Chronology. Napoleonic Wars in Europe

Napoleon declared: “Victory will give me the opportunity, as a master, to accomplish everything I want.”

Napoleonic Wars 1799-1815- were waged by France and its allies during the years of the Consulate (1799-1804) and the empire of Napoleon I (1804-1815) against coalitions of European states.

The nature of wars:

1) aggressive

2) revolutionary (undermining feudal orders, development of capitalist relations in Europe, dissemination of revolutionary ideas)

3) bourgeois (conducted in the interests of the French bourgeoisie, which sought to consolidate its military-political, commercial and industrial dominance on the continent, pushing the English bourgeoisie into the background)

Main opponents: England, Russia, Austria

Wars:

1) fight against the 2nd anti-French coalition

2 anti-French coalition was formed in 1798-99 .participants: England, Russia, Austria, Türkiye and the Kingdom of Naples

18 Brumaire (November 9) 1799 - establishment of the military dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte, who became first consul - conditional date for the start of the Napoleonic wars

May 1800 - Napoleon, at the head of an army, moved through the Alps to Italy and defeated Austrian troops at the Battle of Marengo (June 14, 1800).

Bottom line: 1) France received Belgium, the left bank of the Rhine and control over all of Northern Italy, where the Italian Republic was created (Treaty of Luneville)

2) the 2nd anti-French coalition virtually ceased to exist,

Russia withdrew due to disagreements; Only Great Britain continued the war.

After the resignation of W. Pitt the Younger (1801), the new English government entered into negotiations with France

Result of negotiations:

1802 - signing Treaty of Amiens. France withdrew its troops from Rome, Naples and Egypt, and England - from the island of Malta.

BUT 1803 - resumption of war between France and Great Britain.

1805 – Battle of Trafalgar. The English fleet under the command of Admiral G. Nelson defeated and destroyed the combined Franco-Spanish fleet. This defeat thwarted the strategic plan of Napoleon I to organize a landing in Great Britain of the French expeditionary army, concentrated in the Boulogne camp.

1805 - creation 3 anti-French coalition(Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Sweden).

Military operations along the Danube. Within three weeks, Napoleon defeated the 100,000-strong Austrian army in Bavaria, forcing the main Austrian forces to capitulate on October 20 in Ulm.

December 2, 1805 - the Battle of Austerlitz, in which Napoleon inflicted a crushing defeat on Russian and Austrian troops.

December 26, 1805 - Peace of Presburg. Austria pays indemnity; it has lost a huge part of its lands. From the southern German states, Napoleon created the Confederation of the Rhine and appointed himself its head. In turn, Russian Emperor Alexander I did not accept defeat and did not sign peace with Napoleon.

September 1806 - was concluded between Russia and Prussia new anti-French alliance, which England and Sweden joined

October 14, 1806 In two battles of Jena and Auerstadt, the French defeated the Prussian army, thirteen days later Napoleon's army entered Berlin.

Bottom line:

surrender of Prussia, all possessions west of the Elbe went to Napoleon, where he formed the Kingdom of Westphalia

The Duchy of Warsaw was created on Polish territory

A 100 million indemnity was imposed on Prussia, until payment of which it was occupied by French troops.

2 battles with the Russian army:

French troops threw back the Russian army and approached the Neman. Both Napoleon, who by this time had conquered all of Europe, and Alexander I, who had lost all allies, considered further continuation of the war pointless.

July 7, 1807 – World of Tilsit. A meeting between the two emperors took place on a specially placed raft in the middle of the Neman River. Result:

Russia recognized all the conquests of the French Empire

Russia received freedom of action against Sweden and Turkey.

According to a secret clause of the agreement, Alexander promised to stop trade with England, that is, to join the continental blockade, shortly before announced by Napoleon.

May 1808 - popular uprisings in Madrid, Cartagena, Zaragoza, Murcia, Asturias, Grenada, Balajos, Valencia.

A series of heavy defeats for the French. Portugal rebelled, and British troops landed on its territory. The defeats of Napoleonic troops in Spain undermined France's international position.

Napoleon sought support in Russia.

