Napoleon & Romanticism

History M01B - Krister Swanson - Moorpark College

Napoleon Comes to Power

• General in Revolutionary wars
• Big Winner: 1795 at home, then in Italy vs. Austria, then back home in 1797 to help Directory deal with royalists (very popular)
• 1799- Goes after GB in Egypt (Med.), gets whipped, comes home to support Sieyes’ coup
• Nap pushes Seiyes out
• Issues the Constitution of Year VIII:
• universal suffrage
• checks & balances
• Council of State

all it really means is…

First Council Napoleon has extensive powers

Maintaining Order

• Bourg. & Peasants support Nappy (got what they wanted)
• 1801- Peace with all but GB
• Wheeler dealer, involves a variety of people in gov’t (pacification)
• lesser Consuls represent many factions people think they have a say
• Suppresses opposition (secret police, centralizes bureaucracy)
• 1804- Execution of Enghien (end to royalist plots)
• Grants amnesty to emigres ($$ back, lessens opposition)
• spreads blame for bomb scares

Deals with the Church

The Concordat:

• all clergy resign
• replacements invested by Pope
• Bishops are elected
• Church gives up claims to lands
• He acknowledges RC as religion of France
• religion is matter of convenience to Napoleon

Napoleonic Code

•1802 Nap is “Consul for Life”

He reforms French law:

• protects property
• no privileges by birth
• choose officials based on merit
• labor organizations are banned
• men are dominant over women
• applied to all of France (uniformity is important)

Creates the Modern State

• “Best of Fr. Rev. & Ancien Regime” – heavy Enlightenment influence
• all loyalty to state (not province)
• offices earned through ability
• equitable taxation
• new social structure
• military mobilization

 Building an Empire

• Massive military support & French Nationalism
• No single enemy can match up by themselves
• 1805: Napoleon wants to invade GB, starts war vs. Third Coalition (Austria, Russia, & GB)
• 10/05- Loss at Trafalgar ends hope of invading GB - Nap heads east

Some Ups & Downs

• Quickly conquers Italy, Austria & Prussia by late 1806
• Signs treaty with Russia declaring him Emperor of Western Europe
• Continental system prevents trade w/ GB – sets up his family as rulers of satellite states
• British blockade, European economy suffers, GB’s economy booms
• Spanish Response & War
• Next big clash is with Spain – faces much guerilla resistance fueled by GB
• Gruesome fighting & atrocities

•War drags on to 1813, drains French resources & gives hope to Europe

1810- Peak of French Empire

• French Core, dependent states in layers
• ruled by he & family, Napoleonic code goes everywhere (spread Enlightenment)
• stages of takeover
• military
• satellite government
• constitution & internal reform

What this means for Europe

• feudal & manorial systems liquidated
• Church loses public authority
• state based on territorial residence
• guilds abolished, free trade pushed
• towns & provinces unified with country
• NATIONALISM!!! & Volksgeist!!!!

Russian Campaign

• Russians don’t like continental (timber sales to GB) & marriage to Austrian
• 1810- Russia withdraws from Continental system
• Napoleon builds army to 600,000 & invades
• Russians Retreat before him (scorched earth)
• Conditions suck, Napoleon’s afraid a bad campaign will ruin him politically back home
• 90,000 die @ Borodino for nada
• Forced to retreat, hustles back ahead of army
• Withdrawal of French army is the ultimate in military horror

The Squeezer Cheeser

• R, P, & A push Nap back with GB $$$ & Wellington (GB) pushes east
• Napoleon loses & goes into exile
• 4 powers meet at:

Congress of Vienna 9/14 to 10/15

• controlled by 4 powers (Quad Alliance: A, P, R & GB)
• no single state should dominate
• Alex wants Poland & Constitutions
• Castleragh & Metternich want balance on the Continent
• Prussia wants more territory (Saxony)
• GB wants to remain isolated

Organizing the map (west)

New states as barriers to France:

• (Neth (incl. Belgium), Genoa
• Piedmont & Aust. in N. Italy
• Pr. gets left bank of Rhine
• Germany remains dissolute (German Confederation = 39 states)
• Legitimate monarchs over republics (just say no to democ.)

Organizing the map (East)

• R wants Poland, P wants Saxony
• A doesn’t want to give up Poland or Prussian expansion
• F, GB & A form secret alliance
• Alex & Freddy give in (Alex king of small Poland, part of Saxony to Pr.)

100 Days (Nap’s Baaaaack)

• Army’s still loyal, many want his protection, coalition in trouble
• returns 3/1/15, “I’ll be good”
• Allies squash him at Waterloo 6/18/15 (Welly + Prussians)
• makes peace harsher for France
• feeds dread of rev. & raises opposition to it

Results of C of V

• Holy Alliance
• Quadruple Alliance (A,GB,P&R)
• successful solution to probs. of the day, fails to see into future (ignores Nat. & Dem.)
• provides peace for 50 years
• GB only remaining empire
• HRE officially done
• No major wars for 100 years
• no satisfaction for nationalists & democrats
• transfers people from one gov’t to another (pay later for this)