. He

was an avid reader and workaholic, proving

highly capable in areas such as mathematics

( a talent that led to him training as an

officer in the French artillery). This was the

platform which he began to risethrough the military ranks.

The French RevolutionIn that latter half of the 18th Century,

theFrench become progressively

unhappy abouttheir treatment at the hands of the

rich anddecadent nobility. In 1789 a NationalAssembly in Paris defied the King,representatives of the nobility and

the churchto demand far-reaching reform of an

unfairadministration. That summer, the

citizens ofParis rose and famously stormed the

Bastilleprison, starting a chain of events that

wouldsee King Louis imprisoned and

eventuallyexecuted. In 1792 France was

declared aRepublic by a radical revolutionarygovernment. Their motto was

‘Liberte,egalite et fraternite’ During this

turbulentperiod, France was ruled by variousgroupings; most famously, for a time,

by abloody regime under the Jacobin

group ledby Maximilien Robespierre.

First Coalition

There was a rise in anti-royalist political factions as the French Revolution sent shockwaves through the constitutional monarchies of Europe. Several countries of Europe, led mainly by the Austrian Empire, Prussia, Russia and Great Britain desired to put down this revolution, so they went to war against the French Republic which a view to restoring the French monarchy.

The first of these grand coalitions led to the rise of Napoleon as first a general of great skill and tenacity and ultimately to self-styled Emperor. During and after this rise there were several further coalitions against France. The wars against these later coalitions are regarded as the so-called Napoleonic Wars proper.

In 1779, Napoleon Bonaparte was admitted to the French military academy at Brienne . Napoleon was never truly accepted by his peers but this drove him to throw all his weight into his studies. Napoleon, after a while, managed to upgrade to the military academy in Paris because he did have certain connections to the revolutionary leadership in Paris. Due to his mathematical brilliance he was trained in artillery, even though he initially wanted to be a naval officer.

When Austria, Great Britain and Prussia declared war on France in 1792, France found herself at a disadvantage. Many of France’s finest generals had been killed or driven away because of the terror that had arisen during France’s post-revolutionary excesses. Therefore, at first things went badly for them with their armies consisting largely of poorly-trained mobs under often unimaginative leadership.

First CoalitionIn this climate, Napoleon gained hiscommission as a captain in the artilleryand was assigned to units trying tothrow out a British garrison from thesouthern French port of Toulon, whereit was aiding a Royalist uprising.Napoleon’s involvement in the siegeoccurred by chance. When thecommander of the artillery waswounded, Napoleon was offeredhis position on 16th September 1793, byone of the representatives on missionin the area. Napoleon distinguishedhimself by taking two crucial forts thatguarded the town and throwing out theBritish fleet from the port. Napoleonused his charisma to claim this minorvictory as his victory alone. He waspromoted to the rank of BrigadierGeneral at the age of just 24; inaddition he received several plaudits.

How did the siege of Toulon advance Napoleon’s career? •Skill – the skill which he deployed artillery to such a great effect marked his emergence as an important commander.

•Attention – His success at Toulon brought him to the attention of a number of powerful men in Paris.

•Promotion – His role in the siege was rewarded with his promotion to the rank of Brigadier General in addition to his being appointed commander of the artillery of the Army of Italy.

First Coaliton

Following this, he joined the campaign in Italy as commandant of the artillery - but this posting was short lived, as the unstable political atmosphere in Paris resulted in a change of regime. The terror in Paris had left the Directory appallingly unpopular, with no one feeling safe from persecution or execution. Robespierre was supplanted and found himself a victim of the Guillotine. Bonaparte, as a known associate of Robespierre, was arrested (on a charge of conspiracy and treason) and imprisoned.

Fortunately though, he escaped the Guillotine. When his case came to trial, he was cleared. The sitting judges could only find good military distinction in his career, therefore he returned to Paris. Here he famously put down a Royalist uprising by ruthlessly firing on French citizens and his stature with the revolutionary authorities was assured.

Napoleon was a Warrior

By 1796, Austria was alone againstFrance as Prussia and England hadabandoned the coalition. There weretwo main parts of campaign, one inGermany and one in Italy under thecommand of Bonaparte. Napoleon wasnot expected to do well as hiscampaign was regarded as the poorerof the two, and referred to as a ragtagmob. The authorities regarded him withwariness as he was a rising star and wasperceived as a growing threat by thosein the top ranks of leadership.However, they needed a general of hisquality in charge and this campaignsaw him roar forth as an unstoppable,raging bull.

His army became far more battle-ready anddisciplined because of his energy andLeadership skills. In addition, during thecampaigning in northern Italy, he allowed histroops free reign to loot, pillage and live offthe countryside. This made him extremelypopular with his troops and back in Francebecause the war booty was restoring wealthback to a county impoverished by revolutionand war. This aided Napoleon’s rise to poweras he was now recognised as a general andtactician of almost unparalleled brilliance.His armies stunned the Austrians withvictory after victory and soon he had thrownthem out of Italy altogether - bringing itunder French control. He was never far fromthe action himself, earning his nickname 'thelittle corporal'. All this had been achievedwith a smaller army than their enemy, by acombination of inventive tactics, swiftmanoeuvring, daring and not a little hardfighting.

Napoleon was a Warrior

The Austrians demanded peacebecause of the campaigning ofNapoleon in northern Italy, and heacted without consulting Paris. Hesigned a treaty with Austria (The

Treatyof Camp Formio 1797) on hisown authority which establishedseveral Italian republics to begoverned by the Italiansthemselves. Due to this Napoleon isregarded as being the first personto move Italy towards unification.He now behaved like a Kingbecause of his belief in himself as aman of destiny. French leadershipwas now on full alert to thissuccessful general with a fiercelyloyal army at his back.