Napoleon managed to achieve an extension Franco-Russian union, but only at the cost of recognizing Russia's rights to Moldova, Wallachia and Finland, which then still belonged to Sweden. However, on the most important issue for Napoleon about Russia’s attitude towards Austria, Alexander I showed persistence. He was well aware of Napoleon's difficulties and was completely in no mood to help him pacify Austria. The discussion on the Austrian problem took place in a tense atmosphere. Having failed to achieve concessions, Napoleon screamed, threw his cocked hat on the floor, and began to trample on it with his feet. Alexander I, remaining calm, told him: “You are a hot-tempered person, but I am stubborn: anger has no effect on me. Let’s talk, reason, otherwise I will leave” - and headed for the exit. Napoleon had to hold him back and calm down. The discussion resumed in a more moderate, even friendly tone.

Bottom line: October 12, 1808 signing union convention, but no real strengthening of the Franco-Russian alliance occurred.

The conclusion of a new convention with Russia allowed Napoleon to throw his forces against Spain and recapture Madrid.

April 1809 - Austria began military operations on the Upper Danube with support from England, which formed the 5th coalition against France.

a heavy defeat for the Austrians, after which Franz I was forced to begin peace negotiations.1

Napoleon annexed almost all of Western Galicia to the Duchy of Warsaw

The Tarnopol district was ceded to Russia.

Austria lost Western Galicia, the provinces of Salzburg, parts of Upper Austria and Carniola, Carinthia, Croatia, as well as lands on the Adriatic coast (Trieste, Fiume, etc., which became the Illyrian departments of the French Empire). The Treaty of Schönbrunn in 1809 was the greatest success of Napoleon's diplomacy.

Russian-French relations began to deteriorate rapidly due to:

conclusion of the Treaty of Schönbrunn and significant expansion of the Duchy of Warsaw at the expense of Western Galicia

Napoleon's reluctance to delimit spheres of influence in the Middle East. He tried with all his might to subjugate the Balkan Peninsula to his influence.

July 1810 - The Kingdom of Holland was annexed to France

December 1810 - Swiss territory of Wallis near France

February 1811 - the Duchy of Oldenburg, parts of the Duchy of Berg and the Kingdom of Hanover were ceded to France.

Hamburg, Bremen and Lubeck also belong to France, which was becoming a Baltic power

Napoleon’s unsuccessful attempt to woo Alexander 1’s sister Anna Pavlovna (of course, this is not the main thing)

Napoleon's support for the Poles' desire for independence, which did not suit Russia

Napoleon's failure to fulfill his promise to support Russia against Turkey

Russia's violation of the agreement on the continental blockade.

This was the reason for the War of 1812.

Both countries violated the terms of the Tilsit Peace. War was being prepared. Napoleon sought, first of all, to tie Prussia and Austria more tightly to France.

February 24, 1812 - Frederick William III concluded a secret convention with France, according to which Prussia pledged to send a 20,000-strong corps to participate in the war against Russia.

March 14, 1812 - Austria also pledged to take part in the war against Russia, sending a 30,000-strong corps for action in Ukraine. But both of these agreements were signed under brutal pressure from French diplomats.

Napoleon demanded that Russia fulfill the terms of the Tilsit Peace.

On April 27, Kurakin, on behalf of the Tsar, informed Napoleon that a precondition for this could be:

withdrawal of French troops from Prussia beyond the Elbe

liberation of Swedish Pomerania and Danzig

consent to Russia's trade with neutral countries.

Napoleon refused. He stationed armed forces in Prussia and the Duchy of Warsaw, close to the borders of Russia.

Alexander I's representative Balashov tried to convince Napoleon to stop the invasion. The latter responded to the royal envoy with a rude and arrogant refusal. After Balashov's departure from Vilna, diplomatic relations between the Russian and French governments ceased.

The first failures of Napoleon, who failed to defeat the troops of General Barclay de Tolly in border battles, forced him to seek an honorable peace.

August 4-5 – Battle of Smolensk. Retreat of Russian troops. After Smolensk, Bonaparte first tried to start negotiations with the Russian government, but the negotiations did not take place.

November 14-16 – Battle of the Berezina. The retreat towards the Berezina and Vilna led Napoleon's army to almost complete destruction. The already catastrophic situation of the French troops was further worsened by the transition of Prussian troops to the side of Russia. Thus, a new, 6th coalition against France was created. In addition to England and Russia, Prussia and then Sweden also opposed Napoleon.

On August 10, Austria joined the 6th coalition at a time when a huge army consisting of Russian, Prussian, Swedish and English contingents was concentrated in Germany against Napoleon.

October 16-19, 1813 - “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig. Napoleon's defeated armies were forced to retreat across the Rhine, and soon hostilities were transferred to the territory of France itself.

