1

=-]

CHANAKYA NATIONAL
LAW UNIVERSITY

History Project
=====================================================================

Downfall of Napoleon

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SUBMITTED TO
Dr. Priya Darshani
Faculty of History

SUBMITTED BY-

VIVEK KUMAR MISHRA

 2

ROLLN0. 1576

2nd. SEMESTER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
=====================================================================

Writing a project is one of the most significant academic challenges I have ever faced. Though
this project has been presented by me but there are many people who remained in veil, who gave
their all support and helped me to complete this project.

First of all I am very grateful to my subject teacher Dr. Priya Darshni without the kind support of
whom and help the completion of the project was a herculean task for me. She donated her
valuable time from her busy time to help me to complete this project and suggested me from
where and how to collect data.

I am very thankful to the librarian who provided me several books on this topic which proved
beneficial in completing this project.

I acknowledge my friends who gave their valuable and meticulous advice which was very useful
and could not be ignored in writing the project.

VIVEK KUMAR MISHRA

Roll No. 1576

2nd semester
 3

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. Introduction
........4

2. The continental system and causes of its

failure7

3. Part played by England in the downfall of

Napoleon9

4. Causes of Englands success over

Napoleon..11

5. Conclusion
......16
 4

BIBLIOGRAPHY...
.17

Introduction

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most successful military minds to ever walk the battle fields.
He is still looked at as a leader that revolutionized war and the strategy that goes along with it.
Napoleon is one of the most famous generals in the history of France, he is known for his
magnetic energy and his success as a leader. Not only was he a great leader on the battle fields
but he was very well liked and always seemed to want what was best for his country. This could
have been his downfall as a leader at times it seemed like he was to greedy and wanted to much
for his country this is what led to his demise as a leader.

Due to Napoleon losing his father at such a young age him only being 15 he was thrusted into the
spot as the head of the family. [1] This made him have to carry most of the burden for taking care
of his mother and family. Being placed with these responsibilities at such a young age forced him
to take grasp of a leadership role that he showed he was willing and able to do throughout his
military career. He was showing a leadership role at such an early age. He was able to take
charge and take care of his family in diverse situations which also showed his ability to handle
hard situations that some leaders might not react well to.

Napoleon was Educated at Autun and Brienne, he separated himself from the rest of the class by
sitting at the top of the class in mathematics and science. He entered the cole Militaire in 1784
and after only a year he was moved into the artillery. [2] Napoleon started out as a second
lieutenant in the French artillery. He showed promise that he would be a good leader from the
beginning. He ran through the ranks up until the time that he staged a coup in 1799 that moved
him to the First Consul of France.
 5

When Bonaparte Landed at Frjus on Oct. 9, 1799, Napoleon left straight for Paris, in Paris there
was a political situation that was seasoned for a coup d'etat. [3] France started to become tired of
the direction that they were heading in. Napoleon was working with Emmanuel Joseph Sieys,
Joseph Fouch, and Talleyrand. Napoleon took over the government Nov. 9-10, 1799. [4] After
the Coup Napoleon was named first consul and given virtually a complete dictatorship of
powers. At the time there were only two bodies of legislation. The first legislation was Tribunate
and the second one was Corps Legislatif - but the truth is that Napoleon as the first consul had all
the power.

He led this coup like a natural born leader rallying the troops together to convince them that this
was the best for them as an army as well as a nation. After the Coup was successful he was
praised by many for being such a genius when it came to military strategies as well as what was
best for the nation. The completion of this task quickly put him in the favor of many of the
people in France.

In 1804 he took it up a step by making himself emperor. He led his armies to victory after
victory, and by 1807 France had conquered territory that stretched from Portugal all the way
through Italy and north to the river Elbe. Once Napoleon took over he started to try and fix the
problems that France had. One of his first actions was to end the civil war in the
Vende. [5] Even though Napoleon was emperor at this time he still knew what he was best at
which was being on the battlefield. Bonaparte led the army that was able to conquer Grand-
Saint-Bernard Pass into Italy which led to the defeat of the Austrians. [6] The Austrians declared
war on France while Napoleon was in Egypt, at the Battle of Marengo on June 14, 1800. The
victory of the Battle of Marengo was always considered one of his greatest achievements, had
again put Italy under Frances control.

The French and Austrians had a ceasefire that lasted for only a few months and then the armies
of France pushed Austria out of the war once again. This led to the Treaty of Lunville in Feb. 9,
1801 and was solidified with the Treaty of Campoformio. [7] These treaties led to another one in
March 25, 1802, this treaty was the Treaty of Amiens which was interrupted by the war with
England. The agreement that Napoleon and Pope Pius VII signed in 1801 once again created a
sense of peace between Rome and Paris. This also put the end to a religious dissention that had
begun after the revolution.
 6

After all this Napoleon wanted to make a change to France's legal system which then led to him
creating the Code of Napoleon. Before the Code France had very little if any true laws or
regulations. The laws were more of a local idea that was most of the time forgot about by the
people. This really created somewhat of chaos because no one really had rules that they were
required to follow nor did they really have recourse if they broke the rules. The kings or the
Lords would often grant immunity to people that did break the rules. After the Revolution most
of the different legal systems used all around France had been planned to be replaced by one
legal code but this never really happened. This led to Napoleon making an executive decision to
put these laws in place. He stepped up and tried to end the chaos of France's political system.

Most historians would, however, agree that at the core of his philosophy was a belief in offensive
action, aimed at a decisive clash with the enemy's forces. Napoleon's primary objective was the
destruction of the opposing army rather than the seizure of territory or the capital city. This was
demonstrated in the campaign of 1805, when he set out from France to crush the Austrian forces.
In October, barely seven weeks after they left the camp at Boulogne, French forces surrounded
General Mack's army at Ulm in southern Germany, forcing its surrender almost without
bloodshed. Five weeks later, after marching a further 500 miles to the east, the French defeated a
combined Austro-Russian army at Austerlitz. These victories effectively gave control of central
Europe to France.

Even though Napoleon had made many attempts to conquer all the rest of Europe had failed; the
loss in Moscow in the year 1812 came very close to destroying his empire. After being sent away
in 1814 to the island of Elba he returned in 1815 and went back to Paris and once again he was
able to regain power, but his success was once again short-lived: the French army's 1815 loss to
the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo finished Napoleon for good. He was sent into
exile on the island of St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

It is not hard to see why Napoleon has been numbered among the great commanders of history. A
Napoleonic scholar, Gunther Rothenberg, has calculated that he personally commanded 34
battles between 1792 and 1815, of which he lost only six. For a period of ten years he dominated
Europe, heading an empire that stretched from the Channel coast to the borders of Russia. The
foremost military theorist of the age of Napoleon, Carl von Clausewitz, hailed him as 'the god of
War', whilst in slightly more restrained fashion the modern historian Martin Van Creveld has
 7

described him as 'the most competent human being who ever lived'. What were the distinctive
qualities of leadership that brought such accolades?

Napoleon's characteristic mode of operation was to have his army, divided into a number of self-
contained corps consisting of infantry, cavalry and artillery, travel along separate but parallel
routes. A cavalry screen ahead of the advancing army would gather intelligence whilst also
confusing the enemy as to Napoleon's intentions. The formation would close up in a loose
quadrilateral, the bataillon carr, once the main enemy force had been located. The first corps to
make contact would then seek to pin the enemy whilst the main French force would attack his
rear, thereby threatening his line of communications -- the so-called manoeuvre sur les derrires.
The enemy would therefore face an unenviable choice between surrender and giving battle
without a secure line of retreat. The Austrian capitulation at Ulm is a classic example of this
technique in action. Another way in which Napoleon sought to isolate his opponents from their
base camps was to use overwhelming force at one point in the enemy lines, punching a hole and
then completing the encirclement from the rear.

An alternative method, used against an enemy who possessed superior numbers, was that of the
'central position'. The object was to divide the opposing forces into several parts and to win local
superiority over each in turn. Whilst a portion of Napoleon's forces engaged one part of the
enemy army, he would turn his main body against the other part and defeat it. The main force
would then join the pinning force to finish off the second section of the opposing army. An early
example of Napoleon's use of this method was his response to the Austrians' attempts to relieve
the siege of Mantua, during his 1796 campaign in Italy. He dealt separately with the two Austrian
columns that were converging on the city.

Mastery of grand tactics was not in itself sufficient to secure victory. It should be noted that the
methods employed by Napoleon had been available to other generals of the French
Revolutionary era. What distinguished Napoleon was his ability to grasp the essentials of a
situation and to integrate all the elements of his response with speed and clarity. In this he was
assisted by his effective intelligence gathering system, which informed him of enemy
movements, and by his emphasis on the production of accurate and detailed maps. Added to
these technical skills was a unique capacity to inspire and motivate his troops. This was achieved
partly through staying close to them, as his nickname, le petit caporal ('the little corporal')
 8

testifies. The name derived from his performance at the Battle of Lodi in Italy in May 1796,
when Napoleon drew on his own training as an artilleryman to site some of the French guns in
person. Napoleon's personal charisma communicated itself in the addresses that he directed to his
troops. Before the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798, for example, he dramatised the event in
memorable fashion: 'Soldiers, consider that from the summit of these pyramids, forty centuries
look down upon you.' The issuing of individual rewards and recognitions of collective
achievement consolidated his hold on his men's affections. It meant that he was able to make
exceptional demands on them. The rapid reformation of Napoleon's 200,000 strong Grande
Arme in the spring of 1815, after he returned to France from exile on the island of Elba, is a
tribute to his ability to project his personality.

