Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769. He was born on the small Italian Island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea. He was born at a very hectic time. Corsica was trying to gain independence when French troops invaded. He was born during a war, and he will die because of one. When he turned ten his parents sent him to a military school, just outside of Paris. He devoted himself to learning and gaining experience to military tactics. All of this work eventually paid off. When he was sixteen, he became a lieutenant in the artillery. By the time he was twenty-four, he was a general. Revolution broke out the same year. He joined the military of the French Republic.
In October of 1705, a government official told Napoleon to defend the palace where the National Convention took place. He, with his small army, defeated the thousands of royalist in minutes. He is declared a hero. In 1796, the Directory appointed him to command a French army. He marched into Italy and liberated it from Austria, although some say he conquered it. The Directory was not doing very well. In 1799, it accused the French people of being corrupt. Napoleon seized this opportunity to take it over. On November 9, 1799, he staged a coup d? ?tat and 500 soldiers took over one chamber of the National Legislature and drove out the members. The second chamber voted to end the directory. France was now in the hands of three officials. They were known as consuls. Napoleon modeled his government after the ancient Roman government. Napoleon named himself First Consul. In 1800, he and his fellow consuls set up the plebiscite in which the citizens had the right to vote yes or no on an issue. On December 2, 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor. The plebiscite made this so. The Pope crowned him himself. People thought he was a godsend. He greatly changed the economy of France by making many of reforms.
The Essay on Napoleon French People France
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Nothing has been simpler than my elevation... It is owing to the peculiarities of the time." Coming to power at a time of instability and disorder in France immediately following the French Revolution, Napoleon quickly established himself as the political leader and military power behind France. Easily and efficiently overthrowing the poorly managed Directory, ...
He set up a bank, let ?migr?s back into France, let there be freedom of religion, freed slaves, and set up the Napoleonic Code. From the revolution France gained rich farmland, helped economy, and paid and fed soldiers. Most of all they gained their freedom from England. Back at home the Directory Government of France was in a downfall. France needed a new leader to impose order in France. So graciously, Napoleon stepped in as head of the military, and an executive power in France. Soon enough common people were more then happy to see a positive change, after ten years of instability, war, and an economic downfall. After a brief existence of a triumvirate in France, Napoleon became Napoleon I, emperor of France. It was Napoleon?s obligation to write the new constitution on France, and insure confidence in the common people of Europe. Napoleon then created the Four Orders of France The people outside of France thought differently about Napoleon. They hated him. In order to extend France?s power. He took over parts of Italy and set up a government in Switzerland. The British declared war on France afraid that he was going to take over Great Britain. Napoleon wanted to take over all of Europe, and he almost did.
He won a series of battles; The Battle of Ulm, The Battle of Austerlitz, The Battle of Jena, and The Battle of Friedland. These were some of his more famous battles. Napoleon was a military genius, on land that is. The Battle of Trafalgar was his first loss because it was on water. The commander of the British fleet was Horatio Nelson. He was the Napoleon of the sea. In October 1805, he destroyed Napoleons thirty-three ships with his twenty-seven. Losing this battle forced Napoleon to give up his plans to invade Great Britain. The Grande Army, which was now 200,000 strong, was assembled in camps all along the English Channel coast. This was all in preparation for the invasion of Britain. However, the French navy could not lure the British Fleet away from their defensive position. Napoleon could not secure temporary control of the English Channel to ensure his army’s safe crossing. He faced the newly concluded Third Coalition of Britain, Austria, and Russia, which concluded in April 1805).
The Term Paper on Military School Napoleon France Army
The Hundred Days counts the approximate number of days that Napoleon came back into power after having been exiled. The Treaty of Fontainebleau had given to him sovereignty over the island of Elba and his title of emperor, along with an annual pension of two million francs. He had retired there on the 20 of April 1814, after his well-awaited abdication. Louis XVIII was put into power right away, ...
Napoleon was forced to abandon his plans to invade Britain. On August 25, 1805, the Grand Army of seven Corps was ordered to march south towards the Danube and then east on Vienna. Meanwhile, the allies planned a three front attack against Napoleon; the British would recapture Hanover. Next, an Austrian army with Russian support under the command of General Mack would invade Bavaria, which was a French ally. Lastly, an Austrian army under Archduke Charles would free Northern Italy from Napoleon and launch an attack on southern France. While an invasion against Naples and raids on the Dutch coast were planned. Unfortunately for them, the allies had seriously underestimated Napoleon. On September 10, 1805, General Mack invaded Bavaria and occupied the city of Ulm with his 85,000 men. Next, he waited for his reinforcements from Russia to arrive. The Grande Army’s awesome march was totally unexpected. It was September 30th, when Mack realized he was in danger of being encircled by Napoleon?s Army. A series of clashes were fought. The first was at Wertingen, along the River Iller. Two more battles were fought; one at Hasslach and another battle at Elchingen was fought. By October 15th, Mack was almost surrounded. He was hoping to stall long enough for 50,000 Austro-Russian reinforcements under Kutusov to arrive. Mack then decided to compromise with the French. When it became clear that the Russians were still to far away to help, Mack sadly surrendered his army of 30,000 soldiers on October 20th, 1805. This great victory was achieved, not through a major battle, but through a legendary maneuver, the inspiration for the blitzkrieg (Chandler).
The next stage of the Austerlitz campaign was only a pursuit by the French Army of Kutusov’s forces. Kutusov managed to somehow escape the clutches of the French until he met up with Buxhowden’s Army of 30,000 Russians on November 20th, near Olmutz. On November23, Napoleon?s 53,000 troops under his direct command called a stop at Bruenn or present day Brno. By the time they reached Austerlitz, Napoleon was reinforced with Bernadotte and Davout’s armies and managed to field an amazingly large army of around 73,000 men. The following battle, the Battle of Austerlitz, was on December 2nd 1805, and was one of Napoleon’s masterpieces. Though severely outnumbered, Napoleon managed to defeat the Austro-Russian army, which thereby caused the destruction of the Third Coalition. Through a series of deceptions, Napoleon tricked the Allies into thinking that his army was small and weak and could easily be defeated. The Allies had fallen right into his trap and were lured to attack the French right flank. The allied attack began at dawn, although the battlefield was shrouded in mist. When Napoleon judged that the Allies were fully committed on attacking his flanks, he gave Soult the order for the allied center, which was located on the Pratzen Heights, to be stormed. By 11am, the French were in control of the Pratzen Heights. When Lannes judged that the time was ripe, he ordered forward his infantry, which advanced gloriously, despite terrible losses. Back on the Pratzen Heights, the many desperate Allied counterattacks made no progress. Finally, the Russian Imperial Guard Corps, under Grand Duke Constantine was thrown into the fray, the last roll of the dice (Chandler).
The Essay on Napoleon Army Russian 000
It was December 2, 1804, with over 400 musicians and singers performing. The world famous cathedral, Notre Dame, was filled. All eyes were set upon Napoleon Bonaparte. This Corsican native slowly ascended the steps to the alter alone, sizing the crown with his own hands. He held it aloft and brought it to rest on his head. Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France that day. Napoleon was an ...
The Russian Imperial Guard, which consisted of 3000 Grenadiers and 15 squadrons of Guard Cavalry, assaulted the Pratzen Heights once more, routing the 4th Ligne and 24th Legere Regiments. The gap in the French line was filled by the French Imperial Guard chasseurs ? cheval and the grenadiers ? cheval. A fierce battle took place between the French and Russian guard cavalry. Suddenly, the Russians retreated because the French had the upper hand, by a very thin margin. With control of the centre, Napoleon ordered his troops to destroy the over-extended Allied left wing. The only escape route for the Allies was southwards, and many retreated across the frozen Lake Satschan. Austerlitz cost the French 9,000 casualties. The French army took 20,000 Prisoners Of War and 15,000 casualties. They forced the Austrians to sign a treaty. Austria had been soundly defeated at Austerlitz in 1805. Sensing prime opportunity, Napoleon demanded and obtained the Prussian territories of Cleves, Ansbach and Neuchatel. In return, Napoleon offered Hanover to Prussia, but the treaty had not been ratified. More humiliation then followed, the formation of the Confederation of the Rhine threatened Prussia’s absolute control over German affairs.
The Essay on Prussian Army Fredrick Prussia Military
The rise of Prussia between 1640 and 1786 happened because of the combination of military, political, and social factors. Three of the kings responsible for the uprising of Prussia were, Fredrick William, "the Great Elector," and Fredrick III, and Fredrick William I. The nobility and aristocracy, known as "Junkers," played a dominating role in the Prussian state. The military had grown from 45, ...