March 31 - Alexander I and Frederick William III, at the head of their troops, solemnly entered the streets of the French capital. Located in Fontainebleau, 90 kilometers from Paris, Napoleon was forced to abandon the continuation of the fight

April 6 – Napoleon abdicated the throne in favor of his son; Later, he dutifully headed to the south of France to continue by sea to the island of Elba, which was given to him by the allies for lifelong possession.

May 30, 1814 – Treaty of Paris between France and the Sixth Coalition (Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia), which was later joined by Spain, Portugal and Sweden:

restoration of the independence of Holland, Switzerland, German principalities (united in a union) and Italian states (except for the lands that went to Austria).

Freedom of navigation on the Rhine and Scheldt was declared.

Most of the colonial possessions it had lost during the Napoleonic Wars were returned to France.

September 1814 – June 1815 – Congress of Vienna. Convened under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Representatives of all European countries (except Turkey) participated

Tasks:

the elimination of political changes and transformations that took place in Europe as a result of the French bourgeois revolution and the Napoleonic wars.

the principle of “legitimism,” i.e., the restoration of the “legitimate” rights of former monarchs who had lost their possessions. In reality, the principle of “legitimism” was only a cover for the arbitrariness of reaction

creation of guarantees against the return to power of Napoleon and the resumption of wars of conquest by France

redistribution of Europe in the interests of the victorious powers

Solutions:

France is deprived of all conquests, its borders remain the same as in 1792.

Transfer of Malta and the Ionian Islands to England

Austrian power over northern Italy and some Balkan provinces

Division of the Duchy of Warsaw between Austria, Russia and Prussia. The lands that became part of the Russian Empire were called the Kingdom of Poland, and the Russian Emperor Alexander I became the Polish king.

inclusion of the territory of the Austrian Netherlands into the new Kingdom of the Netherlands

Prussia got part of Saxony, a significant territory of Westphalia and the Rhineland

Formation of the German Confederation

Significance of the Congress:

determined the new balance of power in Europe that had developed towards the end of the Napoleonic wars, long denoting the leading role of the victorious countries - Russia, Austria and Great Britain - in international relations.

The Vienna system of international relations was formed

the creation of the Holy Alliance of European States, which aimed to ensure the inviolability of European monarchies.

« 100 days» Napoleon – March-June 1815

Napoleon's return to power

June 18, 1815 – Battle of Waterloo. Defeat of the French army. Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena.