The Corsican sun after lighting the sky of Europe began to set. Historians are divided in their
opinion with regard to the exact time when napoleons downfall began. Grant and temporally
held that the year 1807 marks the zenith of Napoleons power . According to Riker, 1807 was a
turning point in the fortunes of napoleon. Different scholars have studied this from different
angles. A military historian would say that napoleons decline began between the Jena and the
Russian campaign. A naval historian would fix it from the battle of Trafalgar. Again the peace of
Amiens may be the starting point of napoleons decline if the Napoleonic war is considered a
struggle between England and France.1 After consulting the different aspects of the matter
professor Thomson came to the conclusion that the year 1802 when napoleon became the life
consul and concluded the treaty of Amiens, should be corrected date of the decline of napoleon.
Anyway we may safely say that napoleons failure began at any date between 1802 and 1807.2

The first stage of napoleon s down fall may be ascribed to the continental system from which
began the peninsular war and the Russian expedition. We may trace the history of napoleons
down fall in the outlines from the peninsular war. The Spain and the Portugal napoleon met
either the sturdy Spaniards who were assisted by the British under the leadership of wellington in
1809. In that year wellington defeated the French in Spain in the battle of Talavera. This
compelled napoleon to send his choicest general, Massena, to release Spain from the hold of

1- THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (VOLUME -I) BY MICHAL B. LEGGIERE.

2 HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE (PAGE NO. 90)

 9

England. The tactics of wellington were to retire behind the formidable line of defense at Torres
Vedras, as a result of which Massena failed to break the line throughout 1810-1811 3.
Wellingtons army at last drove away Massena from Spain and Napoleon was compelled to recall
him. The next French general Marmount proved equally successful before wellington and in the
battle of Salmanca Wellington inflicted a decisive defeat upon the French and Joseph who was
placed o the throne of Spain by napoleon fled away from Madrid which fell into the hands of
wellington. Salmanca forecast that the last days of the French rule in Spain were round the
corner. With the dogged tenacity Wellington continued the struggle with the French and snapped
the line of communication between France and Spain, as a result of which Joseph, for the second
time, fled away from Madrid to Ebro. Wellington was now towards the close of his campaign in
Spain and on June 21, 1813 he dealt a fatal blow to marshal Jordan the commander of the French
army in Spain. The French troops began to flee to France and wellington started planning to
invade France.4

Napoleon who had promised Tsar Alexander I the division of Europe between France and Russia
after the conquest of the continent, belied the hopes of the tsar who abandoned the continental
system. This lead to napoleons invasion of Russia. Napoleon crossed the river Niemen on 24
June, 1812 with an army of 600000 and wanted to eliminate Russia in a pitched battle. When he
failed in that attempt he made a plan to delay the war till the next summer. But the tsar raised
400000 soldiers and wanted to crush the French by pushing them into a tight corner. On 7
September 1812 the Russian faced napoleon at Borodino near Moscow and caused serious loss in
the French army. Napoleon entered Moscow but as the winter started he began to retreat to
Niemen. In the course of his retreat however, the Russians launched a severe attack and
napoleons grand army suffered a terrible loss so much so that out of 6lakh soldiers only 50
thousand returned alive. The Russian campaign broke the backbone of napoleon.

Napoleons star deserted him and Russia, England and Prussia made a formidable coalition
against him 1813 which was later on joining by Austria to obliterate the Napoleonic hegemony in

3 DOWN FALL OF NAPOLEON BY SIR VALTON SCOTT

4 THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (VOLUME -I) BY MICHAL B. LEGGIERE (Wilkins, William (1972)
[1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7)
 10

Europe. Now we turn to napoleon s war in Prussia. Events of the year 1813 were as glorious in
the history of Germany as they were disastrous for the fortunes of napoleon. In Germany, a war
of liberation had started against napoleon under the leadership of Prussia. The Russians joined
hands with Prussians and napoleon defeated the Prusso Russian army in the battle of Lutzen
and Bautzen, 1813. Now Austria joined the Prussian bloc. Napoleon engaged his generals to hold
the Russians and the Prussians and he himself swooped down on the Austrians at dreden in
august 1813 and routed the Austrian army. This was the last great victory. In the battle of
Leipzig (16-19 October 1813) napoleon was encircled by three powers and lost forty thousand of
his men and had to retreat to France by crossing the Rhine. Leipzig was the most shattering blow
for the emperor. After this the empire began to shrink like a pricked balloon. The confederation
of the Rhine was dissolved. Holland became independent of France and got back her legitimate
king. Denmark embraced the allies and Austria occupied north Italy and Switzerland. Only the
polish Warsaw and king of Saxony continued their loyalty to France, thorough their lands had
passed in the hands of the allies who were now poised for an invasion of France.5

