Napoleon Bonaparte Bibliography - Essay Example

?Napoleon Bonaparte bibliography Napoleon Bonaparte was an emperor of France and a reputable military general. His achievements resonate up to the current times. Much of Europe bears great recognition for this outstanding emperor and military leader of France. His reputation during his time was impeccable and he hoisted the sovereignty and pride of France very high. Napoleon Bonaparte birth date is 15th august 1769. He was born in the French town of Corsica. His family was gently. He grew up normally until the age of 10 when he departed from his birth town of Corsica (Johnstone 11). He was enrolled in a military school in a town named Bienne. His performance in academics was not at all laudable. However, his progress in the military ways was commendable. It only took him a year in the Paris military school to be commissioned as the second lieutenant. He achieved this rank in the artillery section in the year 1785. In 1789, Napoleon spectated the fall of bastille though with approval from military officials. He watched at a distance but did not involve himself in fighting. He chose to spend the next few years hanging out in his native town of Corsica. His stay there was not without controversy. He had a blown out conflict with a Corsican nationalist named Paoli. Napoleon’s family were convinced of reduced safety in the area. They decided to flee the town for Marseille in the year 1793 (Johnstone 13). 1793 stands out as the year napoleon had his first military test. It was not easy opposition to face as it entailed the British ad royalist armies. The success of his command on the British secured him the rank of brigadier general in the French army. In the following year, Napoleon was handed command of the national French army that was stationed in Italy. His military life and dealings made him subject to imprisonment in the year 1794. It was for a short while. He was alleged to have been involved with the brother of Robespierre (then-fallen). His imprisonment came to a hasty end as his name was cleared from the list of army officers who had failed to follow orders. October 1795 saw Napoleon lead a successful revolt against the revolutionary French government. In the new government, he was prompted as the army commander of the interior. The promotion transpired in May 1796. Napoleon organised the French army for a series of attacks that he plotted. The attacks were aimed at the Sardinians as well as the Austrians in Italy. He enjoyed a commendable success rate as he won in Mantua, Savoy, Lombardy and Nice. This was a revolution that he had initiated. It intended to conquer the larger parts of Europe. This way, the French control would be felt throughout. By 1797, he had passed the Alps and into Vienna. He forced his adversaries to concede resulting to the treaty of campo, Formio. This treaty was to end the initial stage of the French revolution (Johnson 44). France’s antagonism with Britain was very alive and kicking. In light of this, Napoleon, acting on behalf of the French government planned to challenge the Britain’s interest in India. With an army consisting of 35000 troops, Napoleon went in pursuit of the British en route to India. On the way, Malta was not spared from French conquest. In a bid to shut down British trade routes with India, Napoleon conquered Egypt. During that time, Egypt was under ottoman rule. His occupation was present in Alexandria and Cairo. The French influence led to the establishment of various institutions that were dedicated to ancient Egypt’s studies (Johnson 36). As a matter of fact, there are 18 volumes dated 1808-1825 named Description d’Egypt. These were the end results of the Napoleon founded institutions. Horatio Nelson, a British troop commander successfully engaged Napoleon’s army in Egypt. They destroyed Napoleon’s fleet in the battle of the Nile. Napoleon was stranded in Egypt but eventually found his way back to France in 1799. His was a narrow escape from his fierce adversaries. Back in France, the government (Directory) was in a looming crisis. To make matters worse, France’s enemies had formed an alliance. The alliance consisted of the British, Austrians and Russians (Johnson 66). Napoleon worked with Emmanuel Sieyes in plotting to overthrow the government in a coup d’etat. Fortunately, he succeeded on 9th November 1799(18 Brumaire as per the revolutionary calendar). This achievement made him the high commander of Paris garrison as well as the first consul of the newly formed government (the consulate). The power bestowed upon Napoleon upon acquisition of this position enabled him to concentrate and consolidate the government of France (Esdaille 55). He also codified the civil law of France to follow Napoleonic coding system and guidelines. Despite reaching the helm of the government, Napoleon did not cease to seek military glory for France. His conquests continued with the humiliation of the Austrians as the immediate victory. Later, the treaty of Lineville followed in 1801. Also, his military command oversaw French control in Switzerland, Holland and Savoy-piedmont. The preceding two countries were known as Helvetic and Batavian Republics respectively. The treaty of Amiens of 1802 was originally intended to stop war hostilities with Britain. The treaty did not hold for long as 1803 saw the start of another military conflict between the two countries. This time round, Napoleon intended to invade Britain with an enormous army. However, majority of the French fleet fell in the battle of Trafalgar that occurred in 1805. Britain planned to assassinate Napoleon in the year 1804. He British-funded assassination plot failed (Esdaile 64). Napoleon became emperor in 1804 after he set up a new hereditary monarch system of government. The following years as emperor passed with victories against Russians, and Austrian armies in the towns of Austerlitz and Ulm. Napoleon also succeeded in securing France some parts of Italy e.g. Venice and Dalmatia. At one time, the pope was also a prisoner of Napoleon. Germany also surrendered some states o the forces of Napoleon. In 1807, he defeated the Russian army and secured treaties of Tilsit. The result of this engagement was the creation of “Grand Duchy of Warsaw” and the establishment