Transcript The Age of Napoleon

The Age of Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte
1769-1821
He is often considered the greatest
military general of all time.
Background of Napoleon
Napoleon was born on the
Mediterranean Island of Corsica.
He studied at military schools
throughout France and fought on
the side of the revolutionaries in
the French Revolution.
Eventually Napoleon would
become a general at the age of
24.
Early Accomplishments
1.
Napoleon was sent to drive the
Austrians out of Italy and later
defeated the Austrians.
2.
He invaded Egypt to weaken
British influence in the Middle
East.
He returned to France and was
hailed as a national hero.
3.
Early Accomplishments
4.
5.
He overthrew the directory in a coup
d’etat in 1799.
Formed a new government called the
consulate. The power was given to 3
consuls and Napoleon served as the 1st
consul.
Early Accomplishments
6.
In 1804, Napoleon had himself
crowned the emperor of the French
people.
Napoleon as Ruler
1.
Once he was dictator,
he encouraged
freedom of religion
and set up new
schools.
Napoleon as Ruler
2.
He established a new code of laws known as the
Napoleonic Code, which said all people were
equal before the law. This is still the basis for
French law today.
3.
Napoleon’s ultimate goal was to rule the
entire world. Although he didn’t achieve
this he did conquer most of Europe.
Downfall of Napoleon
1.
2.
3.
Napoleon’s empire soon became too
large, and problems arose.
Spain and Portugal soon revolted.
The idea of nationalism began to
appear, or pride in one’s own country.
Trade was cut off with Britain. The
British set up blockades on Europe.
This weakened the economy of
many European countries.
Napoleon’s Defeat
1.
European countries combined to defeat
Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
2.
Napoleon was sent to the island of Elba off
the coast of Italy.
Napoleon returned to France with the
support of his people, and for a period
known as the “Hundred Days” he ruled
France once again.
3.
Napoleon’s Defeat
4.
5.
6.
He declared that he didn’t want anymore
territory. European countries united to
force Napoleon off the throne.
Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the
Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo.
Napoleon was then placed under house
arrest on the island of St. Helena, where
he died in 1821.