Aim Summarize Napoleons Defeat Comeback and Final Downfall

Aim: Summarize Napoleon’s Defeat, Comeback, and Final Downfall

Napoleon’s Costly Mistakes Napoleon’s own personality proved to be his greatest danger n n Desire for power Nov 1806: Napoleon sets up a blockade n Forcible closure of ports n Prevent trade & communication between Britain & other European nations n Policy called the Continental System n Supposed to make continental Europe selfsufficient n Napoleon’s blockade not tight enough n Britain responded with its own blockade n Had a stronger navy than Napoleon n Led to War of 1812 with the United States n

The Peninsula War 1808: In an effort to get Portugal to accept the Continental System, Napoleon sent an invasion force through Spain n Napoleon removed the Spanish king and put his own brother, Joseph on the throne n Outraged the Spanish people n Napoleon lost about 300, 000 men during the Peninsula War n Called this because Spain lies on Iberian Peninsula n Loses weakened the French Empire n Nationalism was becoming a powerful weapon against Napoleon n People who welcomed French now felt abused n Germans and Italians turned against the n

The Invasion of Russia 1812, Napoleon most disastrous mistake n French & Russian rulers suspected each other of having competing designs for Poland n Because of breakdown in alliances, Napoleon decided to invade Russia n June 1812: Napoleon's army (420, 000 soldiers) marched into Russia n Alexander (Russian Czar) pulled back his troops refusing to be lured into battle n Russians practiced a scorched-earth policy n Involved burning grain fields and slaughtering live-stock to leave nothing for enemy to eat n Russians fells back, Allowing Napoleon to move on Moscow but Alexander decided to burn city rather than surrender it n Upon leaving Russia, many of Napoleons trooped died due to exhaustion, hunger, & cold n

Napoleon’s Downfall All of the main powers of Europe were now at war with France n Napoleon faced the allied armies of Europe outside the German city of Leipzig n Jan 1814, allied armies were pushing toward Paris n April 1814, Napoleon accepted the terms of surrender & gave up throne n Victors gave Napoleon small pension & banished him to Elba n Louis XVIII assumed throne of France n Became unpopular among France n Within days, Napoleon becomes emperor again n European allies prepared for battle near village of Waterloo n