A wonderful peace formula was mooted by Austria; and the allies accordingly offered napoleon
natural boundaries for France .i.e. the land bounded by the Rhine the Alps and the Pyrenees and
also the throne of France but a maddening lust for power and territories haunted napoleon so
much so that he threw away that nice proposal. Napoleon forgot that France was so exhausted
that she could not be a match for the allies in as much as his army now consisted of only young
boys and retired soldiers. Imagine the fate when the allies with 4, 00,000 strong army invaded
France in 1814. France was invaded from five directions. What was more dangerous was that
each party of the allies made a pact of twenty years and lay down that none could conclude a
treaty with Napoleon. But Napoleon was not to be daunted by it. He still believed in killing the
enemy one by one, which was his strategy. However, this time the French people is not come
forward with that enthusiasm with which they had defended France but not napoleon. The allied
army captured Paris on March 31, 1814. Thirteen days later napoleon was compelled to give up
his claim on the throne of France by signing the treaty of Fontainebleau. He was granted the
island of Elba to rule as a sovereign with a pension of two million francs. But the island of Elba
was too small to detain him and after ten months napoleon escaped to Paris to the great joy of

5 HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE

 11

French army. For 100 days napoleon was again the emperor of francs and Louis XIII, the
Bourbon king who had been installed on the thrown of France, went into exile. The sovereigns of
Europe had been busy at the time in the Vienna congress to reconstruct the map of Europe which
had badly been damaged by Napoleon. The congress was suspended and a new war was declared
on France and Napoleon. Napoleon raises an army of 2 lakh and wanted to destroy one country
after another as per his tactics. On June 18th 1815, Napoleon met the English at waterloo.
Waterloo is one of the decisive victories in the history and Napoleon was finally defeated.

The Continental System

The term continental system is generally understood to mean the economic welfare waged by
Napoleonic France on England from 1805 to 1812. In order to understand the origin of the
continental system we are to understand the relative England and France in the continent in
1805. Napoleon had humbled all the big powers of Europe except England. As the mistress of the
waters. Napoleons failed in all the sea battles against England like the battle of Nile, the battle of
Trafalgar and the battle of Copenhagen. The major difficulty for napoleon was that England
refused to fight on land. Napoleon was convinced that unless England was defeated, he would
not be able to fulfill his dream of conquering the whole of Europe. Napoleon had no chance of
defeating England in direct fight. So he began to think in terms of crippling England by
destroying her economic life-line. The economy of England rested on the industrial products
manufactured in England and sold in Europe. If trade could be destroyed, the whole national
economy of the county will get upset and ultimately will surrender in front of napoleon. This he
conceived was the only way to tackle the island dwellers or the nation of shopkeepers. In his
report to napoleon, mount gillard in 1805 maintained that it is through her commerce that
England must be attacked.6 This memorandum is considered the nucleus around which the
entire continental system is built. It was wrong to think that mere military conquest was the basic
cause of Napoleons continental system. He wanted to oust England from the tournament of
colonial contest and occupy the commercial and industrial place given to England in Europe. It is

6 HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI (Wilkins, William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine.

New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7)
 12

also being remembered that continental system was not the original plan laid down by napoleon.
This kind of blockade was common during 18 th centaury mercantile. As early as 1803 napoleon
tried to cut Offotranto in south Italy and Hamsburg in north Germany from British trade link.
Thus the economic wars between land lords and sea ladies reached to its extreme. Initially
napoleon was successful and neutral country Denmark and Sweden obeyed him, and the value of
British sterling fell from 25 to 17 Frances. England in order to implement the order in council
found it rough on weather and had to wage war with Denmark and the United States of America.
But because of the English supremacy on waters the English blockade stole a march over the
French blockade.

Causes of failure of the continental system

First continental system was built on the abyss of despair here napoleon was the prophet of his
own doom. The system proved unworkable because napoleon did not have a strong navy to make
to make the blockade successful.

Secondly, it was not physically possible for napoleon to stop trade of various countries with
England. The people of Europe never liked to live without British goods

Thirdly to protect the blockade napoleon had to guard the whole coastline measuring about 2
thousand miles. It led to drainage of French money and their economy. The French middle class
which had remained so loyal to napoleon was now annoyed with him.7

Fourthly to add on napoleons problem Spain and Portugal refused to obey the continental
system. So due to this napoleon was bound to wage peninsular war that totally ruined him.

Lastly British were successful in getting all the European countries at their side by providing
them with lavish goods. England was successful in portraying the ugliest kind of picture of the
emperor through newspaper. Napoleon was painted so bad by England that it seemed to be the
real danger to Europe.

7 HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE (Jackson, John (2004). Race, Racism, and
Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.
 13

The continental system was at the end can be seen as wrong throw by the desperate gambler. It
gave a shattering blow to his empire. The financial blow not only leads to hardship but affected
people in Europe. The napoleon rule became burden for Europe. The people of the country
which he captured now turned their faces away from him. Thus this marked the beginning of the
napoleons end.