• 1769, August 15 Napoleon Bonaparte, the future Emperor of France, a great commander and politician, was born.
• 1779 Entered Auten College.
• 1780 – 1784 Study at the Brienne Military Academy.
• 1784 – 1785 Napoleon was sent to Paris - to an elite military school, after which he received his first rank (junior lieutenant of artillery).
• 1792 Napoleon is a member of the Jacobin Club.
• 1793 Napoleon's family leaves Corsica, where an uprising against France broke out. In the same year, Napoleon received a promotion and became a brigadier general.
• 1795 Napoleon is arrested for similarity of views with Robespierre, but he is very quickly released.
• October 17955 Barasse, with the help of Napoleon, suppresses the royalist uprising.
• 1796, March 9 Napoleon and Josephine officially marry. It is known that when drawing up the marriage contract, Bonaparte attributed himself a year and a half, and Josephine reduced her age by 4 years.
• 1796 – 1797 Bonaparte - commander-in-chief of the Italian army.
• 1797 Treaty of Napoleon with the Pope, according to which the church recognizes Napoleon as Emperor of France.
• 1797 Treaty of Campoformia between Napoleon and Austria.
• 1798 – 1799 Napoleon's unsuccessful Egyptian campaign. Ended in absolute failure
• 1799, November 9 – 10 Napoleon overthrows the Directory and gains power over France. He then received the title of Consul for Life of the French Republic in 1802.
• 1800 The II Italian campaign, under the leadership of Bonaparte, completely conquered the northern part of Italy.
• 1800-1801 An attempt at rapprochement with Russia, but the assassination of Paul I prevents it.
• 1801 Support of the papacy.
• 1801 – 1802 Peace treaties of Napoleon with Russia, Austria, Prussia and England.
• 1803 War with England.
• 1804 Declaration of Napoleon as French Emperor.
• 1805 Coronation of Napoleon I in Paris.
• 1805, December 2 Battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon defeated the troops of the first anti-French coalition.
• 1806 Creation of the "Rhine Confederation".
• 1806 – 1807 The troops of the new second anti-French coalition were defeated, as a result of this, Russia leaves the war, concluding the shameful Peace of Tilsit.
• 1809 Minor war with the Austrian Empire. It all ended with the Peace of Schönbrunn.
• 1810, May 4 Napoleon gives birth to a son, Alexander, not from Josephine, but from Maria Walewska.
• 1810 Divorce of Napoleon and Josephine. Wedding with the Austrian Princess Marie Louise.
• 1811 The rightful heir to the throne, François Charles Joseph Bonaparte, or simply Napoleon II, is born.
• 1812 Patriotic war of the Russian people against foreign aggression. Complete defeat of Napoleon's army.
• 1813 The Battle of Leipzig, often called the "Battle of the Nations", in which Napoleon was defeated.
• 1813 – 1814 Napoleon is offered a series of peace agreements, but he rejects them one after another and continues desperate attempts at resistance.
• 1814 Napoleon's reign was officially interrupted by a decision of the Senate. The new king of France is a representative of the Bourbon dynasty, Louis XVIII.
• 1814, April 6 Napoleon abdicates the French throne. He is sent to Fr. Elba, where he waits in the wings.
• 1815, March 1 Napoleon's landing in France.
• 1815, March 20 – June 22"One Hundred Days" of Napoleon. During this period, Bonaparte returned to France and immediately began to gather an army in order to deal with his main opponents one by one, but the allies mobile united in order to destroy the existing threat. A huge Allied army takes to the battlefields of Waterloo against a significantly smaller number of French. Bonaparte lost the battle. After this, he surrenders and is sent to the island of St. Helena.
• 1815 – 1821 Bonaparte lives on the island. St. Helena and writes his famous memoirs.
• 1821, May 5 Napoleon Bonaparte died in captivity. The cause of Napoleon's death has not yet been clarified. He was either poisoned or died of cancer.
• 1830 A nine-volume set of Napoleon's memoirs has been published.
• 1840 Napoleon's remains were reburied in the Invalides in Paris.

NAPOLEONIC WARS 1799-1815, fought by France and its allies during the Consulate (1799-1804) and the Empire of Napoleon I (1804-1814, 1815) against coalitions of European states.

The nature of wars

Chronologically, they continued the wars of the Great French Revolution of 1789-99 and had some common features with them. Although aggressive, they nevertheless contributed to the spread of revolutionary ideas in Europe, the undermining of feudal orders and the development of capitalist relations. They were conducted in the interests of the French bourgeoisie, which sought to consolidate its military-political, commercial and industrial dominance on the continent, pushing the English bourgeoisie into the background. The main opponents of France during the Napoleonic wars were England, Austria and Russia.

2nd anti-French coalition (1798-1801)

The conditional date for the beginning of the Napoleonic wars is considered to be the establishment in France during the coup of 18 Brumaire (November 9), 1799, of the military dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte, who became the first consul. At this time, the country was already at war with the 2nd anti-French coalition, which was formed in 1798-99 by England, Russia, Austria, Turkey and the Kingdom of Naples (the 1st anti-French coalition consisting of Austria, Prussia, England and a number of other European states fought against revolutionary France in 1792-93).

Having come to power, Bonaparte sent a proposal to the English king and the Austrian emperor to begin peace negotiations, which they rejected. France began to form a large army on its eastern borders under the command of General Moreau. At the same time, on the Swiss border, in an atmosphere of secrecy, the formation of the so-called “reserve” army was underway, which delivered the first blow to the Austrian troops in Italy. Having made a difficult transition through the Saint Bernard Pass in the Alps, on June 14, 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, Bonaparte defeated the Austrians operating under the command of Field Marshal Melas. In December 1800, Moreau's Rhine army defeated the Austrians at Hohenlinden (Bavaria). In February 1801, Austria was forced to make peace with France and recognize its seizures in Belgium and on the left bank of the Rhine. After this, the 2nd coalition actually collapsed, England agreed in October 1801 to sign the terms of a preliminary (i.e., preliminary) agreement, and on March 27, 1802, the Treaty of Amiens was concluded between England, on the one hand, and France, Spain and the Batavian Republic - - on the other.

