Napoleon Bonaparte 17691821

1
Napoleon Bonaparte(1769-1821)

• The Life and Career of Napoleon Bonaparte of
  France

2
Introduction

• Early Life
• Reasons for Napoleons Success
• Napoleons Domestic Policies, 1800-1815
• Principles of Napoleonic Warfare
• Napoleons Foreign Policy, 1800-1815
• Impact of Napoleon on History

3
Napoleons Early Life.

• Youth in Corsica, minor nobility.
• Military education Royal Military Academy of
  Brienne-la-Chateau age 9
• Royal Military Academy Paris age 15
• Artillery focus at school
• Sympathy for the Revolution
• Defender of the Convention fires on protesters

4
Early Life

• Military Campaigns
• Italy, 1796-1797 defeats Austria
• Egypt, 1797 army defeated by Britains Lord
  Nelson
• Marriage to Josephine, 1796
• Gains control over Frances Directory government,
  (1795-1799)
• Declares himself First Consul for life
• 1804 Declares himself Emperor

5
Reasons for Napoleons Success

• Political Leadership Unity of Political and
  Military Power
• Ideals of Nation, Glory, and Destiny
• Strengths as a Military Figure
• Personal Leadership and Charisma
• Ability to hurl huge armies at the enemy
• Brilliant strategic and tactical thinking

6
Napoleon as Military Figure

• Directing the energies of the French Revolution
  outward, to grand wars of conquest
• Focus of the army on himself

7
Napoleons Domestic Policies

• Centralization of government
• System of patronage
• New administrative and legal uniformity
• The Napoleonic Code
• Education
• Secret Police
• reimposition if Slavery

8
Principles of Napoleonic Warfare

• Offensive always the first to attack
• Mobility speed and movement of troops
• Surprise catching the enemy off guard
• Concentration tight grouping of forces
• Protection effective defensive tactics

9
Cavalry of Napoleon
10
Tactics
11
Napoleons Foreign Policy

• 1805-1807 decisively defeats Austria, Prussia,
  and Russia
• 1805 Trafalgar, Oct 21 Austerlitz, Dec 2
• 1806 Imposition of the Continental System
• 1808 Spain incorporated into the empire, faces
  resistance
• 1809 Austria defeated at Wagram

12
The Invasion of Russia

• 1812 Napoleon leads an army of 600,000 into
  Russia in June
• Russian army refuses to fight Scorched Earth
  Policy
• September Battle of Borodino--90,000 casualties.
• October Napoleon occupies Moscow
• December Retreat from Russia--less than 100,000
  return

13
The End of Napoleon

• 1814 Formation of the Grand Alliance against
  Napoleon Battle of Leipzig (Battle of Nations)
  invasion of France and expulsion of Napoleon to
  the island of Elba
• 1815 Napoleon returns reformation of the Grand
  Army Defeated by Wellington at Waterloo, 18 June
  1815
• 1821 Dies on Saint Helena

14
Napoleon and History

• Doctrine of the Rights of Man spread across
  Europe
• Economic life rationalized free from local
  authorities and local weights and measures
• National Law formed basis for economic activity
• Nationalism unleashed
• Congress of Vienna