Name ______
NAPOLEON BUILDS AN EMPIRE
Butler, Chris. "Napoleon's Years of Triumph and Fall (1800-1815)." The Flow of History. 2007. 11 Nov 2008 <
The first government that Napoleon and his allies set up in France, the Consulate (Three Consuls), was a mockery of democracy and aptly reflected the above quotation. People elected delegates who chose other delegates who chose other delegates from whom were appointed legislators who had no power anyway. So much for the legislature. As for Napoleon's fellow conspirators, Ducos and Sieyes, they were shoved into the background and forgotten within a month, leaving Napoleon firmly in charge of France. However, his position was far from secure, because France was still ringed by the Second Coalition(Austria, Great Britain, the Kingdom of Naples, the Ottoman Empire, Papal States, Portugal, and Russia) of countries that opposed France.
Napoleon first attacked Austrian forces in northern Italy, which he barely defeated at the Battle of Marengo (1800). This victory allowed Napoleon to return to France in triumph and further consolidate his position there (by holding the plebiscite that gave him all real power as First Consul). Meanwhile, his generals finished up the war against Austria, taking the Austrian Netherlands, northern Italy, and the left bank of the Rhine for France.
That left Britain to face France. Since Britain's navy and France's army were virtually unbeatable by the other side, several neutral nations, including the United States and Sweden, had armed themselves against both Britain and France. The two big powers (Briatin and France) made peace in 1802. Prussia and Russia soon followed suit. Peace settled over Europe, at least temporarily.
Napoleon next turned his attention to Germany in order to settle a number of land disputes. Germany was still a patchwork of secular principalities, free cities, and church states. Napoleon eliminated all but one church state and 44 out of 50 free cities, giving their lands to various German princes who now saw Napoleon as their benefactor…(These lands later became known as the Confederation of the Rhine).
The rest of Europe saw Napoleon's coronation as emperor as part of a plan to rule all of Europe. This triggered the war of the Third Coalition of Austria, Britain, and Russia against France and Spain (1803-1807). Once again, Napoleon was faced with his old nemesis, Britain, whose navy shielded them from his military might. If only the British navy could be removed, Napoleon could slip across the Channel with his army and bring Britain to its knees. His plan for removing the British fleet was to lure it to the West Indies with the combined French and Spanish fleets. This would leave the Channel open for the French to cross. However, the British commander, Nelson, guessed this plan and managed to blockade the French and Spanish fleets in the Spanish port of Cadiz. When they tried to break out, the British crushed them in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). Britain remained safe as its navy still ruled the waves.
Seeing his failure at sea, Napoleon marched his army eastward where he met the much larger combined armies of Austria and Russia at Austerlitz. Concentrating his forces in the center, he drove through and split the Russian and Austrian armies, winning possibly the most brilliant victory of his career (1805).
Austerlitz gave Napoleon the power to declare the Holy Roman Empire (part of present-day Germany) defunct, making him the heir apparent of Rome's imperial grandeur. He also used this opportunity to form the Confederation of the Rhine from the German princes grateful to him for the lands he had given them before. The Confederation consisted of about half of Germany and formed a large buffer zone on France's eastern border. This upset Prussia, who had been sitting on the sidelines but now decided to join the war. However, as soon as Prussia entered the war, its forces were shattered by Napoleon's lightning-fast attack (1806).
Finally, there was Russia. After a bloody indecisive battle in the snow at Eylau, Napoleon won a decisive victory at Friedland. Now he could impose his kind of peace on Europe. Negotiations between Napoleon and Czar Alexander I were conducted on a raft in the middle of the Nieman River while Frederick William III of Prussia had to await his fate along the shore. The settlement was not kind to Prussia, taking nearly half of its land and population to help carve out the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, a revived Poland that owed its existence and lasting loyalty to Napoleon. France and Russia recognized each other's spheres of influence, but France certainly emerged as the dominant power in Europe.
Besides France, Napoleon directly ruled Belgium, Holland, the West Bank of the Rhine, the Papal States, and Venice. Then there were the states that were free in name but lived under French law, administration, and usually French rulers (who happened to be Napoleon's relatives): the kingdom of Naples, the Kingdom of Italy, Switzerland, the Confederation of the Rhine, the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, and Spain (after 1808). Finally, there were Napoleon's allies who had to follow him in war: Austria, Prussia, and Russia. Only Hitler ever came this close to ruling all of Europe.
QUESTIONS: 1) After reading, write at least two questions you have about what you read.
2)What countries formed the Second Coalition that opposed France?
3)What lands did Napoleon’s army take from Austria after the Battle of Marengo (1800)?
4)Read the fourth paragraph, which explains about Napoleon settling land disputes in Germany. Why do you think he gave land to other German princes who were not in power before? How do you think this could help Napoleon later?
5)Describe Napoleon’s plan for removing Britain’s navy from the British Isles (resulting in the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805).
6)Why did Napoleon’s plan to invade Britain fail?
7)What countries did Napoleon’s army face in the Battle of Austerlitz?
8)What new country was created after Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz? Why was it so easy for Napoleon to create this country out of German lands?
9)What new country was created after Napoleon’s victory at Friedland (against Prussia and Russia)?
10)What lands/countries did Napoleon…
a. directly control? b. put under French law and rulers? c. make his allies?