Part Played By England In The Fall Of Napoleon

England was the most formidable power which rose against napoleon. England, Prussia, Austria
and Russia were the big 4 powers that took arms against napoleon. Of them the greatest
contributor for the downfall of napoleon was England. It was England which headed the anti-
Napoleonic coalition in Europe from the beginning to end. England was cement that held whole
Europe against napoleon

In the first place we see that part played by England was the largest single measure responsible
for defeating napoleon. England was the symbol of unity of European coalition against napoleon,
the disturber of European peace. She was rather the king pin in the European knot. The other
countries took arms against napoleon when their interests were getting hampered by napoleon.
England never deviated from the path of war till the time napoleon reached his end. England
always portrayed the whole Europe that Napoleon is threat to Europe and it is necessary that
whole Europe should fight against aggressor.

Secondly the naval strength of England was very strong and it was impossible for napoleon to
defeat England on water due to which Napoleon lost battles with England. So this lead to
supremacy of England over the continental water bodies.
 14

The third place is the role played by the Pitt the younger who was Prime Minster of England he
played an important role in unifying the whole Europe against napoleon. So we can very easily
say that England was the most persistent enemy of napoleon.

In the fourth place, Spain would not have been successful in beating back France, if England had
not come to her rescue. It was England who always helped Spain from behind. George canning,
the foreign minister of England, declared that any nation of Europe which starts up to oppose a
power which is common enemy of all nations (i.e. France) it becomes instantly our ally. English
army under wellington aided span and Portugal in the peninsular war 1808 1813, battle of
Salamanca 1812 and in battle of Victoria 1813 where won over napoleon decisively in pain. 8
This victory forced French army to retreat to France and liberated Spaniard thus when napoleon
said that the Spanish ulcer had ruined him, the real ulcer was England and not Spain. Although
victory at waterloo was a victory of Europe over napoleon in reality it was victory of important
country England and Prussia. Specifically it was victory of England because the last bite was
given by British general duke of wellington hence it is difficult to say that napoleon could have
been defeated without England. Hence in downfall of napoleon England played an eminent role.

8 THE FALL OF NAPOLEON ; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS Wilkins,
William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7
 15

Causes of Englands Success over Napoleon

England was the most persistent enemy of napoleon. These active islanders, as napoleon
described the English people offered a tough resistance against him and this ultimately brought
about his downfall.

If we look carefully then there are some reasons for the downfall of napoleon firstly England was
queen of sea to which napoleon was a mystery. So whatever napoleon put his feet on water he
became weak in front of England so due to all this reason napoleon faced defeat in the battle of
NILE and TRAFALGAR. Hence it was felt that countering English without a strong navy on sea
was somewhat making Music without instruments. Herein lay the tragic failure of napoleon.9

Secondly, the moral courage that England showed against Napoleon, as she did against Hitler in
the Second World War, was another factor to be reckoned with. In the face of heavy odds,
England stood solid like a rock. It was the British Prime Minister Pitt the younger who led the
nation by his masterful personality and diplomacy and by lavishly financing other powers against
napoleon is comparable with a similar role played by Winston Churchill against Hitler.

9 THE FALL OF NAPOLEON ; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS(Jackson, John
(2004). Race, Racism, and Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.)
 16

Thirdly, the British generals like nelson and wellington displayed such superb mastery in the art
of war that it baffled napoleon. Nelson died in the battle of Trafalgar, in his hour of victory, by
smashing the French fleet by attacking it from behind- a tactic which baffled napoleon and
caught him unawares. Similarly, the duke of wellington carefully studied the strategy of
napoleon and discovered the remedy for it. Wellington out- maneuvered napoleons tactics both
in the peninsular war and in the battle of waterloo.

Now , the three important battles in which napoleon played a prominent role- the battle of the
Nile, the battle of Trafalgar and the battle of waterloo.

Battle of Nile:-

This was a naval engagement on 1 august 1798 between British and the French at Abu Qir bay
near Alexandria, Egypt. The bay is about 15 miles wide, stretching from Abu Qir point to the
rosette mouth of the Nile. The French fleet under admiral de Bureys had anchored in the bay in
10
the hope of preventing an attack from the land and thereby forcing a frontal clash. Admiral
Horatio Nelson who was in command of the British fleet observed that the French ships were
anchored in such a way that there was nothing to prevent them from swinging. He later on
remarked: where there is room for a Frenchman to swing, there is a room for a Briton to
anchor. Moreover the British were approaching from the north with the wind in their favour 11.
Nelson directed part of the fleet to remain seaward, but the rest was to break through the enemy
line by attacking the northern end first. Then the British were to anchor only by the stern so that
by paying out cable, they could move down the French line as each ship was demolished while
the French ships, owing to the direction of the wind would be unable to come to the assistance of

10 THE FALL OF NAPOLEON ; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS Wilkins,
William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7

11 NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY(Cordingly, David (2004). The Billy Ruffian: The
Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-468-X.)
 17

those which are attack first. The plan was completely successful. The victors were further aided
by the fact that De Brueys confident of his strategy had not even prepared his ships for action on
the landward side. With the exception of the two rear battleships and two frigates which managed
to get away, the entire French fleet was disorganised and either captured or destroyed. The battle
of Nile was not only important in naval history but also in international history. It enabled
England to capture Minorca and Malta. It completely restored her prestige in the Mediterranean.
The success in the battle greatly aided pitt the younger, the British prime minister, to form the
second coalition.

