12.8 The Age of Napoleon

From 1799 to 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte dominated France and Europe. A hero to some, an evil force to others, he gave his name to the final phase of the French Revolution—the Age of Napoleon.

Napoleon was a military genius who dominated Europe for more than a decade.

Objectives

• Describe how Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power.
• Explain the impact of Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars.
• Identify the reasons for Napoleon's fall from power.
• Understand how the Congress of Vienna tried to restore order to Europe.

Key Terms

• plebiscite
• Napoleonic Code
• Napoleonic Wars
• annex
• Continental System
• guerrilla warfare
• abdicate
• Congress of Vienna
• legitimacy
• Concert of Europe

Napoleon on the Rise

Early Years

Napoleon was born in Corsica, a French-ruled island in the Mediterranean. At age nine, he was sent to France to be trained for a military career. When the revolution broke out, he was an ambitious 20-year-old lieutenant, eager to make a name for himself.

Napoleon favored the Jacobins and republican rule. However, he found the conflicting ideas and personalities of the French Revolution confusing. He wrote to his brother in 1793: “Since one must take sides, one might as well choose the side that is victorious, the side which devastates, loots, and burns. Considering the alternative, it is better to eat than be eaten.”

Military Success

During the turmoil of the Revolution, Napoleon rose quickly in the army. In December 1793, he drove British forces out of the French port of Toulon (too LOHN).

He then went on to win several dazzling victories against the Austrians, capturing most of northern Italy and forcing the Hapsburg emperor to make peace. Hoping to disrupt British trade with India, he led an expedition to Egypt in 1798. The Egyptian campaign proved to be a disaster, but Napoleon managed to hide stories of the worst losses from his admirers in France.

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