Napoleonic era

(August 15, 1769 to May 5, 1821)

 Biography
Also Known As: Napoleon I
• Famous As: Emperor Of The French
• Nationality: French
• Birth Date: August 15, 1769
• Died At Age: 51
• Born In: Ajaccio
• Father: Carlo Buonaparte
• Mother: Letizia Ramolino
• Siblings: Joseph Bonaparte, Louis Bonaparte, Pauline Bonaparte, Jérôme Bonaparte, Lucien
Bonaparte, Caroline Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte
• Spouses/Partners: Marie Louise, Duchess Of Parma, (M. 1810–1821), Joséphine De
Beauharnais, (M. 1796–1810)
• Children: Napoleon II, Eugène De Beauharnais, Count Alexandre Joseph Colonna-Walewski,
Charles Léon
• Religion: Roman Catholicism
• Died On: May 5, 1821
• Napoleon stated
• I was born when my country was dying
• He got his military training in france and
joined the army at the age of 17 as an artillery
officer.
• he was hardly 20 when french revolution
broke out in 1789
• Napoleon’s Wives
• Napoleon married Joséphine, widow of
General Alexandre de Beauharnais (guillotined
during the Reign of Terror) and the mother of
two children, on March 9, 1796 in a civil
ceremony. Joséphine was unable to give him a
son. So in 1810, Napoleon arranged for the
annulment of their marriage that he could wed
Marie-Louise, the 18-year-old daughter of the
emperor of Austria. The couple had a son, 
Napoleon II (a.k.a. the King of Rome) on March
20, 1811.
 Napoleon as first consul
1799-1804

• The government in the last phase of the 

French Revolution was known as The Directory.
• In 1799, 10 years after the beginning of the revolution, it
ended.
• Because many prominent men, particularly Abbe Sieyes,
felt that the Directory was failing, they invited the
successful young General Napoleon to take power.
• He became part of a three consuls. The consulate had full
power, and elections were ended. Napoleon assumed the
position of First Consul and obtained near dictatorial
powers. while the other two, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès
 and Pierre-Roger Ducos, were figureheads.
• By 1799, the French Revolution had dramatically
changed France. It had dislodged the old social order,
overthrown the monarchy, and brought the Church
under state control. Many changes occurred in
everyday life:
– New symbols, such as the tricolor, emerged.
– Titles were eliminated.
– Elaborate fashions were replaced by practical clothes.
– People developed a strong sense of national identity.
– Nationalism, a strong feeling of pride and devotion to one’s
country, spread throughout France
– Order, security, and efficiency replaced liberty,
equality, and fraternity as the slogans of the new
regime.
Reforms of Napoleon as first consul
• He centeralised the whole system of local government in France. in
1800 he made entire local government subordinate to himself. the new
system of local government assured the prompt, uniform and
unquestioning execution of the law and decree of central government.
• Napoleon consolidated his power by strengthening the central
government
• Napoleon developed the secretariat of the state. he turned this into
ministry of state under Marat which became central registry it enabled
napoleon to supervise the various ministries.
• Napoleon improved financial condition of France by careful collection
of taxes, he was able to add to the revenues of the state. by rigid
economy by severe punishment of corrupt officials. And by practice of
forcing other states to support French armies, napoleon was able to
reduce his expenditure. in 1800 he established bank for France which
was one of soundest institution of the world.
• Napoleon carried out many reforms in the field of
education. primary and elementary schools were to be
maintained by every commune .
• Napoleon also carried out a large number of public works in
the country. That was due to the fact that he was able to
employ the prisoners of war for that work.
• he enormously improved means of communication and
trade within the country.
• The splendid highways of France are the achievements of
napoleon.
• signs concordat— agreement—with pope restoring
Catholicism in France.
• Napoleon developed a new law code, the Napoleonic Code:
– Equality for all citizens ,Religious toleration
,Advancement based on merit
Domestic Policies

11
 Structural Changes
– France was divided into
prefectures.
– Each prefect was appointed by
Napoleon and had a complete
delegation of power.
– Prefects received instructions
directly from Paris.

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Politics in Napoleonic
France
– Law of Hostages was repealed.
– Revolutionaries were recalled
to France.
– Every institution was
subservient to the army.
– In foreign lands he ended
feudalism and brought his
Code.
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Economics in Napoleonic France

– In 1800 The Bank of France

was created.
– Agriculture received protective
tariffs, reliable financing and
well-maintained transport.

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Economics in Napoleonic France

– Public Works: Inland navigation,

bridges, roads and museums.
– Sidewalks, house numbers, water
supply, sewers, a fire department,
new markets and slaugher houses
were established.

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Religion Under Napoleon
– Christian Churches were
reopened for worship.
– In 1810 the Concordat with the
Catholic Church was signed.
– There was better treatment of
Jews.

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Social Changes Under Napoleon

– Penal Code of 1810.

– Primary school in every
commune.
– Lycees (high schools) were
established in every important
town.
– University of France.

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 Social Changes
– Education under Napoleon
became the business of the
state.
– The Conscription Law of 1798.
– Secret Police.
– Public welfare was more
centralized.
– Health Care was greatly
improved.
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Industry in Napoleonic
France
– Protective tariffs.
– The Continental Blockade.
– Loans on easy terms.
– New markets were opened as
Napoleon’s empire expanded.

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 The Arts
– Napoleon brought art from Egypt.
– Paris became the cultural centre of
Europe.
– Looting made the Louvre a world
art centre.
– Built the Arc de Triomphe, the
façade of the Chamber of Deputies,
the courtyard and Rivoili wing of
the Louvre.
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 Key Concepts
– Freedom of speech, worship
and enterprise.
– Equality of all before the law.
– No recognition of privileges of
birth.
– Right of all to public trial by
jury.
– Separation of church and state.
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 Strengths and
Weaknesses
– It preserved the social aims of
the Revolution.
– It protected the interests of the
rising middle class.
– It guaranteed civil liberties.
– Women could not vote.

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 Strengths and
Weaknesses
– In disputes over wages, the
word of the employer wins.
– Slavery was restored in the
French colonies.
– Working men’s associations
remained banned.

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 Napoleon’s Reforms
●
Émigrés could return if swore loyalty to new French gov’t.
Class System ●
Peasants kept lands they’d bought from Church and nobles
●
New nobility established through a meritocracy (e.g., Legion of Honor)

●
Controlled prices
Economy ●
Encouraged industrial growth
●
Strengthened the nation’s infrastructure

Education ●
Nationally-controlled public schools

●
Strengthened the national government
Government ●
Ran an efficient bureaucracy

●
Equality before the law

Laws – Napoleonic Code Religious tolerance

●

●
End to feudalism
●
But women lost many of their rights

Religion – Concordat of ●
Church under government control
1801
●
Religious freedom
 Impact of Napoleon
– Liberalism and Nationalism were
stimulated throughout Europe.
– Empire helps German and Italian
unification.
– Feudalism and serfdom were ended
in the countries he conquered.
– Napoleonic Code entered other
nations.

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