Battle of Trafalgar:-

In 1804 the continent of Europe lay prostrate under Napoleon I. The stubborn British in their
small island held out aggressor. Lord Nelson had hoped for an opportunity of bringing the
combined French and Spanish fleets into action. He had a plan for their destruction which he
divulged to captain R.G. Keats, one of his trusted officers, in a conversation at his surrey home,
Merton in august, 1805. He proposed to divide the fleet into three lines, one of which consisting
of first two-deckers, was to be kept windward ready to be thrown into battle at chosen moments.
With the remaining part of the fleet formed into two lines. Nelson saying: I shall go at them at
once if I can, about one-third of their line from their leading ship. Finally he said: I think it will
surprise and confound the enemy. They wont know what i am about. It will bring forward a pell-
mell battle and that is what I want. 21 October 1805 was to prove the greatest day in the annals
of British naval history. On 29 September, his 47 th birthday, nelson had joined forces with lord
Collingwood off the Spanish port of Cadiz, where the French and Spanish fleets sought shelter.
He then deployed his fleet in such a way as to tempt the enemy to come out, which they did on
19th October. In the early morning two days later, the two fleets came in sight of each other. The
Franco- Spanish force under Admiral Pierre Charles de Villeneuve consisted of 15 Spaniards of
the line and 25 French. Nelson had 27 ships in all, seven of them being three deckers with 98 to
 18

100 guns. Having given to his fleet the memorable signal: England expects that everyman will
do his duty, he closed in on the enemy force off Cape Trafalgar, which lies between Cadiz and
Gibraltar.12

Since there was little wind and a heavy swell running from westward, the original plan of attack
was modified. The British ships sailed slowly in two columns directly into the curve of the
enemys recent information. Collingwood in the royal sovereign, heading the starboard column,
led the attack with the stronger of the two units. The most remarkable art of the battle was
probably the close fighting between the victory, Nelsons flagship and the temerarire on the one
side and the French Redoubtable and Fougeus on the other. The victory and the redoubtable were
locked together in a struggle and at about 1.35 a musket shot from the maintop of the frenchship
mortally wounded Nelson: God praised, i have done my duty were his last words. He died at
about 4:30 in the afternoon. At about 5 Oclock the battle was over. It proved to be the most
crushing victory in history. Eighteen enemy ships were captured and no British ship was lost.

Battle of waterloo: -

When in march 1815 Europe was shaken by the news that napoleon had escaped from Elba and
landed in France, the allied powers conferring at the congress of Vienna declared him an outlay
and mobilized all available forces. While the Corsican ogre marched on the Paris, his old
soldiers swarm to his colours, the lately restored bourbons fleeing with no attempt at resistance.
Having gathered a formidable army, Napoleon move towards Brussels, hoping to crush the
Allied right wing- British, Hanoverian, Brunsicker, Dutch and Belgian troops under the prince
Orange- before they could firmly unite with the Prussians under Marshal Blucher who were
extended between Liege and Charleroi.

The command of this Allied right wing had very sensibly handed over to the Duke of Wellington,
the British commander. The northern Allies had decided not to march on to Paris until the
Austrians and Russians were near the eastern frontier France, and Napoleons rapid thrust at

12 NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY(Jackson, John (2004). Race, Racism, and
Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.)
 19

Charleroi drove the Prussians North- eastward and separated them from the forces of
wellington.13

On 16 June Marshal Ney held Wellington engaged at Quatre Bras, while Napoleon himself drove
back the Prussians at Ligney. A mistake by Ney prevented his reserve from reaching Napoleon
who, with it, might have destroyed Bluchers army. Napoleon then ordered Marshal Grouchy to
follow the Prussians with his corps, and turned his attention to the British and their allies.
Blucher drew off to the north and began to move the assistance of the British. Grouchy wasted
precious time searching for him too far to the east and was engaged in a minor battle with one
Prussians Corps throughout the afternoon of the battle of waterloo.

The Allied forces retired and where concentrated along a ridge at Mont St. Jean, two miles to the
south of the village of waterloo. Napoleons army reached a position facing them late on 17 June
but could not attack until the following morning. It rained during the night. Having waited for the
ground to dry, the emperor gave at 11:30am, the order to open fire.

