Map of the Napoleonic French Empire at it's height in 1812. The dark blue is the part directly ruled by Napoleon. The normal blue is nations where Napoleon was there head of state yet they remained independent nation but they were still part of the French Empire. The light blue were conquered by Napoleon but remained independent only with an alliance with France.
Thanks to www.wikipedia.com
The Napoleonic Wars was a series of over 80 battle in which Napoleon forged his empire.
When Napoleon had a taste of power he could never turn back. While Napoleon was loading cartriges of gunpowder, a riot of royalists approached outside the church of St. Roche. Napoleon got a command from one of the Directors of the Directory (the currenct ruling power in France after the revolution). Napoleon was commanded to overthrow the riot. Napoleon used his cannons to wipe them out. He was soon sent to Toulon Bay in the south-west of France, where the British where helping the royalists. All the Generals on the battlefeild were to frienghted as the enemy adavanced. So Napoleon took over and won the day. After his victory at Toulon (it had now been overtaken by French royalists who wanted a King and Queen back to rule France after the Revolution) over the British ships he was eventually given the Army of Italy. The First Italian campaign in the mid 1790's was his first great succsess in which he made Italy part of France. When he returned to France he was praised but then he needed something to keep up his popularity. So in 1798 he set out on an expedition to Egypt. He had a great victory at the battle of the Pyramids against the Egyptian Mamulukes but the British came and defeated the French fleet at the battle of the Nile (also known as the battle of Abkuir Bay) He retured home after abandoning his army in Syria after they all fell ill, but when he retured he was still proclaimed a hero.
On the 9th of November 1800, Napoleon joined the coup d'ete. This coup is what made him First Consul of France. Soon later, news that the Austrians had taken back Italy. So in the second Italian campaign Napoleon set off with his Army across the alps to defeat the Austrians and take back Italy After his victory on the second Italian campaign he was made First Consul for Life.
Napoleon really started his expansion after he was crowned Emperor of the French in December 1804. He trained his Grand Armee at the great Boulougne Camp for a year before he set out for the creation of his empire. In 1805 he was going to set out to take England and the rest of Britain but he lost by an invasion of the British fleet at Trafalgar. So he desided not to and instead conquer the mainland of Europe. He soon set off in 1805 into Austria where he argubly won his greatest battle at Austerlitz on December 2nd 1805. The following year he moved up into Prussia where he conquered the allied army at Jena on October 14th 1806. But in 1807 he signed a treaty in Tilist which made him allies with Prussia and Austria.
After fighting many for battles, Napoleon was now master of western Europe including; Prussia, Austria, The Confederation of the Rhine, Naples, Italy, Tuscany, Papal States and Warsaw. He now moved into Spain. When Napoleon saw Spain personally he found it as a very oposite land from the rest of Europe. He said "it is a place run by preists and monks."
After a long war (the Pennisula War) Napoleon finnally took Spain. By 1812 he was the master of Europe. He now wanted to take Russia. After defeating the Russians in many battles including the bloody battle of Bordino. Yet Napoleon moved further into Russia. He's army ran out of food and they froze to death in the Russian winter. He was slowly forced back into France fighting allied enemies on the way back. Loosing most of them he was forced back to Paris with all the allied enemies entering Paris. He was soon forced to abdicate from the title as Emperor of the French and was exciled to a small island off the coast of Italy called Elba. he was given the title Emperor of Elba and was aloud a small group soilders from the Old Guard.
Within months, Napoleon returned to Paris and was recrowned Napoleon II and so the 100 days began. As soon as the rest of Europe found out that Napoleon had returned, they suddenly united. They were going to invade Paris but Napoleon went to them. So on June 18th 1815, after winning a couple of battles, Napoleon arrived at Waterloo where the British and French came face to face. Napoleon tried his hardest but he just couldn't break the British line. Then the Prussians arrived to aid the British. So the day was lost and Napoleon was forced to abdicate a second time. He was exciled to a little island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He died in 1821. He's last words were "Chef de l'armee" which means "Chief of the Army."
Napoleon entering gloriously into Berlin
'Chief of the Army'