3rd anti-French coalition

However, already in 1803 the war between them resumed, and in 1805 the 3rd anti-French coalition was formed consisting of England, Russia, Austria and the Kingdom of Naples. Unlike the previous ones, it declared its goal not to fight against revolutionary France, but against Bonaparte’s aggressive policy. Having become Emperor Napoleon I in 1804, he prepared the landing of the French expeditionary army in England. But on October 21, 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, the English fleet led by Admiral Nelson destroyed the combined Franco-Spanish fleet. This defeat forever deprived France of the opportunity to compete with England at sea. However, on the continent, Napoleonic troops won one victory after another: in October 1805, the Austrian army of General Mack capitulated without a fight at Ulm; in November Napoleon marched victoriously into Vienna; On December 2, at the Battle of Austerlitz, he defeated the combined forces of the Russians and Austrians. Austria was again forced to sign peace with France. According to the Treaty of Presburg (December 26, 1805), she recognized Napoleonic seizures and also pledged to pay a huge indemnity. In 1806, Napoleon forced Franz I to relinquish his title as Holy Roman Emperor of the German nation.

4th and 5th anti-French coalitions

The war against Napoleon was continued by England and Russia, which were soon joined by Prussia and Sweden, concerned about the strengthening of French dominance in Europe. In September 1806, the 4th anti-French coalition of European states was formed. A month later, during two battles, on the same day, October 14, 1806, the Prussian army was destroyed: near Jena, Napoleon defeated the units of Prince Hohenlohe, and at Auerstedt, Marshal Davout defeated the main Prussian forces of King Frederick William and the Duke of Brunswick. Napoleon triumphantly entered Berlin. Prussia was occupied. The Russian army, moving to help the allies, met the French, first near Pultusk on December 26, 1806, then at Preussisch-Eylau on February 8, 1807. Despite the bloodshed, these battles did not give an advantage to either side, but in June 1807, Napoleon won at the Battle of Friedland over the Russian troops, commanded by L. L. Bennigsen. On July 7, 1807, in the middle of the Neman River, a meeting between the French and Russian emperors took place on a raft and the Peace of Tilsit was concluded, according to which Russia recognized all of Napoleon’s conquests in Europe and joined the “Continental Blockade” of the British Isles proclaimed by him in 1806. In the spring of 1809, England and Austria again united in the 5th anti-French coalition, but already in May 1809 the French entered Vienna, and on July 5-6, in the battle of Wagram, the Austrians were again defeated. Austria agreed to pay indemnity and joined the continental blockade. A significant part of Europe came under Napoleon's rule.

Reasons for French military success

France had the most advanced military system for its time, born during the French Revolution. New conditions for recruiting into the army, the constant attention of military leaders, and above all Napoleon himself, to the fighting spirit of the soldiers, maintaining their high military training and discipline, a guard formed from veteran soldiers - all this contributed to the victories of France. An important role was played by the military talent of the famous Napoleonic marshals - Bernadotte, Berthier, Davout, Jourdan, Lannes, MacDonald, Massena, Moreau, Murat, Ney, Soult, etc. Napoleon Bonaparte himself was the greatest commander and military theorist.

The needs of the Napoleonic army were provided by the conquered countries of Europe and states that were politically dependent on France - they, for example, formed units of auxiliary troops.

The first defeats of France. End of French expansion

The national liberation movement that was growing in Europe acquired its greatest scope in Spain and Germany. However, the fate of Napoleon's empire was decided during his campaign in Russia. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the strategy of the Russian army, led by Field Marshal M.I. Kutuzov, and the partisan movement contributed to the death of more than 400,000 “Great Army”. This caused a new rise in the national liberation struggle in Europe, and people's militia began to be created in a number of states. In 1813, the 6th anti-French coalition was formed, which included Russia, England, Prussia, Sweden, Austria and a number of other states. In October 1813, as a result of the “Battle of the Nations” near Leipzig, German territory was liberated from the French. Napoleon's army retreated to the borders of France and was then defeated on its own soil. On March 31, Allied troops entered Paris. On April 6, Napoleon I signed his abdication and was exiled from France to the island of Elba.

End of the Napoleonic Wars

In 1815, during the famous “Hundred Days” (March 20 - June 22), Napoleon made a last attempt to regain his former power. The defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (Belgium) on June 18, 1815, inflicted on him by the troops of the 7th Coalition under the command of the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher, ended the history of the Napoleonic wars. The Congress of Vienna (November 1, 1814 - June 9, 1815) decided the fate of France, securing the redistribution of the territories of European countries in the interests of the victorious states. The wars of liberation that were waged against Napoleon were inevitably associated with the partial restoration of the feudal-absolutist order in Europe (the “Holy Alliance” of European monarchs, concluded with the aim of suppressing the national liberation and revolutionary movement in Europe).

