Chapter 4: Reasons For Napoleon’s Abdication Flashcards
Napoleon’s position 1807
Treaty of Tilsit: 7th July 1807
After Russian defeat in 1807, Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I met on special raft on the river Niemen. A treaty of 7th July, agreed that Russia should join the Continental System, and both parties agreed to help each other in disputes = warm personal relations.
Napoleon had:
- Humiliated Prussia.
- Defeated Austria.
- Dominated Central Europe.
- Established empire in France.
- Had many successes in war.
- Insured stability of France = better governed than it had been in years.
BUT SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF BRITAIN
- Britain could pay other European powers to join coalitions.
- British naval supremacy = risk to French trade ships.
- French colonies were vulnerable.
- Impossible invasion of Britain = French naval weakness
- British determinism threatened his legitimacy at ruler / persistant opposition stopped universal recognition of position as Emperor
Continental System
Designed in retaliation to British naval blockade of French ports which had led to a decline in trade of cities such as Bordeaux and Nantes = economic attack on Britain, because it was only major industrial power in Europe and depended on finding markets for its manufacturers & re-exports from Empire. Hitting trade was likely to bring about unemployment and encourage radical unrest to weaken war effort.
- Napoleon’s Berlin Decrees in November 1806 = France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Confederation of the Rhine forbidden to trade with Britain = all ports from Vistula to Adriatic!
- January 1807 = Britain retaliated, forbidding all neutral ships to trade with the ports of France, or any country observing Berlin Decrees.
- Napoleon order Seizure of British goods in North German ports.
- March 1807, Britain blockaded the North German coast to prevent ALL trade.
- November 1807 = British Orders in Council declared total blockade of France and all her allies.
- December 1807, Milan Decrees of Napoleon, declared every vessel trading with Britain, or any of its colonies, liable to seizure by the French Navy = hoped by continuing to allow imports through cash payment only, this would deplete britain’s gold reserves.
Effects of Continental System
FRANCE
- Decline in seaport economy & all related industries BUT trade routes along Rhine & Alps opened new markets
- overall effect not enough to produce widespread discontent/ opposition BUT reduced enthusiasm for Napoleons’ rule brought by earlier victories
BRITAIN
- lack of French sea power hampered effectiveness of System & difficult to control smuggling of British goods = high demand in Europe
- 1809, twin-pronged policy (Napoleon improved seizure of smuggled goods while licensing trade in brain/wine with Britain) = hard to tell effect…some argue 1811 trade feel by 50% causing hardship BUT new markets developing in North & South America
- British relations with neutral nations suffered =efforts to counter blockade France was one cause of Anglo-American War 1812
Continental System DID play a significant role in Napoleon’s downfall
- British goods shortages caused unrest in Empire = major reason for breach between Napoleon and his brother Louis, King of Holland = increasing unpopularity
- Need to enforce Continental System by invading Portugal was a major element in involving France in the Peninsula War = drained resources and forced Napoleon to fight on 2 fronts (1812-14)
- Tsars unwillingness to cooperate in continental system = Russian campaign in 1812
- lead Napoleon to force his control over a wider area = overambitious
Continental System DIDN’T play a significant role in Napoleon’s downfall
- PORTUGAL: Portuguese Government agreed to join blockade and expel British
Soldiers BUT invasion went ahead anyway, because Napoleon was already thinking in 1807 he was going to overthrow the Bourbon Monarchy in Spain (as he had in Naples) - RUSSIA: nobels disliked many element of Treaty of Tilsit, and Alexander had ceased cooperating in other issues, not just system = refused to help in war with Austria in 1809, and refused a married alliance
- INTERNAL UNREST: not a major cause of rebellion, because period a relatively good harvest, prevented disturbances that affected revolutionary period
- BRITAIN: earned them hostility in Europe as much as it did France (& see American war)
Role of British Naval Power in Napoleon’s Downfall
- Defeat of French felt at Aboukir Bay 1789 = one of greatest victories = prevented Napoleon threatening India = Britain couldn’t have survived without NAVAL
- More important before 1805 when Napoleon mad efforts to rebuild = 1811 France 72 ships of the line ( built with unsuitable timbre) vs 100 British = wasted resources
- Trafalgar did not stop naval war & a naval victory like it could not actually defeat Napoleon = he began raiding squadrons & threatened British trade ships BUT these were defeated 1807
- Britain successful taking colonies from France & allies & supported effort in Peninsular War (seen as one of key reasons for Napoleon’s downfall)
- BUT naval difficulties led to war with America (BUT also desire to conquer British Canada) & huge draw on national finance & alienated European opinion
COALITIONS
(B = Britain, A = Austria, P = Prussia, R = Russia)
FIRST 1792-97 : A & P, then B in 1793, R, Spain, Holland, Piedmont, some Italian states
SECOND 1798-1802 : B,A,R, Naples, Turkey
THIRD 1803-06 : B (16 May 1803), R, A, Sweden, some German States
FOURTH 1806-07 : B,R,P
FIFTH 1809 : A & B
SIXTH 1812-14 : B,R,A, (eventually) P, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, some German states
SEVENTH 1815 : B,P,A,R, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, some German states
Role of British Diplomacy & Subsidies
Britain did not supply huge forces, and its naval power alone couldn’t defeat France = ‘organisation of victory’ = place skilful diplomats to encourage foreign allies = stirred up opposition to Napoleon & was part of EVERY COALITION = only Britain’s able to spent this amount of money
- Portugal received £1.2 mill in 1810, with further subsidies each year until 1814 (peaking at £2.2 mill in 1812)
- Sweden paid from 1813 at rate of £1.3 mill a year
- Habsburg 1814 £1 mill
- Prussia 1814 £1.3 mill
- Russia 1814 £2.1 mill
Wellington & Peninsular War
It was Wellington who finally defeated Napoleon in 1815:
- took command in 1809
- greatest success in defensive battles : Spain at Talavera in 1809, defensive base in Portugal at Lisbon (lines of Torres Vedras cost £100k)
- 1813 outmanoeuvred Jospeh Bonaparte at Vitoria in norther Spain
- after crossing into southern France in 8113 = heavy losses besieging Toulouse
- because of defensive tactics, Peninsular war held down 300,000 French troops and drained Emperor of resources
- only faced Napoleon during 100 days
How important was British effort in fall of Napoleon?
