Military Campaigns And Expansion Abroad Flashcards
Napoleon timeline-1784
He went on to spend 5 years at the military college of Brienne, and one year, on a scholarship, at the Ecole Militaire in Paris.
Napoleon timeline-1791
He joined a Jacobin club in Valence (SE France) where he was based and became a member of the National Guard in Corsica.
Napoleon timeline-1793
Between August and December, he helped drive the British from Toulon. He was rewarded by promotion to major in September, adjutant in October and brigadier-general in December.
Napoleon timeline-1778
Napoleon gained admission to the Collège d’Autun, where he learned to speak French.
Napoleon timeline-1795
Saved the republic from the royalist Vendémiaire rising in October. He was made commander of the Army of the Interior and advisor on military matters to the Directory.
Napoleon timeline-1796
Appointed commander-in-chief of the French army of Italy in March.
Took on the campaign against Austria in Spring.
In April, Piedmont-Sardinia withdrew from the War of the First Coalition, which gave territory to France along with supplies and munitions, and free passage through Piedmont for troop as.
Napoleon went to face the Austrians in May.
He advanced southwards, capturing four towns in Austra through many victories against Austrian armies.
In May, after the Battle of Lodi, he established two states: one to the south of the Po River and one to the north. The capital of the states was is Milan.
Napoleon timeline-1799
Napoleon presented his treaty, along with a map of Europe to the French design, to Paris. This reshaped map ended the War of First Coalition, leaving only Britain at war. No final peace between the HRE and France was reached and the War of the Second Coalition broke out.
What was the Italian campaign from April 1796-May 1797?
- Piedmont-Sardinia withdrew from the war of the first coalition.
- In May, napoleon fought Austrians at Lodi, which was a fight with the Austrian red guard.
- Napoleons exploits persuaded the Pope and the King of Naples to sign rapid treaties with the French, paying indemnities to avoid French take over.
- Napoleon advanced southwards into an area framed by four towns. Three were easily captured, but he struggled with Mantua. The Austrians sent four successive armies against him, but Napoleon won victories at Arcola and Rivoli, and Mantua fell. By May 1797, Napoleons forces were occupying Venice.
When was the Treaty of Campo Formio and what were the terms?
17th October 1797
- Recognition of French control over Austrian Netherlands.
- Austrian acceptance of the French Cisalpine and Ligurian Republics in return for recognition of Austrian influence over part of the Venetian Republic.
- Recognition of the French Rhine frontier (with provision for further congress to negotiate peace for HRE).
- French possessions of islands in Mediterranean and Venetian Islands in Adriatic.
Why was Napoleon seen as a threat by the Directors?
Napoleon had not only shown ability as a military commander, but as a diplomat and state maker. He also was creating his own image with press releases and propagandist reports, which thrilled the public.his only general to rival him, Hoche, died in 1797.
Why did Napoleon want to invade Egypt?
- To protect French trade interests
- To attack British commerce in Mediterranean and India
- To undermine British access to India
- To distract Britain, increasing chance of invasion
- To establish French presence in the Middle East and to export the Enlightenment to the Egyptians.
What were the successes and failures of the Egyptain campaign?
Successes: Napoleon took Malta and reached Egypt in July; French army defeated the Egyptians in the Battle of the Pyramids in July and Napoleon ventured northwards into Syria and took Jaffa in March 1799.
Failures: as French armies advanced through the desert, they were defeated in Aboukir Bay in August, cutting Napoleon off from France; the French faced repeated nationalist uprisings and a British blockade; Napoleon couldn’t move to Constantinople or India; he had to abandon a siege of Acre (Palestine) after underestimating the resilience of the defenders and the ability of the British.
Why was a Second Coalition made against France?
Napoleon’s expulsion of the Knights of St John from Malta in 1798, on his way to Egypt had angered Tsar Paul of Russia. Therefore, Austria came together with Britain, Russia, the Ottoman Empire, Portugul and German/Italian States in the new coalition against France in 1798-9.
Why was Napoleon seen as a saviour by 1799?
After hearing news that the Russians and Austrians were on French borders, he left the bulk of his army in August 1799 in Egypt and hurried back to France with a small group of men. By the time he arrived, the enemies had been repelled and the Russians had withdrawn from the coalition. The directory was in a weak position and discredited after the coups and purges of 1798-9. Napoleons failures were unknown, so he was greeted a saviour.
Why was Napoleon a successful military leader?
- Army organisation - he applied a high level of calculation to the winning of battles. In Italy, he developed a self contained and small army corps of 10-30,000. He moved his troops along different routes to deceive the enemy, he also kept back a reserve corps of both under his own command.
- Forced march - he used speed to take his men across large distances to surprise the enemy (enduring the Italian campaign, General Augereau’s corps travelled 80km in 36 hours).
- Insisting troops lived off the land - to improve speed, Napoleon insisted this as a way to improve speed by not having to wait for lumbering supply wagons. This enabled him to take up superior battle positions and fragment the opposition.
- Force of personality - he cultivated his men through speeches, bulletins and leading by example. He took pains to ensure his troops are well fed, paid and supplied.
- Motivated troops and generals - commanding officers were promoted by talent rather than aristocratic generals. Troops were fighting for a cause they could believe in and could win promotions. The effect of his early victories would have helped motivate troops.