The battle began with heavy artillery exchanges and raged on for ten hours. Napoleon repeatedly
hurled his magnificent cavalry against the Allied squares. The French and the Allied infantry
fought one another throughout the day for possession of the farmhouse of Hougoumont and La
Haye Sainte which were the key points of the British front. The French seized La Haye Sainte at
6pm, but they were eventually driven out. After Bluchers vanguard arrived, there were
eventually still four hours or more of desperate fighting before the decisive moment came.
Wellington kept a masterly grip on his brilliantly disposed forces, refusing to weaken their hold
of the ridge by any premature advance, using his own cavalry to check the enemys and exposing
himself with superb valour to encourage is mainly inexperienced British troops. Sir Augustus
Frazer, who commands the British horse artillery, wrote after the battle: Never were guns better
served on both sides. Never did cavalry before so nobly or was received by infantry so firmly.
Our guns were taken and betaken repeatedly....Napoleon at length pierced the left of our centre

13 NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY

E.BEARDSLEY(http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheU
nitedStates1789-1945.pdf)
 20

with the infantry of the Imperial Guard... i cannot describe the scene of carnage. When at length
the old Guard was launched in the last tremendous onslaught led by Ney- the bravest of the
brave who that day had five horses shot under him- the deadly musketry of the British swept
away the head of the four columns and wellington gave the word for advance all along the line.
The French were thrown into confusion and by 9 pm. Napoleons army was dissolving in flight.14

Napoleon had 72,000men, Wellington 68000. Of these two armies and the bluchers foremost
corps, it was said that, that night found 45,000 dead and wounded lying within three square miles
of the country. Grouchy beat a Prussian force next morning, but then made a rapid retreat to Paris
, where 4 days later Napoleon signed his second and final abdication. He then gave himself up to
the British. And in this way Napoleonic wars were over at last.

Conclusion

Some scholars of human history, Carlyle for one, are of the opinion that the history of a nation
may best be comprehended through the biographies of its great men. If it is so, the history of
France can be best understood in the biography of Napoleon. Thus the history of Europe from
1799 to 1814 was the history of France and the history of France was nothing but the biography
of Napoleon. In appearance, Napoleon was short. His complexion was olive, his feature sharply
cut and his look penetrating. He had untiring capacity for work, a keen insight and knowledge of
men, an unfailing memory and the power of quick and correct decision- all the qualities that
make a ruler. These largely explain his success. In addition, he had a personal magnetism that
could exact the utmost devotion from his followers. But people of his time and even after
confused him and his legends. People will often give me credit , Napoleon prophesied, for a
deal of depth and sagacity on occasions which were perhaps most simple in themselves. I shall
be suspected of plans which I never formed. All authorities agree that he was a master of
military tactics and political finess. But he cannot be regarded as a universal genius as some
authorities contend. His sense of art and literature was rather mediocre. His knowledge of
science was dubious. His knowledge of history was cynical. His understanding of economics was

14 NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY(Cordingly, David (2004). The Billy Ruffian: The
Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-468-X.)
 21

faulty. His character was worse than his intellect he never hesitated to practice ignominable
deceptions and unscrupulous tricks. Never the less at the age to 30 he became master of France.
The period of 1800 to 1815 is justly called the AGE OF NAPOLEON

Napoleon was one of the greatest figures in history. He was only an officer of artillery who made
the whole Europe filled with fear of his arms, raised the throne which had been swept away with
storm of revolution, to place himself under the name of emperor. Both napoleons strength and
weakness lay an attempt to harness all the explosive exploitative force which he could not
comprehend and control. He was proud of his achievements in Europe this can be inferred from
the conversation he had with an associate at St. Helena. He carried there clock that had originally
belonged to Fredrick the great of Prussia to get back the memories of the golden days when he
was master of Europe. He was asked the reason as to why he did not carry the sword of the King
of Prussia. I had my own was the prompt reply. This shows that he was proud of his
achievements.

The ideals of the French Revolution were "Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity," yet the methods
that were used to accomplish these goals were extreme. For example, about 40,000 people were
guillotined during the Reign of Terror. When Napoleon Bonaparte, a French army hero, seized
control of the government in France in 1799 by a coup de'tat, he was looking to achieve peace in
France by ending the Revolution. To do this, he had to be in complete control: he ruled like a
dictator. However, he realized that he would have to allow the French people some of the
freedoms and rights sought out during the Revolution. If he did not, he would have lost their trust
and there could have been another revolution. Therefore, it is accurate to say, "Napoleon
Bonaparte stabilized and united French society, yet supported the ideals of French Revolution."