- 60,000 British troops did not match hundreds of thousands fighting for and against France = British forces ( and navy) acted in a defensive role but not able to invade = in Portugal and Spain prevented the French full control over Iberian peninsula.
- Not until hundred days did Britain inflict significant defeat on Napoleon himself.
- Only Napoleon’s decision not to compromise after 1812 defeat allowed Britain to rally forces
- revolution as threatening European monarchies = allowed coalition PLUS British diplomacy
- Wellington’s campaigns depended on French weakness = without Prussian interventions battle fo Waterloo wouldn’t have been decisive / if napoleon had managed naval forces better, Nelson wouldn’t have defeated at trafalgar
Peninsular War
1808-13
- Napoleon’s ambitions to dominate Portugal and Spain (even tho ally since 1795) NOT JUST Continental System = Iberia conquered to provide resources & restless desire to expand
- Oct 1807 = french troops entered Portugal through Spain territories with permission
- November 1807, French troops occupied Lisbon, in March, Madrid
- French rule of Portugal 1807-08 realised on harsh terror, Heavy taxation and confiscation of resources.
- Reform & a new constitution under Napoleon’s brother done by force and never properly put into effect = not trying to establish enlightened liberal regime
- Dos de Mayo ( 2 May 1808) Madrid uprising against French = potent symbol of resistance to French tyranny = injured reputation
- Junot defeated in Portugal because of national resistance & British troops = french withdrew = Portuguese and Spanish could establish themselves & encouraged Austria to go to war 1809
- guérilla war developed when french power tried to reassert itself = 180,000 Frenchcasualties
Results of Peninsular War
- Generals not able to maintain control of Portugal and Spain = common desretations
- invasion gave Britain chance to makes allies with European Mainland & make land victories
- Gorilla warfare prevented France from acquiring collaborators/taxes/grain/livestock = French reaction, violent attacks on Spanish churches = more active resistance, and injured Napoleon’s reputation further in Europe.
- Napoleon wasn’t in Spain for most of war = blamed generals = ‘Spanish ulcer’= drained men an money without adding vital resources = myth of Napoleon’s invincibility shattered
- when French troops left Spain 1813, Spanish forces, not interested in defeating Napoleon by invading France
- ended much hope of closing Europe’s borders to British goods
BUT Spanish war did not prevent him from assembling, the greatest army of his career in 1812 to invade Russia, and wellingtons forces in southern France could not abort about the fall of the Empire alone (costly siege of Toulouse in 1813)
Russian Campaign
Russian Empire had 40 million people in 1812 while France alone had 29 million and the French Empire and its height had 14 4 million people = campaign not doomed to fail.
Russia had long indefensible borders and half its population was serfs = suffered defeat in 1805, and 1807, and Alexander antagonised every major group in Russia by his alliance with Napoleon at Treaty of Tilsit = WEAK
- Russian defeat might need to peasant revolt to depose unpopular tsar = prevent Alexander, turning against him = Napoleon got an astonishing 611,000 men to take on Russia’s 240,000. The central invading force was 450,000 and the rest were held back in support.
- Costly victory in Borodino in September 1812 = Moscow population fled (27, 5000 to 6000 people).
- October 1812, French army force to retreat along the same route, stripped of food supplies, attacked by Russian Cossacks = French Army crossed back into Poland in December, having lost large numbers of men/horses/artillery.
The Russian Campaign WASNT damning
- Napoleon called up (young/ poor physique BUT) 250, 000 conscripts and ordered 150, 000 new muskets = well-equipped focre of 400,000 ready by April 1813
- losses did not provoke opposition = only some resistance to conscription.
- Russia field army had been reduced to just 100,000 men = losses of 1813 showed they had suffered as much as French
- Napoleon still able to wage large scale war in Germany 1813-14: battles of Lützen & Bautzen in Saxony drove Prussian & Austrian forces back in May 1813 (tho heavy losses) AND Napoleon defeated 3 (A,P,R) armies at Dresden in September 1813
- Peace still possible = Prague in July 1813 negotiations organised by Austria
- NOT UNITED OPPOSITION = still offered peace terms as late as 1814 (Châtillon = return to 1791 French frontiers, despite British opposition )
The Russian Campaign WAS damning
- January 1813 Sweden declared war on France.
- Alexander did take his forces into North Germany.
- Signs of Austria breaking away from France = raise 100,000 men.
- February 1813 Prussia join to Russia and Britain began supplying arms of equipment.
- Russian campaign led to Austria defecting from the French alliance.
- Defeat in Spain in Russia, encourage greater determination in coalitions =, 323,000 against napoleons, 203,000 = defeat of France at the Battle of Leipzig 16–18 October = began the retreat of Napoleon from Germany.
- horses were difficult to replace AND Had the 655,000 men raised for Russia been available, then wellingtons invasion might not have succeeded
- Prevented further expansion and greatly aided, British diplomacy.