of Westphalia kingdom. Napoleon also attacked the Portuguese when they dishonoured his blockade of trade routes used by the British. It was called the peninsula war and as a result, Iberia was under French control (Esdaille 72). September 1812 is the year that Napoleon engaged Russia in an outright war. The French army, led by Napoleon, marched to Moscow and made considerable progress that saw the city surrounded. The Russian leader declined to surrender. Later, napoleon commanded his army to retreat. The retreat would prove costly in the long run. Eventually, the Swede, British, Russians and Austrians formed a formidable alliance that defeated the French in the battle of nations that occurred at Leipzig. This transpired in 1813 and would signify the start of exhaustion of France’s troops. Successive attacks launched against the French finally led to the fall of Paris in March of 1814. This year saw the sending of Napoleon to exile in island of Elba. In exile, Napoleon possessed political power but not military power. Contrary to expectations, napoleon returned to France and drove the leader of the re-established bourbon dynasty into exile. He occupied Paris. The period in which Napoleon regained the control again is known as the hundred days. However, his former enemies did not spare him. They restructured and attacked Napoleon in Paris. Once again, he lost to the duke of wellington. This last Napoleon battle is known as the battle of waterloo and it transpired in June 18, 1815. Napoleon faced his second exile that culminated in exilation to S.t Helena Island. He led a quiet life while there until his death in 1821. Napoleon’s contribution to France Napoleon did not only succeed in portraying the military superiority of France but also initiated other useful things that are worth commemoration. He impacted the economy of ssFrance to a certain extent. However, he was not such an expert in economic matters. As evident, military affairs were his strongholds (Bargeron 27). The continental system was the main impact to the economy. France had acquired many territories. It expected to benefit from the control or cooperation of the states under its control. There was expansive land for production as well as adequate labour force to carry out economic activities in its territories. Though the positive economic was attained through questionable dealings such as blocking and forbidding trade with Britain, it was beneficial to the country all the same. Napoleon demanded complete adherence of the conquered land to the trade regulations imposed by France’s government. However, this was double edged as Britain also demanded the same from the states under its control. The main issue was who was most affected by the regulations. Keen examination of the continental system depicts loopholes. It can be argued that it was a failure since the French imports dropped by 51% while exports rose by 17%. Compared to Britain’s 92% rise in exports, the continental system actually hurt France more than it did to Britain. It took the presence of other economic measures to steer France ahead economically as the continental system was not as solid and valid as thought. An undisputed positive contribution to the economy of France was the establishment of Bank of France in February 1800. The bank was handed the mandate to control the monetary requirements of France e.g. creation of monetary policies. The Central Bank was also handed the monopoly of note issue. Reinforcements of gold and silver were also given to the bank for functionality. Bank of France operated well under napoleons rule therefore it was a significant implementation from Napoleon. The concept exercised by the pioneering Bank of France is still under application today. This gives the French nationals something visible that is worth remembering. Other countries in Europe also followed suit taking France as an example. Napoleon introduced control over prices of basic foods. He was concerned that high food prices would lead to an economic crisis that would hinder growth of France. He also commanded monitoring of food supplies. Corn export was stringently banned and the maximum bread prices fixed. This was also indirectly designed to curb bread riots that would destabilise his rule (Bargeron 36). The desire for liberty among the French people had been surpassed by hunger. It is notable that Napoleon had taken the welfare of the people under his rule into consideration. Codification of law in France also stands in memory of Napoleon after his demise. The Napoleonic civil code replaced ancient’s regime 360 codes. Napoleonic code was a mixture of revolution, egalitarianism and authoritarianism showed by Napoleon. It became available for legal use in many other French territories. He revolutionised France’s education system. The local municipal and church schools were mandated to educate the poor and female students. There were selective secondary schools that were intended to train future French administrators and leaders. Sons of military officers and civil servants were awarded a third of the posts in the selective secondary schools. Religion organisation and restoration was under implementation in the rule. Napoleon viewed organised religion as a tool to promote order and social peace. He is quoted as saying “the people must have a religion and that religion must be in the hands of the government”. In 1801, the concordant (religious settlement) was established. It recognised catholic faith as that of majority. Clergymen were to be paid as civil servants. He also added the provisions approving protestant liberties and approval of subjection of church to worldly power in France (Bargeron 43). The documented life and contributions make Napoleon a stand-out personality in history. He provides great pieces of world’s history thus wide recognition in past, present and generations to come. Works Cited Bergeron, Louis. France under Napoleon. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1981. Print. Esdaile, Charles J.. The wars of Napoleon. London: Longman, 1995. Print. Johnson, Paul. Napoleon. New York: Viking, 2002. Print. Johnston, R. M. The Corsican; a diary of Napoleon's life in his own words.... [1st ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1910. Print. Read More