Napoleanic Reign

Jason fish

Napoleon Bonaparte was a genius, but above that he was a ruthless tyrant, who sought global conquest through waging wars against all of Europe, starting with the smaller European countries.

Born in 1769 to a family of nobles, he was in a position of power since birth. Perhaps one of the deciding factors in his thirst for military conquest was the fact that his father placed him in a military academy at the ripe age of 10, and received his officer's commission. At roughly the age of 20 he was an officer in the French revolution. As the revolution came to a close, he was an acknowledged officer, and held much authority over the population of France. By giving the church more power he gained much prestige with the people of France.

Once he attained enough power he appointed himself the emperor. Under his rule all authority would be placed in the hands of paid officials. He also implemented a merit based payment system for the people. His rule of the Napoleon Code is well known for the many changes that it implemented. The Napoleon Code brought the recognition of marriages that were not preformed in the church, as well as divorces. It removed political rights of women that they had worked for over the last few centuries. Finally the code set a policy for the judicial system that convicts were guilty until proven innocent, which is the contrary of the stance in our current government.

Up until this point he had the general public's approval and was embraced by the majority of its citizens. His popularity fell as he began waging war after war on Frances neighboring countries. At the battle of Cape Trafalgar he attacked Britain with the aide of the Spanish forces. This was the first major loss for Napoleon as both the French and Spanish militaries were defeated by Heratio Nelson, the commander of the British army. This did not stop Napoleon from continuing his ongoing war with the rest of Europe. After his defeat at Cape Trafalgar, he began winning several wars against such European countries as Sweden, Germany, and Russia. While continuing to move his army throughout the eastern continent, he imposed his beliefs amongst all those he conquered, by abolishing serfdom in all areas which he had defeated. After years of war, even his faithful followers were becoming tired of the constant battles which he waged. The countries which he now ruled were also upset at the fact that they were being ruled by a foreigner.

In June of 1812 Napoleon took his 700,000 men and attempted to wage war with Russia. Several battles were fought and won as Napoleon continued to push the Russian army deeper into the heart of their country. Along the way he would burn fields, and houses to ensure his victory, as well as to avoid base camps that may attempt to flank (attack from a second direction other than directly in front) him. This lengthy battle took its toll on Napoleons army, however, as a severe winter ensued. Beginning in the summer months, the army was not adequately prepared for such harsh weather, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers