Timeline of the French Revolution and Napoleon:
1797: Napoleon takes the city of Rome, Italy.
1799: Napoleon becomes the First Consul.
1802: Napoleon becomes the Consul for Life.
1804: Napoleon becomes Emperor.
1805: Napoleon loses the Battle of Trafalgar to the British.
1810: Napoleon consolidates most of Europe under his rule.
June 1812: Napoleon amasses a large army and marches into Russia.
October 1812: Napoleon abandons Moscow and heads back to France.
April 1814: Napoleon is exiled to Elba.
June 1815: Napoleon loses the Battle of Waterloo to the British.
July 1815: Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena.
How Did Napoleon Rise to Power? Napoleon was a war hero. A young French officer, who had been born on the island of Corsica, proved his military genius by leading soldiers to victory. By 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte had taken Rome and established a peace treaty with Austria. One year later, Bonaparte led his armies to victory in the French conquest of Egypt. Napoleon's reputation as a leader was widely recognized, and he was promoted to the rank of general.
How Did Napoleon Fall from Power? At some point, though, you may realize you're doing too much at once and can't keep up. In military terms, this is called being overextended. This is part of the reason Napoleon ultimately fell from power. Napoleon's grip on Europe was weakened by his Russian campaign. His European "subjects" used this opportunity to pool their forces to fight against Napoleon and free themselves from French rule. The French Empire lost territory and control. By April 1814, a group of allied nations forced Napoleon's unconditional surrender. The allies offered Napoleon exile on Elba, which he accepted.
Following Napoleon's Hundred Days of rule after his first exile, King Louis XVIII returned to the throne in Paris. In July 1815, Napoleon was finally exiled to St. Helena, a British island. He died there in 1821.
Napoleon's Legacy: Was Napoleon "great" as some historians claim? The answer may depend on your understanding of Napoleon's legacy. Consider the following achievements and, in contrast, actions for which he is now notorious:
•He developed the Napoleonic Code, a civil code, that was originally adopted in French-governed areas across Europe. The underlying principle, that laws should be just and rational, laid a foundation for later civil codes. The Napoleonic Code remains the civil code today, though the original code has been revised.
•He reconciled with the Roman Catholic Church with the Concordat of 1801. This normalized relations between the church and the French government following the French Revolution.
•He spread the ideals of the French Revolution, such as liberty and equality, throughout Europe. He did this somewhat unknowingly, but these seeds set the stage for later revolutions that erupted in Europe nonetheless.
•He led his country into catastrophic wars that caused millions of deaths.
•He misjudged the strength of his forces and was, consequently, defeated and forced into exile.