Coup d'état of Brumaire

Year Event Cause

1794 Coup of Thermidor Overthrow of Robespierre

1795 Vendémiaire uprising Royalists try to overthrow assembly

1797 Coup of Fructidor Royalists expelled from Assembly

1798 Coup of Floréal Jacobin deputies expelled from Council

1799 Coup of Prairial Removal of ineffective Directors

1799 Coup of Brumaire Overthrow of the Directory

Coup d'état of BrumaireDespite the many difficulties which he had

facedduring the Egyptian campaign, as far as the

Frenchpublic were concerned the numerous

dispatcheswhich he had sent back to France served

only toenhance his reputation in the country. With

Franceonce again in crisis and the Directory

largely blamedfor it, Napoleon’s return was greeted by

many as thatof a saviour. Napoleon left Egypt and

abandoned hisarmy on 23rd August and set foot once again

onFrench soil at Frejus on 9 October 1799. On

his way toParis he was welcomed with enthusiasm by

crowdswho gathered everywhere he went. There

werepopular demonstrations at Avignon and Aix

as heprogressed towards Paris. The civilian

populationknew of his past victories in Italy and Egypt

andgreeted him as a hero, while the army

hailed him asthe leader needed to overthrow a weak

governmentof which they were tired and that had lost

touch withits revolutionary roots. He wrote later of his

triumphaljourney to Paris.


On the morning of 18 Brumaire, members of

the Council of Ancients sympathetic to the

coup warned their colleagues of a Jacobin

conspiracy and persuaded them to remove

to the Château de Saint-Cloud, west of

Paris. General Bonaparte was charged with

the safety of the two Councils. Later that

morning Sieyès and Roger Ducos resigned

as Directors. Talleyrand persuaded Barras to

do the same.

The resignation of three of the five Directors

prevented a quorum and thus practically

abolished the Directory, but the two Jacobin

Directors, Gohier and Moulin, refused to

resign. Gohier was taken prisoner and

Moulin escaped. The two Councils were not

yet intimidated and continued meeting.


By the following day, the deputieshad, for the most part, realized thatthey were facing an attempted couprather than being protected from aJacobin rebellion. Faced with theirrebellion, Napoleon stormed into thechambers, escorted by a small force ofgrenadiers. While perhaps unplanned,this proved to be the coup within thecoup: from this point, this was a

militaryaffair. Napoleon was immediatelygreeted with cries of ‘outlaw thedictator’. This was a dangerousdevelopment, for if a decree of

outlawrywere agreed, it would mean summaryexecution by a firing squad.

Napoleon withdrew to thechateau's Orangerie, where theCouncil of Five Hundred wasmeeting. His reception here waseven more hostile. Napoleon andhis grenadiers entered just as thelegality of Barras' resignationwas being challenged by theJacobins in the chamber. Uponentering, Napoleon was firstjostled, and then outrightassaulted. It was not Napoleonhimself, but his brother Lucien,President of the Council, who calledupon the grenadiers to defend theirleader. Napoleon escaped, butonly through the use of militaryforce.


A motion was raised in the Council of Five Hundred todeclare Napoleon an outlaw. At this point, Lucien Bonaparteapparently slipped out of the chamber and told the soldiersguarding the Councils that the majority of the Five Hundredwere being terrorized by a group of deputies brandishingdaggers. Then, according to Michael Rapport, "He pointed

toNapoleon's bloody, pallid face as proof. Then, in a theatricalgesture, he seized a sword and promised to plunge itthrough his own brother's heart if he were a traitor." Lucienordered the troops to expel the violent deputies from thechamber. Grenadiers under the command of General Muratmarched into the Orangerie and dispersed the Council. Thiswas effectively the end of the Directory.


The Ancients passed a decreewhich adjourned the Councils forthree months, appointedNapoleon, Sieyès, and Ducosprovisional consuls, and namedthe Legislative Commission.Some tractable members of theFive Hundred, rounded upafterwards, served to give thesemeasures the confirmation oftheir House. Thus the Directoryand the Councils came to anend.

Coup d'état of BrumaireThe Directory was crushed, but the coup within the coup wasnot yet complete. The use of military force had certainlystrengthened Napoleon's hand. With the Council routed, thepotters convened two commissions, each consisting oftwenty-five deputies from the two Councils. The plottersessentially intimidated the commissions into declaring aprovisional government, the first form of the Consulatewith Napoleon, Sieyès, and Ducos as Consuls. The lack ofreaction from the streets proved that the revolution was,indeed, over. Resistance by Jacobin officeholders in theprovinces was quickly crushed. Twenty Jacobin deputies wereexiled, and others were arrested. The commissions then

drewup the "short and obscure Constitution of the Year VIII", thefirst of the constitutions since the Revolution without aDeclaration of Rights.

Statesman and Emperor – ‘The revolution is over. I am the revolution’ Napoleon Bonaparte

By the year 1801, Napoleon was,

within Europe, to all intents and

purposes invincible. The treaty of

Amiens in 1802 ended 10 years of

war and in a national plebiscite

Napoleon was elected First Consul of

France for life. In 1804 Napoleon

declared himself Emperor of France

taking the title Napoleon the 1st and

is said to have grabbed the crown

out of the Pope’s hand and put it on

his head himself during hiscoronation at Notre Dame. Hiswife Josephine was

proclaimedEmpress.

I CAN NO LONGER OBEY; I HAVE TASTED COMMAND, AND I CANNOT GIVE IT UP.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

Education

Napoleon’s rise to power