1) What agreements were reached when the Treaty of Amiens was signed?

2) What was the “Continental Blockade?”

3) Explain the meaning of the concept of “battle of the nations”?

We know that in the history of the world, there have been various great commanders and conquerors of all times and peoples. They changed the entire course of history and also influenced the political map of the world.

One such great commander we wanted to write about was Napoleon Bonaparte. He was a talented general of the French artillery and the ruler of France with the monarchical title of Emperor under the name Napoleon the First.

His activities were based on strengthening the power and greatness of France. He changed the territory of France, expanding its borders and annexing other European lands to the country's possessions. These were a kind of territorial claims of the French Empire during the reign of Napoleon.

This famous short man in a gray frock coat influenced all European countries. Bonaparte's expansionist policy helped the French bourgeoisie to gain enormous benefits from the results of victorious military campaigns.

General Bonaparte received his high military rank, as you know if you have studied history, my dear readers, after defeating the royalist supporters of the Bourbon monarchy in 1793 with volleys of grapeshot from cannons. These were the so-called cannonballs. Cannons were also used on masted sailing ships of the time.

Conquests of territories by the French army

In 1796, after his previous military achievements, Napoleon Bonaparte led a military expedition and set off on an Italian campaign. As a result of this campaign, the entire territory of Italy came under French rule. The Kingdom of Naples was created on this territory, where Napoleon sent his Marshal Marat as King of Naples.

In 1798, Napoleon prepared and equipped a new military expedition to Egypt. This military campaign was a success until the commander himself left his army. French troops sailed across the entire Mediterranean Sea and went to Egypt, capturing the capital there - Alexandria. Unfortunately, Napoleon's army was unable to fully complete its military mission in Egypt, as the British destroyed the French ships. Because of this, Napoleon had to quickly leave and abandon his army. French troops were finally defeated in Egypt by 1801, also suffering defeat at Aboukir.

In 1799, as a result of the coup of 9 Thermidor, Napoleon became the first consul of the French Republic, although formally there were two more consuls in power after him. His rule was called a military-bureaucratic dictatorship.

In 1800 he won the Battle of Marengo. For some time in 1801, Napoleon concluded a truce with England.

In 1804, Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France. And the following year, 1805, he won a brilliant victory in the Battle of Austerlitz against the Austrian and Russian allied army.

In 1806-1807, he captured the territory of Germany, which at that time in turn consisted of small states (principalities). One of the influential German states of that time was the Kingdom of Prussia. Napoleon and his troops entered the city of Jena, and also reached Berlin and defeated the Prussian army in a matter of minutes. He then advanced to Poland, which he turned into the Duchy of Warsaw.

In 1807, Napoleon concluded the Treaty of Tilsit with the Russian Emperor Alexander the First.

Consistently studying the chronology of the Napoleonic wars, we see that already in 1808 Napoleon captured Spain, subjugating the Spanish capital, Madrid. He overthrew the Bourbon rule there and installed his brother Joseph Bonaparte as the new king of Spain.

Napoleon Bonaparte's military campaign against Russia (the map of the campaign can be enlarged)

However, the collapse of Napoleon's empire began in 1812, when he suffered a crushing military defeat in his campaign against Russia. The Emperor had to abdicate the throne twice, that is, give up his power, both in 1814 and in 1815 after his first exile on the island of Elba.

The historical legacy of the Napoleonic era retained its significance for many decades, and its memory still lives on. The era of the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon also coincided with a revolution in the cultural history of mankind, which gave rise to the most important trends in philosophical and social thought, literature and art.

Third anti-French coalition (1805)

At the beginning of 1805, a third anti-French coalition formed, which included Great Britain, Russia, Austria and other European states. In response, Napoleon proclaimed himself king of Italy, initiating a system of dependent kingdoms and other monarchical possessions that replaced the former “daughter republics.”

In August 1805, Austrian troops, without waiting for the Russian army to approach, launched an offensive in southern Germany, but were defeated. The further course of the war was marked by two great battles that completely changed the balance of power in the international arena.

