Napoleon

1
Napoleons Empire Collapses

• Chapter 7 Section 4

2
Goals and Objectives

• Upon completion, students should be able to
• Explain Napoleons tactical and political
  mistakes
• Summarize Napoleons defeat.
• Describe Napoleons attempt at a comeback and his
  final downfall.

3
During Napoleons reign

• He feared what would happen to his empire after
  his death.
• He had no heir because his wife Josephine had
  failed to produce a child so he divorced her
• He formed an alliance with Austria when he
  married Marie Louise of Austrian royalty. She
  then had a son- Napoleon II

4
Napoleons costly mistakes

• Napoleon desperately wanted to crush Great
  Britain
• In 1806 he set up a blockade called the
  Continental System blocking all European trade
  with England.
• Smugglers and other countries ignored the
  blockade and Britain also imposed a blockade on
  France requiring all ships to avoid France.
• The War of 1812 began over this.

5
The Peninsular War

• Napoleon went to war with Portugal in order to
  force it to accept the continental system.
• French troops invaded Spain on their way to
  Portugal.
• When Spain protested, Napoleon toppled the king
  and placed his own brother in power.
• Spanish nationalism grew as many feared attacks
  against the church and the state.
• Guerilla warfare was used dragging France into a
  bloody conflict in which it lost 300,000 troops.

6
Russia is invaded

• When Alexander I refused to stop selling grain to
  Great Britain, Napoleon decided to invade Russia.
• In June of 1812, Napoleons army of 420,000
  troops invaded Russia. Alexander countered with a
  scorched earth policy .
• Moscow was burned to the ground in September of
  1812 in order to deny Napoleons army any food or
  resources.

7
Russian invasion

• Napoleon and his troops remained in Moscow until
  October when he and his army attempted to return
  to France.
• Russian troops attacked Napoleon from behind and
  trapped his troops into the winter.
• Napoleons troops starved and froze and only
  10,000 survived the fight by December

8
Napoleons downfall

• With a weakened France, Britain, Russia, Prussia
  and Sweden all allied against him.
• Napoleon raised a new army by the next year but
  it was badly inexperienced and was routed in
  Germany at the Battle of Leipzig.
• As the enemy armies closed in on Paris, Napoleon
  accepted surrender terms including his exile to
  Elba, a small island.

9
Napoleons return

• Louis XVI brother became King of France naming
  himself Louis XVII.
• He was very unpopular and greatly disliked. Many
  feared he would undo the revolution.
• Napoleon heard of the kings crisis and escaped
  from Elba and returned to Paris to reclaim the
  throne.
• Massive crowds celebrated the return of Napoleon.

10
The Hundred Days campaign

• When European enemies heard of Napoleons return,
  they declared war.
• On June 18, 1815 Napoleon attacked Britain at
  Waterloo in Belgium.
• Napoleons young inexperienced troops were routed
  by Prussian and British troops. Two days later
  Napoleons troops surrendered.
• Napoleon was sent into permanent exile into St.
  Helena where he remained until his death in 1821.

11
Napoleons legacy

• Napoleon was a brilliant administrator and a
  military genius.
• Millions died in war.
• Nationalism spread throughout Europe and in the
  new world.
• France had reestablished order following the
  revolution.