Chapter 23 Section 4
Napoleon’s Empire
Collapses
Define all vocabulary for Chapter 23 Sect
4
Read Chapter 23 Section 4
After each red section stop reading and
take notes on that section (facts).
Complete this until the section is finished.
Summarize the section in about 6
sentences.
100 points
Page 668
Class Assignment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOki3q
AZe4g&feature=relmfu
Music Video
Napoleon wanted son to succeed him.
He divorced Josephine and married Marie
Louise, the grandniece of Marie
Antoinette.
She gave birth to a son in 1811, named
Napoleon II.
Napoleon made him king of Rome.
Setting the Stage
1.
Napoleon made three
mistakes:
He set up a blockade,
called the Continental
System, preventing all
trade and communication
with Great Britain.
◦
Purpose was to hurt
Britain and make
Europe more selfsufficient.
◦
Did not work because of
leaks in blockade, even
by Napoleon’s own
brother, Louis, King of
Holland.
◦
Counter blockade by
Britain was even more
successful in keeping
other goods out of
Europe.
◦
This started War of
1812 with U.S.
Napoleon’ Costly Mistakes
2. Peninsular War with
Spain
◦ In 1808 he sent
troops to get
Portugal to accept
the Continental
System. Spanish
people protested.
◦ Napoleon removed
king of Spani and
replaced him with his
brother Joseph.
◦ Spanish fought
French for 6 years in
a guerilla war.
◦ Called Peninsular
War because Spain
and Portugal lie on
the Iberian
Peninsula.
◦ Germans and Italians
also turned against
the French.
3. In June, 1812, Napoleon decided to invade
Russia, because Russia was selling grain
to Britain and had eyes on Poland, as did
French.
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Took 420,000 soldiers.
Encountered scorched-earth policy, which
involved burning grain fields and slaughtering
livestock so French troops would have nothing
to eat while advancing.
Napoleon entered Moscow to find it had been
burned to the ground. Alexander I had
destroyed the “holy city” rather than
surrender it to the French.
Napoleon stayed till October, when he decided
to return to France.
His army was mercilessly attacked as it
retreated. He returned with only 10,000
soldiers as a result of battles, cold, and
hunger.
Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow
Most European powers now
declared war on a weak France.
Napoleon raised another army
in three months, but they were
poorly trained.
Met European forces at Battle
of Leipzig in Germany in
October of 1813.
Allied forces easily defeated
Napoleon and pushed steadily
toward Paris.
Napoleon’s generals refused to
fight on. In April of 1814 he
surrendered and gave up his
throne.
He was banished to the tiny
island of Elba off the Italian
coast.
Allies expected no further
trouble from Napoleon.
Napoleon’s Downfall
Louis XVI’s brother assumed the throne as
Louis XVIII (king Louis’ son Louis XVII had
died in prison).
New king was unpopular because of
wanting to undo some of the revolutions
reforms.
Napoleon knew this and escaped from Elba.
On March 1, 1815, he landed in France to a
resounding welcome.
European allies responded quickly. Led by
the Duke of Wellington, they met for battle
near Waterloo in Belgium. On June 18,
1815 Napoleon attacked.
Battle of Waterloo
British and Prussian
forces teamed up to
defeat Napoleon’s
forces and chased
them from the field.
This ended Napoleon’s
final Hundred Days.
This time Napoleon
was shipped to Saint
Helena Island in the
South Atlantic, where
he lived for six years
writing his memoirs.
In 1821 he died of a
stomach ailment,
probably cancer.
Napoleon’s Death
Create a timeline of Napoleon’s Rise and Fall
Use at least 12 events to chronologically depict his
accomplishments that made him Emperor of France, then the
mistakes that eventually led to his Fall
Date
Event
1769
Born on Island of
Corsica
1821
Died on St. Helena
Island due to stomach
ailment
Timeline