Consul and Emperor

In 1799 Napoleon returned to Paris. With the help of his followers he overthrew the French government, which was very unpopular at that time because it had lost other wars. A consulate of three men was created to govern France, but Napoleon, who was the First Consul, held all the power.

As soon as he was in control of France, Napoleon began to reform the country. He modernized the government, founded the Bank of France and reorganized higher education. But his greatest achievement was the Code Napoleon, a collection of laws that allowed people many liberties they had received during the Revolution. The code still forms the basis of civil law in France.

In 1804 Napoleon changed France from a consulate to an empire. He became emperor and crowned himself at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.

Napoleon as emperor
Image:Workshop of François Gérard, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons 

When Napoleon seized power he began to concentrate on his dream of controlling all of Europe. In the Napoleonic Wars he fought against Prussia, Austria, Great Britain and Russia.

In 1805 Napoleon’s fleet was defeated again by Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain. In retaliation, Napoleon tried to ruin England’s economy. He forbade countries that he controlled to trade with France but this didn’t work because they needed British goods. Although he had to give up his plan of conquering Great Britain, he continued winning against other European armies on the ground.

Napoleon put his relatives on the thrones of the conquered territories. After his first marriage had ended in divorce, the emperor married Marie Louise, daughter of the emperor of Austria. Within a year they had a son whom he gave the title King of Rome.

In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia because the Russians did not want to help blockade Britain. It turned out to be the biggest mistake of his career. When the French moved forward, the Russian army retreated and burned down everything that the French might be able to use. When Napoleon finally reached Moscow, a huge fire broke out, destroying much of the city. Napoleon could do nothing but turn back. When the winter came and it started to snow, most of Napoleon’s soldiers died. It was the greatest disasters in military history.

Napoleon watching the fire of Moscow in 1812
Image:Albrecht Adam, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons 

Napoleon's travels

Image: Mapswire.com (modified by Klaus Rosmanitz)
Licence : CC-BY 4.0