NAPOLEON BONAPARTE Essay

During the Napoleonic Era, from 1799 to 1815, France became a military power gaining and controlling land throughout Europe. While some historians believe Napoleon Bonaparte was a ruthless dictator, his military accomplishments far outweigh any atrocities he committed. He helped France gain stability after the French Revolution and he also abolished the Feudal contract. Napoleon was a brilliant strategist using military tactics to cause fear and to defeat whatever enemies stood in his way. Throughout his rule, Napoleon continually gained ground, and by the end of his reign, his empire encompassed all of Spain, Italy, and a small portion of land by Russia and Austria. (see map) He is one of

Napoleon’s success won him praise and recognition from the public and showed them a glimpse of what he is capable of. Napoleon once said, “The word impossible is not in my dictionary,” 2proving his determination and persistence. In December when the city is taken, Napoleon’s artillery approach and his strong leadership skills during the final battle played a crucial role in his recognition. His reputation from Toulon remains significant in the military.

During his reign he strived to reestablish French aristocracy, which was eliminated in the French revolution. He began this by putting his family and loyal friends into power giving those titles of the nobility. His power continued to expand across much of western and central continental Europe. It wasn’t until Russia left the continental system that the French would engage in a full scale battle. This battle lead to the downfall of Napoleon rule. With the invasion of Moscow, his army suffered heavy casualties which would then be considered the Battle of Borodino. Russians set fire to the city, forcing Napoleons army to starve, due to harsh weather freeze, and die off. This action became the defeat and end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Impressed by his feats the five main military leaders asked Napoleon to invade England, instead he offered a plan to invade Egypt. After he got the okay to do so Napoleon took over the Egyptian army and its main leaders (www.history.com, www.thefreesource.com). In 1799 Napoleon overthrew the French Directory in an attempt to gain more power. After the defeat he was the leading political figure to most historians (www.history.com). As leader Napoleon improved not only the military of France but also the economy and other parts of the French empire. He helped reform the banks and education system as well as improving the arts and sciences. But his biggest contribution was the Napoleonic code, which was a big part of the legal system in France.(www.history.com, www.thefreesource.com, www.bbc.co.uk). In 1804 Napoleon declared himself emperor of France, which was meant he was the sole leader of this great empire (www.history.com). Napoleon won many battles and his reign stretched from the edge of the border of Spain to Italy and also some parts in Austria and Egypt. It was a strong and powerful empire at the time. The start of Napoleon’s downfall began when Russia broke agreements with France. So Napoleon brought about 600,000 troops into Russia to attack but the Russians were prepared and had the perfect strategy to defeat the French army. The Russians would retreat and keep the French marching

Many years later, in a galaxy far far away, on the date of August 15, 1769 another war hero and emperor was born, Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon reigned over the French from May 18, 1804 to April 11, 1814 and ruled Italy over the years from March 17, 1805 to April 11, 1814. Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, set up Napoleonic Code; it was a major influence in civil law jurisdictions. Napoleon is best recognized for his role in the wars against France, known as the Napoleonic Wars. His success in these multiple battles led Napoleon to be known as one of the best military leaders of all time. His strategies and campaigns are studied at military schools around the world.

13) Battle of Trafalgar= This was the only major battle napoleon lost. It was a naval defeat because Napoleon's navy was no match for Britain’s, off the coast of Spain. He lost to british commander Horatio Nelson, who split the French fleet in half and he captured Napoleon’s ships. This ensured the dominance of the British Navy for the next 100 years, no one was able to defeat the British navy. This also forced Napoleon to give up plans to take over Britain which instead he thought Russia was a better

Napoleon won battles in Italy and Austria early in his rule, but eventually, the French Emperor attempted to conquer other major powers in Europe. Napoleon lost major battles in Russia and Britain, and the French people’s perception of their king began to change. Document 5 shows a painting of Napoleon in 1812, during the French invasion of Russia. Napoleon is depicted very negatively: he appears to be short, almost small, overweight, and certainly not the heroic image he carried early in his rule. In Document 7, Napoleon is controlled at the hands of the Duke of Wellington, dancing like a puppet. The painting was published in 1815, the year Napoleon was officially removed from power. As Napoleon’s initial success faded, so did his

After the French monarchy was overthrown on August 10, 1792, Napoleon decided to make his move up in the ranks. After this, Napoleon started becoming a recognized officer. In 1792, Napoleon was prompted to the rank of captain. In 1793, he was chosen to direct the artillery against the siege in Toulon. He seized ground where he could get his guns in range of the British ships. Soon after Toulon fell, Napoleon was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. In 1795, he saved the revolutionary government by controlling a group of rioting citizens by using a famous technique of his. He loaded a bunch of pellets into a cannon and fired it at the crowd. Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. He defeated four Austrian generals in succession, and each army he fought got bigger and bigger. This forced Austria and its allies to make peace with France. But after this, Napoleon was relieved of his command. He was poor and was suspected of treason. Napoleon had no friends. No one would have suspected what Napoleon would do next. In 1796, Napoleon was appointed to put down a revolt in Paris. He calmly took complete control of the situation. He had his men shoot all the rebels in the streets. The French government was saved, but they decided to form a new government called the Directory. Under the new government, Napoleon was made commander of the French army in Italy. During this campaign, the French realized how smart Napoleon was. He developed a tactic