The final straw was Napoleon’s offer of Hanover to Great Britain in return for peace. Napoleon went too far this time. Prussian honor was at stake and the army was mobilized on August 10th, 1806. So, began the Battle of Jena. The French “battalion square” formation swung 90 degrees westwards towards the Prussian concentration. On 13 October, Lannes V Corps discovered 30,000 Prussian troops around Jena. Napoleon sent orders for all Corps to concentrate there by 14 October. To cut off the Prussian line of retreat, Davout’s and Bernadotte’s Corps were ordered to Naumburg and Dornburg respectively. A Prussian attack led by Lt. General Von Hoeltzendorff was repulsed by Soult’s Corps. The Prussian commander, Prince Hohenlohe, had ordered a general assault by 45 squadrons of cavalry and 11 battalions of infantry. Lannes Corps and the advancing Prussians made contact around Vierzehnheiligen and Ney’s survivors were pulled out. Meanwhile, Hohenlohe’s troops floundered around Vierzehnheiligen and started taking heavy casualties from French artillery. VII (Augereau’s) and IV (Soult’s) Corps were ordered to pin down the Prussian flank, while V (Lannes’) and VI (Ney’s) Corps punched through the centre.
The French had lost 5,000 men – the Prussians: 10,000 dead, 15,000 prisoners, 34 colors and 120 guns. The next battle was the battle of Auerstaedt. Davout’s III Corps, which was around 29,000 strong, was following orders to cut off the Prussian line of retreat from Jena. The French, outnumbered, fell back and there leading infantry regiments formed square to repel the Prussian cavalry. Initial Prussian attacks, led by the hotheaded Bluecher, were made almost solely by cavalry. The bulk of the Prussian infantry and artillery were still in the rear. Without infantry and artillery support, the cavalry charges against solid infantry squares did not succeed. However, by mid-morning, the bulk of the Prussian forces were on the field. Davout took a risk and placed 2 Divisions around Spielberg leaving only the 85th Line Regt to watch Hassenhausen. Fortunately for him, the Prussian main assault was directed against Spielberg. Fierce fighting developed around these two villages. During the fighting around Spielberg, the Prussian commander, the Duke of Brunswick, was killed. Prussian assaults were repelled. The toll was 10,000 Prussian dead and 3,000 prisoners at a cost of 7,000 French casualties. The main Prussian armies had been defeated. Remaining Prussian forces were scattered all across Prussia. By October 27th, the French entered Berlin, with Davout, the hero of Auerstaedt at their head.
The Essay on Napoleon Russia France French
Napoleon was born on August 15 th, 1769 in Ajaccio (Capital of Corsica) which is an island 70 miles west of Italy. His parents were Carlo Bonaparte and Letizia Ra molino. They got married when Carlo was 18 and Letizia was 14, this was in 1764. Letizia was the one who was always putting food on the table, Carlo was way to lazy. His father was interested in politics. Napoleon got sent to military ...
The Battle of Friedland was fought on June 14th 1807, 30 miles southeast of Konigsberg, present-day Kaliningrad. Friedland was a masterful engagement, the seeds of which are deservedly credited to Marshal Lannes for his great delaying action on that morning. Friedland was also Napoleon’s brilliant battle of opportunity. By his taking advantage of a Russian error of position, Napoleon forced the Russians against the river Alle, destroying them. It was his concluding move of the 1806-1807 campaign. Also, he suffered his first major check at Eylau, and finally destroyed the Russians at Friedland, forcing the Czar to sue for peace in the Treaty of Tilsit. Napoleon then made the first of the three costly mistakes that would end his regime. Napoleon came up with the Continental System, which boycotted all of England?s goods. This did not hurt England, because England made rivals with Russia and Austria to take down Napoleon and his reign.
Napoleon then made his second costly mistake. This mistake was making his brother Joseph the king of Spain. His brother was considered mentally insane and was a bad ruler. The Spanish people then turned against him and peasant fighters known as Guerillas fought the French. By the end of this ordeal, over 300,000 French will be lost. The Czar of Russia refused Napoleon?s request to stop selling grain to Britain. Then, in June 1812 Napoleon made his third costly mistake and decided to invade Russia. This was a grave mistake because he had already made a treaty with Russia and had no reason to attack. Napoleon came up with the Continental System, which boycotted all of England?s goods. This did not hurt England, because England made rivals with Russia and Austria to take down Napoleon and his reign. The Czar of Russia refused Napoleon?s request to stop selling grain to Britain. Napoleon took his ?Grand Army? of 400,000, conquered European countries? citizens, and marched into Russia. This was grave mistake. His soldiers were not used to the cold weather. The temperature got to below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead of fighting the army, the Czar pulled his men back. Before leaving they burned their own fields and slaughtered their livestock. This was known as the scorched-earth policy.
The Essay on How Napoleons Invasion of Russia Led To His Downfall
... The decision to invade Russia in 1812 was a horrible mistake on Napoleon?s part. Four hundred thousand ... the bloodiest battle that Napoleon and his troops had ever seen. Napoleon's army consisted of one hundred ... Temperatures soon dropped well below freezing. Cossacks attacked stragglers and isolated units, and Food was ... food from the surroundings, which in turn made the packs lighter. The little food ...
When Napoleon?s army arrived there, they did not have to fight, but they gained nothing because everything was burnt to the ground. Napoleon?s men had nothing to eat so therefore, they starved. When Napoleon arrived in Moscow, the country?s capital, the city was in flames. Therefore, Napoleon decided to retreat, but the Czar attacked the army in its worst state. This was the first use of Guerilla warfare. When Napoleon made it back to France, he had only 10,000 men left out of 400,000. Taking advantage of Napoleon?s weakness, his enemies gathered to destroy him. Napoleon was able to raise another army and they met at Leipzig in Germany in 1813. Although Napoleon was great at land, he still lost. His enemies pushed closer towards Paris until Napoleon?s general eventually refused to fight. By 1814, Napoleon surrendered. His enemies exiled him to a small island called Elba off the coast of Italy. Napoleon was not done though. The new king of France was pushed from the throne nine months after Napoleon?s defeat. Napoleon escaped from Elba and proclaimed that the French will be liberated with his help. Most of the French welcomed him back. He made and new army and stormed Paris.
He became emperor again. Napoleon?s enemies quickly gathered to take out Napoleon again. They gathered their troops in Waterloo in Belgium. On June 18, 1815, Napoleon moved in. The British army held their ground all through the day. That night the Prussian army joined and together they launched a counter attack against Napoleon?s army. Napoleon’s troops were too tired from attacking and fled. Napoleons reign from where he fled from Elba to where he lost at Waterloo are known as the Hundred Days because it was a hundred days until he lost again. The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon?s last battle before his final exile. Napoleon planned to attack both armies with the aim of splitting and destroying them. Napoleon then ordered his left wing, under Marshal Michel Ney, to attack a brigade of Wellington’s cavalry at Quatre-Bras, 19 km (12 mi.) north of Charleroi. By nightfall on that first day of fighting, Napoleon’s armies held the strategic advantage. The emperor had succeeded in placing his army between the advance elements of the armies of both Wellington and Bl?cher. His main force was in a position to swing either left against the Anglo-Dutch army or right to engage the Prussian forces.
On June 16 Napoleon moved with his reserve from Charleroi to Fleurus. There he assumed command of Grouchy’s army and easily defeated the Prussian corps. In the action at Ligny, Napoleon’s strategy was to coordinate his attack on Bl?cher with Ney’s offensive at Quatre-Bras. Early in the afternoon of June 16, Napoleon heard the sound of Ney’s artillery at Quatre-Bras. He then brought his force of 71,000 into action against Bl?cher’s army of 83,000. Ney lost 4300 troops and Wellington 4700 in the action. D’Erlon, however, joined Ney in Frasnes at 9 PM. The British this time exiled him as a prisoner to a remote island called St. Helena. This Island was off the coast of Africa, too far away for him to return. He spent six years here writing about his memoirs. In 1821, he died of Cancer.
This ended the life of one of the best military leaders in history. He was a brilliant man when it came to battle tactics. He will be remembered throughout history as one of the best. His law code and some of his reforms are still in affect in France?s government today.
Bibliography:
Bibliography “Waterloo, Battle of,” Microsoft? Encarta? Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com ? 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. http://www2.lucidcafe.com http://history.napoleonicwars.com ?Bonaparte, Napoleon? Grolier Encyclopedia 2000