On October 21, 1805, the British squadron defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain in the famous Battle of the Cape Trafalgar in the Mediterranean Sea. Having suffered a catastrophic defeat at sea, Napoleon defeated his opponents on land. The French occupied Vienna, and on December 2, 1805, Austrian and Russian troops were defeated near the Moravian town Austerlitz in a battle known as the “Battle of the Three Emperors.” Russian troops returned to their homeland, and Austria signed a peace treaty, under the terms of which it recognized all the seizures and transformations carried out by Napoleon in Europe. Soon the emperor's brothers occupied the Neapolitan and Dutch thrones.

In the summer of 1806, Napoleon created Confederation of the Rhine, which included 16 German states. All of them left the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, so its existence was meaningless. On August 6, 1806, Franz II renounced the title that had lost its meaning, and the thousand-year-old empire ended its history. Napoleon's radical transformation of Germany posed a mortal threat to Prussia, which took Austria's place in the anti-French coalition. But soon after the start of a new war, on October 14, 1806, the Prussian troops were completely defeated.

Beginning of the continental blockade

After Trafalgar, the British fleet no longer had rivals at sea, which allowed the British to establish a virtual blockade of Europe, regardless of the interests of other peoples and the norms of international law. In response, Napoleon decided to organize a blockade of the British Isles with the aim of “destroying Great Britain in its trade.” The Berlin Decree, signed by the Emperor in November 1806, marked the beginning of the so-called "continental system", in which, one after another, states dependent on Napoleon or entered into an alliance with him were involved.

In April 1807, Russia and Prussia entered into an agreement to continue the war with Napoleon, calling on other states to support them. However, this call was not heeded. In June 1807, Russian troops were defeated in East Prussia. The results of this war forced both sides to completely reconsider the principles of their foreign policy.

S. M. Solovyov:“Napoleon did not want a war with England: apart from losses, certain naval defeats, this war could not promise him anything.”

World of Tilsit

Napoleon had long sought an agreement with Russia, believing that peace with the Austrian emperor was “nothing against an alliance with the tsar.” Alexander I, for his part, became increasingly convinced that Russia’s main enemy was not France, but Great Britain, which built its prosperity on suppressing the economic development of other countries. In the summer of 1807, during a meeting between the two emperors in the city of Tilsit, not only a peace treaty was signed, but also an agreement on an alliance. The fate of Prussia, which was losing almost half of its territory, was also decided in Tilsit. As a French historian put it, “both wings of the Prussian eagle were chopped off.” The peace agreements provided for the creation of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in those territories that Prussia captured as a result of the partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century.

On the site of the Rhineland possessions of Prussia, the Kingdom of Westphalia was created, whose king was Napoleon's brother. According to the Tilsit agreements, Russia and Prussia joined the continental blockade of England.

Continental blockade in 1807-1809

In an effort to undermine the foreign trade of continental Europe, the British tightened measures against neutral shipping, and in September 1807 they again attacked the capital of Denmark. With this attack they set “an example of an unheard-of violation of international law,” and their “modus operandi was such a terrifying combination of duplicity, shamelessness and violence that Europe was shocked.” In response, Denmark entered into an alliance with France and joined the continental blockade. Great Britain declared war on her, and Russia, outraged by the massacre of Denmark, declared war on Great Britain. In 1808, Russia also started a war against Sweden, which supported the British. The Russian-Swedish war ended in 1809 with the annexation of Finland to Russia, and Sweden entered the continental system. The entire Baltic was now closed to British trade. Material from the site

Beginning of the Peninsular Wars (1807-1808)

For his part, Napoleon attempted to close another gap in the continental system, striking in 1807 a blow to Portugal, which remained the largest trading partner of the British in Europe. Unable to resist the French army, the royal court of Portugal moved its residence overseas, to the capital of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. Brazil, the largest European colony in the Western Hemisphere, was open to British trade. Thus, while strengthening the continental system in Europe, Napoleon at the same time contributed to the fact that vast American markets began to open up for the English. British troops landed in Portugal itself and, with the support of the local population, began a debilitating “Peninsula War” for France.

The logic of the new war required strengthening French control over Spain, so in May 1808 Napoleon obtained the Spanish Bourbons to abdicate power in favor of his brother. The consequences of this step were even more dramatic. A guerrilla war (guerrilla war) began in Spain - the first people's war against Napoleonic rule, and numerous Spanish colonies in America rose up to fight for