Collapse Of The Grand Empire Flashcards
What happened under the charter of 74 articles?
In April 1814, Allies (Austria, Britain, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, Portugal) entered Paris Senate invited Louis XVIII to take throne on condition that he accepted the articles drawn up by Tallyrand and other Napoleonic ministers.
- Constitution with 2 - chamber assembly (elected Chamber of Deputies and Chamber of Peers appointed by the King)
- Fair taxation.
- Equality before the law.
- Freedom of the individual.
- Meritocracy.
- Abolition of conscription.
- Former revolutionaries pardoned.
- Freedom of worship.
- Relatively free press.
- Owners of beings nationaux would keep their lands.
What was Louis XVIII’s first impression like?
When he arrived in Paris on 3 May, he paraded through the streets to Tuileries Palace and inserted an introduction to the Constitution which implied that the rights it gave people were his personal gift. He also made it clear he still believed in the Divine Right.
What was under the First Treaty of Paris?
30 May 1814
Allies presented the First Treaty of Paris to Louis XVIII.
1. Allies would withdraw from French soil and allow French to keep looted art works.
2. French would accept 1792 borders (would keep land east of the Rhine but lost Belgium, Holland, Italy and Germany).
When were the final details of the First Treaty of France agreed?
November 1814: a congress was held in Vienna between representatives of the Allies and France.
What happened in the Vienna Congress?
This was hosted by Austrian Emperor Francis I, and cost the equivalent of £7 million. Approximately 300 people attended (including royalty and politicians). Individual committees met to deal with specific issues and there was only one full session and agreement signed in June 1815.
How did Napoleon try to establish a new government?
Between 30 March 1815 (when escaped to Elba) and 22 June 1815 (when he resigned for the second and final time).
1st March: Napoleon landed near Cannes with 1000 men.
9th March: rising against the Bourbons in Lyons.
19th March: the ‘royal’ army stationed outside Paris defected to Louis XVIII (whose vulnerability was made all too clear) left the capital and took refuge in Ghent.
Why was Napoleon able to win so much support?
- Army officers were disgruntled because they had been put on half pay; Louis had not purged Bonapartists from his army and there were consequently mass desertions when the soldiers saw their old commander.
- Taxes were high; promises to reduce taxes on tobacco and salt had not been honoured because of French debts.
- There was hostility to continuing conscription.
- There were (unfounded) rumours that the biens nationaux would be seized and given back to original owners; peasants, in particular were fearful of losing their land gains.
What did Napoleon promise?
He promised ‘peace’ and spoke so persuasively that the French press, which shortly before had been chastising ‘the scoundrel, Bonaparte’ began referring to him as ‘our great and beloved Emperor’. He also put forward a new constitution by the proclaimation of an Acte Additionel. This was an attempt to appeal to the liberals. It promised free elections, a free press and a constitutional monarchy with a two-chamber government.
What terms were under the Acte Additional?
Napoleon asked the liberal Benjamin Constant to prepare the new Acte Additional. By it, legislative power lay with the Emperor and a two-chamber parliament, made up of:
1. Peers: hereditory members appointed by the Emperor.
2. Representatives: 629 citizens elected for five-year terms by electoral colleges in the départments.
Ministers were to be responsible to Parliament and there were guarantees of rights.
What happened in Napoleon’s military defeat?
Troops of the fourth coalition started to mass on France’s northern borders. Napoleon raised an army of 300,000 to oppose them being unable to cooperate with each other (as had happened in the past) meaning he could deal with each one in turn.
12 June: Napoleon and his army crossed River Sambre into new Kingdom of the Netherlands (Belgium). His aim was to prevent British troops (under Wellington) joining forces with Prussians (under Blücher).
16 June: Defeated Prussians at Ligny and attacked British forces at Quatre Bras.
18th June: Battle at Waterloo (Belgium). The initial fight between French and British proved inconclusive, but arrival of 81,000 Prussians in late afternoon gave victory to the allies after the imperial guard was forced to retreat; Napoleon left for Paris.
What happened following Napoleon’s defeat?
Napoleon made his way back to Paris. To avoid civil war, on 22nd June 1815 he gave in to the clamours for his abdication. He tried to promote his son as his successor, but this was rejected. On 15th July, believing the British to be the ‘most generous’ of his enemies, he surrendered to the British Captain Maitland who took him to Plymouth. From there he was exiled to the remote British island of Saint Helena - 5000 miles away in the mid-Atlantic Ocean. Here he was guarded by the British until his death six years later in 1821.
What happened after Napoleon was exiled?
Louis XVIII returned again to France, defended by Wellington’s troops. Some French fortresses, which had refused to surrender to the allies, were persuaded to do so for the King and, at Cambrai on 26th June, Louis issued a proclamation promising a pardon to all but the ‘instigators’ of those who had served the Emperor in the Hundred Days. On 8th July, Louis entered Paris where, according to the Duke of Wellington, thousands of Parisians turned out to greet him and cheer.
Why was a second Peace of France signed?
The allies were determined to ensure that France would not again threaten European peace. The final act of the Vienna settlement showed that they were treating France generously, which had to be reconsidered after the support for Napoleon in the Hundred Days.
What were the terms of the Second Peace of Paris?
- French frontiers were reduced to those in 1790.
- The French were to pay an indemnity of 700 million francs as well as the costs of defensive fortification in neighbouring countries.
- France had to return all looted artworks.
- France would have an army of occupation under the Duke of Wellington for five years, or until the indemnity was paid; the costs of this army would be met by the French.
What did the allies do to ensure the Second Peace was kept?
Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia agreed to work together in a Quadruple Alliance. They renewed their pledge to hold regular meetings to preserve the peace of Europe and to resist any further attempt by Napoleon or family to return to France. This was backed by a guarantee of 60,000 men each, should there be any attempt to overturn the peace settlement.