Peace and tranquillity in France came with Napoleon's strong, autocratic rule. After making
himself a consul for life, he re-established the French monarchy, naming himself Emperor
Napoleon I in 1804. He centralized France's government by appointing new officials, made tax
collections more systematic and efficient, and created a National Bank. He believed that it was
by God's will that he was brought to power and persuaded others into believing it through the
Napoleon Catechism. It taught the French people that Napoleon was due their respect and loyalty
 22

because it was "he whom God had raised up under difficult circumstances to re-establish the
public worship of the holy religion of our fathers and to be the protector of it." In other words,
his coming to the French throne was a blessing.

In some ways the event was a blessing. Napoleon brought civility back to France through legal
codes and treaties that reflected revolutionary ideals. The Code Napoleon was one example. It
recognized the equality of all citizens before the law, protected property rights, safeguarded
employers by outlawing trade unions and strikes, and supported religious toleration. Above all, it
abolished serfdom and destroyed all remnants of feudalism. In addition, Napoleon signed the
Concordat of 1801 with the Pope to reverse the dechristianization attempts made during the
"Republic of Virtue." Although he was not a religious man, Napoleon realized that most people
needed to practice their faith. For France, this agreement made the Catholic Church an ally and
they retained the power to nominate bishops. In return, the Pope agreed to recognize the
accomplishments of the Revolution and to not question the ownership of the land that had been
confiscated then. Processions and religious festivals resumed and seminaries reopened.

However, Napoleon wanted to be the emperor of all of Europe. This could be deduced in
Jacques Louis David's painting of Napoleon's Crossing the Alps, where he was portrayed with
majesty, power, and strength. He was a short man, but had an extremely large ego. He developed
a strong army and conquered much of Europe. His Grand Empire consisted of the Italian and
German states, Spain, Western Russia (for a brief time), and Switzerland. Yet, with all his
potential power, he did not mistreat the citizens of the newly acquired territories. For example,
he abolished feudal rights, the tribunal of the Inquisition, and the internal trade barriers in Spain
with his Imperial Decree at Madrid in 1808. This document was used, in the future, as a basis for
other imperial policies. Likewise, Napoleon's concern for the inhabitants of Westphalia was
expressed in his letter to Jerome Napoleon in 1807: "I want your subjects to enjoy a higher
degree of liberty, equality, and prosperity hitherto unknown to the German people."
 23

In conclusion, Napoleon's autocratic rule stabilized and unified French society, as well as
instilled some of the ideals of the French Revolution. But, Napoleon considered himself
friendless and Count Mole perceived the thought behind Napoleon's actions as "nothing but his
own gratification, of magnifying himself and his power without limit and without rest." So why
then did the middle class, who had fought a bloody revolution to end absolute rulers, tolerate
Napoleon's ways? It seemed as long as peace, prosperity, and some of their ideals were
preserved, they would accept his more aristocratic policies and give up some of their basic civil
rights.

NOTES AND REFRENCES

1. THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (VOLUME -I) BY MICHAL B. LEGGIERE.
2. HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE (PAGE NO. 90)
3. DOWN FALL OF NAPOLEON BY SIR VALTON SCOTT
4. THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (VOLUME -I) BY MICHAL B. LEGGIERE (Wilkins, William
(1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7)
5. HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE
6. HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI (Wilkins, William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine.
New English Library. ISBN 0-450-01028-7)
7. HISTORY OF EUROPE BY ARUNJI BHATTACHARJEE (Jackson, John (2004). Race, Racism,
and Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.
8. THE FALL OF NAPOLEON; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS
Wilkins, William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-
01028-7
9. THE FALL OF NAPOLEON; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS
(Jackson, John (2004). Race, Racism, and Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.)
10. THE FALL OF NAPOLEON; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON WILLIAMS
Wilkins, William (1972) [1944]. Napoleon's Submarine. New English Library. ISBN 0-450-
01028-7
11. NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY (Cordingly, David (2004). The Billy Ruffian:
The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-468-X.)
12. NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY (Jackson, John (2004). Race, Racism, and
Science. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1-85109-448-2.)
13. NAPOLEON; THE FALL BYE BEARDSLEY
(http://www2.census.gov/prod2/statcomp/documents/HistoricalStatisticsoftheUnitedStates1789-
1945.pdf)
14. NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY(Cordingly, David (2004). The Billy Ruffian:
The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon. Bloomsbury. ISBN 1-58234-468-X.)
 24

BIBLIOGRAPHY
====================================================================
=========================================================

SOURCE

A HISTORY OF EUROPE (1789-1945) BY ARUN BHATTACHARJE

THE FALL OF NAPOLEON (VOLUME -I) BY MICHAL B. LEGGIERE
THE FALL OF NAPOLEON ; THE FINAL BETRAYAL BY DACI HAMILTON
WILLIAMS
NAPOLEON; THE FALL BY E.M BEARDSLEY
THE DOWN FALL OF NAPOLEON BY WALTER SCOTT

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