Army And Conquest During The Consulate And Empire Flashcards
What were pays réunis
Territories brought under French rule which bordered France and were viewed as being brought back under French control; in which French legislation and administration automatically applied.
Under Napoleon expansion, what was added to pays réunis?
Pays allies (allied satellite states) and pays conquis (conquered territories).
How many departments were there by 1810?
130 with a population of 44 million.
How did Napoleon view the empire?
- He wanted to provide the peoples of Europe with a ‘common fatherland’. Peoples from all backgrounds and languages would coexist with a shared view of law and judiciary.
- He also saw his Empire as spreading the enlightenment and helping to rid France of absolute rule, aristocratic privilege and feudal law.
- He believed he was offering an effective replacement for the decayed Holy Roman Empire, which ended in 1806 when he established the Confederation of the Rhine as this comprised territories, which had belonged to the Holy Roman Emperor.
How did Napoleon see himself?
Within a tradition of great emperors:
- Alexander the Great, who created the vast Ancient Macedonian Empire and was one of the Nine Worthies (legendary and ancient figures who had been held up as paragons of virtue and chivalry during the medieval and early modern periods).
- Justinian, who was the a Roman Emperor famed for his unified code of law.
- Julius Caesar and Charlemagne who brought civilised values to oppressed peoples (Charlemagne had united much of Europe)
How did Napoleons ideas reflect the running of the empire?
He behaved in a similar way to the royal families of Europe, by creating a dynasty and placing his own family and French marshals on the thrones of other conquered European nations rather than reforming the systems of government there. He even continued the tradition of diplomatic marriage alliances, by marrying himself to the Austrian princess Marie-Louise in 1810 when his union with Josephine had not produced an heir.
What opposition did France face in 1799?
In September (two months before the coup of Brumaire) the Russian army was defeated at Zurich and withdrew from the second coalition. Although this weakened the coalition, when Napoleon became First Consul, he was still facing the combined force of Austria, Prussia and Britain, among others.
What did Napoleon do against this opposition in 1799?
His first target was Austria. In 1800, Napoleon planned a surprise attack on Austrian forces south of the Alps, in Northern Italy.
- May 1800 Napoleon led 50,000 men across the Great Saint-Bernard Pass through the Swiss Alps. The crossing took longer than planned and the Austrian forces were waiting.
- June 1800 Austrians attacked the French forces at Marengo and the French force looked set to lose until the arrival of reserve troops enabled them to win.
- November 1800 second army against the Austrians, travelling north of the Alps towards Vienna.
- December 1800 victory for the French at Hohenlinden.
- February 1801 Austria was forced to sign the Treaty of Lunéville. By this France was allowed to keep former gains (Belgium, the left bank of the Rhine and Northern Italy), as well as new lands in Tuscany, while Austria lost all lands in Italy except Venice and the Dalmatian coast.
What was the terms of the Peace of Amiens
Signed in 1802, France agreed to leave the United Provinces, Naples and the Papal States in return for British withdrawals:
- Oversees territories taken by the British during the war, including several West Indian islands, were to be returned to France.
- Minorca was to be returned to Spain and the Cape Colony on South Africa to the Dutch.
- Egypt was returned to the Turks.
- Malta returned to the knights of St John.
- Britain would keep Sri Lanka (taken from Dutch) and Trinidad (from Spain)
How successful was the Peace of Amiens?
The Peace did not last and neither side fully honoured the terms; Napoleon stayed in the United Provinces and Britain stayed in Malta. In May 1803, Britain declared war again and Napoleon spent time planning an invasion of Britain.
How did Napoleon prepare to invade England after the fail of the Peace of Amiens?
Between 1803 and 1805, Napoleon amassed a force of 193,000 men and 9149 horses, which became known as the ‘Army of England’. This force camped along the Channel Coast where 2443 boats were built for the crossing.
Why was there no invasion of Britain?
As a successful operation would have required at least four days and therefore distracting the British Navy was necessary. In order to do this, Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve drew the British, under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson to the West Indies and back, but Napoleon had postponed his invasion to deal with the threat from Austria in August 1805. On 21 October, the 27 ships of the British fleet defeated the combined French and Spanish navies at the Battle of Trafalgar (off south-west Spain). This victory in which Britain lost no ships in comparison to the Franco-Spanish fleet’s loss of 22, confirmed British Naval superiority and, dashed Napoleons hopes of invading Britain.
What military campaigns showed Napoleon’s concentration of his forces against Austria and Russia?
- October 1805 Napoleon surrounded and defeated the Austrians at Ulm on the River Danube, capturing more than 50,000 troops with minimal French losses.
- November 1805 Napoleon entered Vienna unopposed.
- December 1805 French armies defeat a much larger Austrian-Russian force (90,000 men to 68,000) French at Austerlitz. The subsequent Treaty of Pressburg ended Austria’s role in the coalition and transferred all of Austria’s Italian and German lands, in addition to Venice, Istria and Dalmatia to France. Loss in this battle also forced Russian forces to retreat.
- July 1806 the Confederation of the Rhine was established to consolidate French control over western Germany after victories at Ulm and Austerlitz. Initially, the confederation comprised 16 states of varying sizes, including Bavaria and parts of the Holy Roman Empire; this had grown to 36 states in 1808. Most states took the Code Napoleon and all supplied troops for the army and embraced the continental system.
- September 1806 this confederation provoked Prussia, who were already annoyed by French attempts to end trade with Britain, to join the coalition with Britain and Russia in September 1806.
- October 1806 Prussian forces were crushed at Jena and Auerstadt and Napoleon entered Berlin.
- February 1807 Prussian and Russian defeat at Eylau.
- June 1807 Russian forces defeated at Friedland
- June-July 1807 peace negotiations between France and Russia at Tilsit. Napoleon had agreed to meet Alexander I and Prussian representatives earlier the middle of the Nerman river which formed the border between Prussian and Russian territory in Poland. Two white tents were erected on a raft, featuring the imperial eagle and an N on the French side, with a A on the Russian side. Both leaders stayed at Tilsit and dined together each day.
What were the terms of the Treaty of Tilsit?
July 1807
- Prussia had to give up its share of Poland, from which the French created the grand Duchy of Warsaw.
- Lost territory which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Westphalia.
- French army occupation until an indemnity of 120 million francs was paid.
- Russia agreed to join the continental system.
How strong was Napoleon by 1808?
Through military victories and successful peace negotiations, Napoleon had broken up the Third Coalition and occupied the historic capitals of Vienna, Berlin and Warsaw. By 1808, Napoleons empire was looking strong.