- After his triumph driving the British out of Toulon Napoleon was made a brigadier general. With two successful campaigns 1796 he drove the Austrians north of Italy. He was able to make the government of France very dependent on him. His dealings with Italians produced a "Cisalpine" republic modeled after the French with Milan as its capital. After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. ending when Napoleon Bonaparte staged a coup d'état and declared himself the ruler of France. Essentially, Napoleon ended the French Revolution. Napoleon was successfully leading military campaigns, succeeding both abroad and squelching counter-revolutionary activities at home. While the people

22.Napoleon outmaneuvered the other forces, by first attacking the Prussians, keeping them there with Grouchy, and forcibly attacked the British at the same time.

Napoleon Bonaparte will remain in the heart of many French nationals as one of the greatest military leaders that the nation has had when it comes to warfare history. In 1799, Napoleon launched a series of wars, which historian call, “Napoleonic wars” in a bid to extend the territory of France in Europe. Many historians argue that the Napoleonic wars were a continuation of the earlier war under the tag, French revolution in 1789. The French revolution in itself had so many influences in Europe, especially with the armies who felt the greatest impact of the revolution. The revolution brought with it many changes, especially in the production of modern mass weapons with the conscription in place. The new improvements in weaponry made Napoleon seek hegemony in the entire Europe sparking his quest to expand and increase the revolutionary and territorial borders of France. Napoleon, Corsican aristocrat, who was a minor, rose to the position of emperor in France because of the revolution and his idea was to sweep the entire Europe with the reforms brought about by the revolution (Dwyer 32). The idea was to liberate the continent so that all citizens had a chance to take the helm of leadership and do away with the issue of kinship rule. Napoleon was a symbol of change, and although at some point, he comes out as a dictator, he was progressive and created rationalization of governance and all the social

Because of the win and the way he strategized and handled himself got him into a position to get recognized by the French Council "aka" The Directory. They appointed Napoleon the second in command of the army in Italy in the artillery unit. In 1795 at 26 years of age his job was to defeat the royalist and stopped the royalist mobs on the streets of Paris. He killed 1,400 of the Royalists in the street and sent the others running. From that point on then he started to win the love of the French people. Because of the win over the Royalists and the fact that he took the enemy that was ravaged, hungry and not paid their wages, and he paid the army with money taken for the territories they occupied without the approval of the directors. This action and the win over the royalist cemented the love towards Bonaparte for the French people. At that point the Directors had to honer that the French people had embraced his success and what he had done for them and there was very little the directors could do at that point to control Bonaparte. They were compelled to celebrate his success as a war

Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Russia was a major factor in his downfall. In 1812, Napoleon, whose alliance with Alexander I had disintegrated, launched an invasion into Russia that ended in a disastrous retreat from Moscow. Thereafter, all of Europe, including his own allies, Austria and Prussia, united against him. Although he continued to fight, the odds he faced were impossible. In April 1814, Napoleon’s own marshals refused to continue the struggle and stepped down from their positions. During the actual Russian campaign, there were many key factors that greatly impacted his downfall.

Napoleon Bonaparte was a powerful leader who established the foundations of modern Europe through an administration riddled with controversy. Napoleon came to power in 1799 by overthrowing The Directory in France and appointing himself as the emperor, thus having complete control over the country. Napoleon's most lasting achievements include instituting the Napoleonic code, taking control of nearly all of Europe, and engaging in numerous battles with European nations. After years of serving in Europe, Napoleon had many foreign interactions and made himself a reputation split between a hero and a tyrant. To be a tyrant means to be a cruel and oppressive leader, something Europe was familiar with from the absolutist monarchs in their history

Napoleon Bonaparte was a military general for the French government that rose to power in the late 1700s. He basically got into power because no one wanted to take the throne after the French Revolution. He was a brilliant tactician and extremely intelligent. He revised school laws and paved newer roads so the French could travel easier. He even created the metric system to help make measurements easier to read. But, he became power-hungry not too long after he took the throne. Napoleon proclaimed himself Supreme Emperor of France and took off on a conquest in hopes of conquering all of Europe. After many battles and casualties, Napoleon claimed victorious in conquering Europe. He was later defeated by a rebellion amongst many of the more powerful countries of that time, and exiled to an island where he eventually died. Napoleon’s wars and all of the death and despair