Napoleonic Wars Essay

Napoleon Bonaparte
On August 15th of 1769 Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica, France. His family was a part of the upper class and he got his education from a military school. In 1796 he was quickly promoted to be made the commander of the French army in Italy. Being known for revolutionizing his military organization and training, sponsored Napoleonic Code. He then at that time forced Austria and their allies to make peace. Napoleon conquered Ottoman ruled Egypt in 1798 with attempt to strike the trade with the British and India. By the British, his fleet was destroyed at the Battle of Neil and he was then stranded. Austria and Russia became allied with Britain and France had now to face all of them. The government was in a huge crisis when Napoleon came retuned to Paris. Napoleon then became the first consul in November 1799.
After defeating the Austrians at Marengo in 1800, he then negotiated a European peace that established power on the continent to the French. He was made consul for life in 1802 and just two years later he became emperor. Britain resumed war with France in 1803 which was later joined by Austria and Russia. Britain inflicted a naval defeat on the French at Trafalgar in 1805 and Napoleon then abandoned the plan to invade England and turn on the Austrian and Russian forces. Napoleon defeated them at Austerlitz later the same year. There was so much new territory that he had gained that included annexation of Prussian lands which apparently gave him control of Europe. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved, over the next five years Holland and Westphalia created, and Napoleon's relatives and loyalists were made as leaders in Sweden, Westphalia, Spain, Naples, Italy and Holland.
In 1808 the Peninsular war began. The French become drained from their military resources over the next five years. When Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812 it only resulted in a horrible retreat. The tide was starting to turn in favor of the allies and Paris fell March of 1814. On the Mediterranean island of Elba, Napoleon went into exile. Escaping just a year later he marched back onto the French capital. Ending his brief second reign was The Battle of Waterloo. Imprisoned by the British, he was put on the remote Atlantic island of St. Helena where he died on May 5th 1821 at the age of 51.
Democracy was brought to France because of Napoleon and conquered much of Europe in a relatively short amount of time. Before him France never had a single set of laws, and he reformed the legal system and started some of the most important wars for Europe. Napoleon did this because he wanted to see a unified Europe that helps the same principles of equality and freedom. Although he went about this unification through violence, the countries that he conquered where all treated fairly. The same programs where held in these countries as in France. He also created the Napoleonic code, much of what is still in use today in former

Show More

The Napoleonic Wars Essay