The Napoleonic Era - Research Paper Example

During the War of the First Coalition the National Convention was replaced by the Directorie. The France was ruled then by five directors. Since then France was ruled by the five directors. As France was still in war with Britain, a plan was drawn to invade Egypt in order to take it away from the Sublime Porte, a British ally (Colton 76). It was Napoleon who suggested that the Directorate should agree to the plan to send the general away from France. On the way to Egypt napoleon succeeded to capture Malta from the Knights Hospitaller.

The French met Turkish forces during the Battle of Pyramids and defeated them (McLynn 154) Although the land campaign was a success so far, the French fleet was completely destroyed by the British Navy led by Admiral Nelson. Hearing of Napoleon’s defeat the Splendid Porte gathered her armies to attack the French in Egypt, so Napoleon resorted to the policy of attack. He had invasion of Syria planned yet failed during the Siege of Acre. As a result Napoleon had to come back to Europe, though leaving a great part of his army in Egypt.

Napoleon returned to Europe at the time when the Second Coalition was threatening the Directorie. Royalists as well as their allies still cherished their plans of restoring Bourbons to power, while the Austrian and Prussian crowns did not put up with their territorial losses they had sustained during the previous war. Russians expelled the French from Italy in such battles as Cassano while Austrians defeated the French in Switzerland at Zurich and Stockach. Having seized the power through a coup in1799 Napoleon established the Consulate.

In 1800 Napoleon defeated Austrians at Marengo and at Hohenhlinden. Meanwhile at sea Admiral Louis Levassor de Latouche Treville defeated the British at Bologne. Admiral Nelson anchored and destroyed Norwegian and Danish fleet at Copenhagen because those kingdoms were against English blockade on France. Eventually the Second Coalition was defeated and two distinct treaties settled peace. In 1803 Americans purchased French Louisiana from French. Napoleon agreed to sell this territory because he considered it to be indefensible.

On March 21, 1804 Napoleonic Code was introduced throughout entire territory under French control and on 18 May the Senate proclaimed Napoleon the Emperor initiating thus the French Empire. Actually Napoleon’s reign was constitutional, and though autocratic, it was rather more advanced than the rest of that time European monarchies. Proclamation of the French Empire resulted in creation of the Third Coalition. The French army was now the Great Army (Grande Armee) in 1805. To control the French population Napoleon implemented nationalist rhetoric propaganda to control French people.

The French army gained a stunning victory at Ulm, where the whole Austrian army was defeated and captured. Nevertheless, a Franco-Spanish fleet sustained a defeat at Trafalgar, so the plans to invade Britain were crushed. In spite of that naval defeat the whole war has not been lost yet. Napoleon defeated joint Russian and Austrian forces during the Battle of Austerlitz (Chandler 112). Having defeated Austrians and Russians the French thus destroyed the Third Coalition. Under the Treaty of Pressburg, Austrian monarch lost the title of Holy Roman Emperor.

Furthermore under this Treaty Napoleon created the Rhine Confederation