Lesson 3

Lesson 3: Napoleon forges an empire
Napoleon Seizes Power
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. When he
was nine years old, his parents sent him to a military school. In 1785, at the age of 16, he
finished school and became a lieutenant in the artillery. When the Revolution broke out,
Napoleon joined the army of the new government. Hero of the Hour In October 1795, fate
handed the young officer a chance for glory. When royalist rebels marched on the National
Convention, a government official told Napoleon to defend the delegates. Napoleon and his
gunners greeted the thousands of royalists with a cannonade. Within minutes, the attackers
fled in panic and confusion. Napoleon Bonaparte became the hero of the hour and was
hailed throughout Paris as the savior of the French republic.
In 1796, the Directory appointed Napoleon to lead a French army against the forces of
Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Crossing the Alps, the young general swept into Italy
and won a series of remarkable victories. Next, in an attempt to protect French trade
interests and to disrupt British trade with India, Napoleon led an expedition to Egypt. But he
was unable to repeat the successes he had achieved in Europe. His army was pinned down
in Egypt, and the British admiral Horatio Nelson defeated his naval forces. However,
Napoleon managed to keep stories about his setbacks out of the newspapers and thereby
remained a great hero to the people of France.
Coup d’État
By 1799, the Directory had lost control of the political situation and the confidence of the
French people. When Napoleon returned from Egypt, his friends urged him to seize political
power. Napoleon took action in early November 1799. His troops surrounded the national
legislature and drove out most of its members. The remaining lawmakers voted to dissolve
the Directory.
In its place, they established a group of three consuls, one of whom was Napoleon.
Napoleon quickly took the title of first consul and assumed the powers of a dictator. A
sudden seizure of power like Napoleon’s is known as a coup— from the French phrase coup
d’état or “blow to the state which means sudden takeover of France.
Napoleon Rules France At first, Napoleon pretended to be the constitutionally chosen

leader of a free republic. In 1800, a plebiscite or vote of the people was held to approve a
new constitution. Desperate for strong leadership, the people voted overwhelmingly in
favor of the constitution.
Napoleon’s Reforms:
- Napoleon set up an efficient method of tax collection and established a national

banking system. In addition to ensuring the government a steady supply of tax
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money, these actions promoted sound financial management and better control of
the economy.
- He set up lycées, or government-run public schools. These lycées were open to male
students of all backgrounds.
- Napoleon signed a concordat, or agreement, with Pope Pius VII. This established a
new relationship between church and state. The government recognized the
influence of the Church, but rejected Church control in national affairs. The
concordat gained Napoleon the support of the organized Church as well as the
majority of the French people.
- Napoleon thought that his greatest work was his comprehensive system of laws,
known as the Napoleonic Code which included rights of, freedom of speech and of
the press.
Napoleon Crowned as Emperor In 1804, Napoleon decided to make himself emperor, and
the French voters supported him. On December 2, 1804, dressed in a splendid robe of
purple velvet, Napoleon walked down the long aisle of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The
pope waited for him with a glittering crown. As thousands watched, the new emperor took
the crown from the pope and placed it on his own head. With this gesture, Napoleon
signaled that he was more powerful than the Church, which had traditionally crowned the
rulers of France.
Napoleon Creates an Empire
Napoleon was not content simply to be master of France. He wanted to control the rest of
Europe and to reassert French power in the Americas. He started with the sugar-producing
colony of Saint Domingue . In 1789, when the ideas of the Revolution reached the planters
in Saint Domingue, they demanded that the National Assembly give them the same
privileges as the people of France. Eventually, enslaved Africans in the colony demanded
their rights too—in other words, their freedom. A civil war erupted, and enslaved Africans
under the leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture seized control of the colony. The French
forces were devastated by disease. And the rebels proved to be fierce fighters. After the
failure of the expedition to Saint Domingue, Napoleon decided to cut his losses in the
Americas. He offered to sell all of the Louisiana Territory to the United States, and in 1803
President Jefferson’s administration agreed to purchase the land for $15 million. N
Napoleon saw a twofold benefit to the sale:
- First, he would gain money to finance operations in Europe.

- Second, he would punish the British and give them an enemy U.S.A.
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Napoleon then turned his attention to Europe:
The Battle of Trafalgar
Napoleon won many battle against many countries however lost only one major battle,
the Battle of Trafalgar. This naval defeat, however, was more important than all of his
victories on land. The battle took place in 1805 off the southwest coast of Spain. The
British commander, Horatio Nelson, was as brilliant in warfare at sea as Napoleon was in
warfare on land. In a bold maneuver, he split the larger French fleet, capturing many
ships.
The destruction of the French fleet had two major results:
- First, it ensured the supremacy of the British navy for the next 100 years.
- Second, it forced Napoleon to give up his plans of invading Britain

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Lesson 3: Napoleon forges an empire

Napoleon Seizes Power

Napoleon Rules France At first, Napoleon pretended to be the constitutionally chosen

- Napoleon set up an efficient method of tax collection and established a national

Napoleon Creates an Empire

Napoleon saw a twofold benefit to the sale:

- First, he would gain money to finance operations in Europe.

The Battle of Trafalgar

The destruction of the French fleet had two major results:

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