Napoleon Flashcards
What was Napoleon’s background?
- Born: Corsica 1769 to a minor aristocratic family
- Entered Ecole Militaire, Paris 1784 and was the first Corsican graduate
- Became a lieutenant of artillery
Napoleon and the revolution
- 1789: returned to Corsica and became involved in revolutionary politics
- This brought him into conflict with Paoli (veteran Corsican nationalist leader)
- 1793: forced to flee Corsica
- Became a Jacobin supporter and befriended Robespierre’s brother and Salcetti (fellow Corsican Jacobin)
- Through these connections, took a leading role in expelling British forces at Toulon
Napoleon: initial fame
- defeat of Britain won him fame and he was put in charge of costal defences on the Mediterranean
- Career slumped when he refused to take a demotion after the fall of the Jacobins by accepting a post in the army fighting the civil war in the Vendee
13 Vendemiare
- October 1795: the convention comes under attack from the royalist crowd in Paris
- Napoleon was put in charge of suppressing the crowd
- Fired on the crowd with a ‘whiff of grapeshot’
- put him in line for a promotion and helped him get to being stationed in Northern Itally
Napoleon character and influences
- outsider for much of his life
- absorbed new ideas around military organisation, use of artillery, state- building, finance and law
- admired principles of the revolution but didn’t seem to worried about the common people/ human life (firing on the crowd, killing prisoners in the middle east)
- studied enlightened figures
- admired ceaser
The Italian campaign
- The Italian army wasn’t as weak as it had been thought to be
-** 27th March 1796:** Napoleon arrived in Italy - In two weeks they had taken Piedmont using a series of rapid advances and surprise attacks
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May 1796: Battle of Lodi.
-Nov 1996: Battle of Arcole - Jan 1797: Napoleon led a series of victories against the Austrians culminating in the battle of Rivoli
- Austria sued for peace when France was 100 km away from Vienna
- Bonaparte negotiated the treaty of Camp formio:
- France got the Austrian Netherlands, much of northern Italy, Nice and Savoy
- Cisalpine and Ligurian republic set up as satellite states
results of the Italian campaign
- Campo Formio treaty
- Development of new tactics:
- maintaining high moral by being part of the fighting and knowing them personally
- moving quickly and effectively by dividing his forces and concentrating them for battle
- good use of artillery and concentrating fire
- Doctrine of central position: Hold the centre and attack the flank to envelop opposing forces
- France took over 150,000 prisoners and defeated larger forces
- Napoleon ensured bulletins made the most of his victories and reputation and returned to France a hero
Egyptian campaign
- Plan to undermine Britain by blocking trade routes to India & establish French presence in the middle east
- May 1798: The French expedition took Malta & arrived at Alexandria
- 21st July 1798: France wins the battle of the Pyramids
- 1st August 1798: Britain destroys French fleet in Alexandria at the battle of the Nile
- France was stranded but advanced to Gaza, Jaffa and Haifa
- 3-7 Mar 1799: Battle of Jaffa & took 1,400 prisoners
- Napoleon left his army suffering disease to return to France
- his reputation was not diminished. it was seen as evidence for more military success
The new constitution (post coup of Brumaire)
- The male population (6 mill) chose the communal list
- the communal list (600,000) chose the Department list
- the Department list (60,000) chose the national list
- The national list were the notables (6,000)
- the notables: were the richest men (who paid the most taxes) replaced every 3 yrs
- Tribunate:
- 100 members over 25yrs old
- Discussed legislation drafted by the senit but couldn’t vote
Legislature: - 300 members over 30 yrs old
- voted on legislation in secrete, couldn’t discuss
-** the executive was made up of the 1st consul, the senate and the council of state all chosen by the 1st Consul**
Napoleons political change
Consolidation of power
- February 1800 changed how the 83 departments were run
- headed by prefects who appointed officials under them and were appointed by the 1st consul
- also appointed mayors of major towns and members of various councils
** Consul for life**
- December 1800: failed assassination attempt by a royalist allowed Napoleon to deport 100 Neo-Jacobins and the senet to offer him consul for life
- he held a plebiscite for consent of the people and won 3,500,000 - 8000 (but probs didn’t actually)
- gained more control of the senet and legislature and purged the Tribunate for opposing the civil code 1802
Napoleons legal and administrative change
Civil code
- Napoleon actively involved himself in debates of its creation
- it confirmed some changes of the revolution and some traditional authority
- removed privileges of the catholic church
- confirmed abolition of feudalism
- common law code for all of France’s citizens who would have civil rights
- reintroduced slavery in France’s colonies
- women and children were to obey the husband
Napoleonic reforms: Educational change
- Schools were to create Officers, officials and administrators and bind together the people of France
- Sons of notables could go to Lycees for free (established 1802)
- 300 secondary schools were established 1805 with standardised textbook and curriculum controlled by the imperial university established 1808
- those who wanted more ‘educational questioning’ could pay for church run schools allowed after the concodat
- Primary level schools were run by the church and the community and provided moral education and basic literacy and numeracy
- scientific study for its own sake was not encouraged, places of higher education (Ecole Polytechnique) was converted into a military academy
Napoleonic reforms: the church
- The concordat was signed 1801 and stated:
- the catholic church would not try to regain its lands
- the church would be state controlled and paid by the government who they swore loyalty to
- toleration of faith would be allowed
- Napoleon added the organic articals: limited papel control over french bishops, Increased French control over preists
- Napoleon had secured a tax paying, loyal church
- the threat of royalism reduced
- 1806 he amended the Catechisms to teach people to revere and obey Napoleon and created a new saints day 16th August
Napoleons reforms: Financial
Bank of France
- founded 1800
- Private but had a range of public functions e.g. Issuing paper notes (later had many controls placed on its actions)
- centralised bank made raising funds easier
Currency
- Franc de Germinal
- based on gold and silver coins
- Strictly controlled
- provided the strong economy the assignats had failed to
Napoleonic conquest after 1799
- needed military success to confirm his consulship
- June 1800s: crossed the Alps and defeated the Austrians at Marengo
- December 1800: Austrians were persuaded to negotiate after the victory of General Moreau in Baveria
- ## this destroyed the second coalition and Britain was also willing to negotiate
