Napoleon's early years
Napoleon was born in 1769 in ajaccio, Corsica. His family is a declining Italian aristocratic family. Corsica was just sold to the French Republic, and it was still the territory of the Republic of Genoa before Napoleon was born. The king of France recognized his father as a nobleman in the French Republic. Under the arrangement of his father, Napoleon went to the Brehon Military Academy in the French Republic for education at the age of 9. 1784 After graduating with honors, he was sent to the Paris Military Academy.
Napoleon thought he was a foreigner at first, hoping to make Corsica independent from the French Republic one day. 1April 779, entered the French Brehon Military Academy. After graduation, he entered the Higher Military School in Paris, France, specializing in artillery science. It took him a year to obtain the officer qualification that others took three years to obtain, and he was appointed as the second lieutenant of the Royal Artillery. Father died at the age of 16. During his stay with the army, he read many works of enlightenment thinkers, among which Jean-jean-jacques rousseau's thoughts had a great influence on him. 1789 After the French Revolution broke out, Napoleon returned to Corsica, hoping to promote Corsica's independence, but was excluded by another pro-British and anti-French Poly Group, and finally his family fled to the French Republic.
1793 In July, Napoleon led troops to capture the royalist fortress of Toulon, so he was appreciated by jacobins. Napoleon was investigated for his close relationship with the robespierre brothers in the hot month coup of 1794, and was later removed from the rank of brigadier general because he refused to serve in the infantry unit of the Italian legion. 1795, entrusted by ballas, the governor of Paris, successfully put down the armed rebellion of the royalist party, and was promoted to lieutenant general of the army and commander of the garrison in Paris overnight, making a name for himself in the military and political circles.
Napoleon was an excellent strategist, who had a deep study of military knowledge at that time and was good at applying various military strategies to actual combat. As an artillery, he attaches great importance to the tactical application of artillery, especially advocates the centralized use of artillery and gives full play to the mobile role of cavalry. 1796 On March 2nd, 26-year-old Napoleon was appointed commander-in-chief of the Italian army of the French Republic. On March 9th, he married his lover Joséphin Beauharnais and went to the front. In Italy, Napoleon's army repeatedly repelled the first anti-French alliance between the Austrian Empire and Sa Ding, and finally forced the other side to sign an armistice treaty in favor of the French Republic.
The rise of Napoleon
After the victory of the Italian campaign, Napoleon's prestige became higher and higher, and he became a new hero of the French Republic. His rise made the governor feel threatened, so he was appointed as the commander of the army of the Arab Republic of Egypt and sent to the east to curb the expansion of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the region. In Napoleon's expedition, in addition to 2000 cannons, he also brought 175 scholars from various industries, as well as hundreds of boxes of books and research equipment. During the expedition, Napoleon once issued a famous instruction: "Let donkeys and scholars walk in the middle of the team." Napoleon himself was proficient in mathematics and loved literature and religion very much, which was greatly influenced by the Enlightenment.
However, 1798' s expedition to Egypt itself was a great failure. Napoleon's fleet was completely destroyed by British Admiral Nelson, and his troops were trapped in Egypt, where Napoleon broke the nose of the Sphinx. 1799 When returning to China, only two of the 400 warships were left, and the original plan to invade India was blocked, resulting in heavy losses. Faced with such a situation, the God of Wealth turned his head to Napoleon. He learned about the tense situation and severe external pressure in France from an overdue newspaper in France, and felt that Napoleon, whose time was ripe, left his army and returned to China secretly. As a military commander, this is hard to understand.
At this time, the European anti-French alliance gradually formed, and the royalist forces of the French Republic gradually rose. 1799 In August, Napoleon rushed back to Paris. 1799 In June, Napoleon, who returned to the French Republic, was welcomed as a "hero". 165438+1October 9, Napoleon launched a coup in the foggy month and succeeded, becoming the first ruler of the French Republic, actually a dictator.
Faced with the tense domestic situation and severe external pressure, Napoleon carried out many major reforms, involving politics, education, justice, administration, legislation and economy. Among them, the most famous "Napoleonic Code" still has an important influence, and many articles were discussed and finally formulated by Napoleon himself. The code basically adopted the more rational principles put forward in the early days of the French Republic revolution. The code was formally implemented in 1804, and the achievements of the French Revolution were legally stabilized. Even after more than a century, it is still the current law of the French Republic. When Napoleon wrote his memoirs, he said, "My greatness lies not in my previous victories, but in my code, which will always protect the French people's freedom." Code plays an important role in the legislation of Germany, Spain, Switzerland and other countries. In an announcement to the people three weeks after the coup, Napoleon proudly declared: "Citizens, the Great Revolution has returned to the principles from which it originated. The Great Revolution is over. "
Napoleon, emperor of the French Republic
1802 In August, the eight-year constitution of the Republic was revised and changed to life-long governance. 1804165438+10.6, the Republic Constitution of 12 was adopted by referendum, the French Republic was changed to the French Empire, and Napoléon Bonaparte was the emperor of France, called Napoleon I 65438+February 2. Instead of being crowned by Pope pope pius vii, he put a crown on his head and crowned his wife Joséphin Beauharnais as the queen. A year later, he was crowned king of Italy by the Pope in Italy.
1805 In August, Austria, Britain and Russia formed the third anti-French alliance, so Napoleon left Paris on September 24 and went eastward in person. By June of 10, the French army had occupied Munich. 10 10/7 After the fierce fighting between the French Republic and the Austrian Empire in Ulm, the anti-French alliance surrendered. Then the French Republic won the battle of Austerlitz, and the anti-French alliance collapsed again, forcing the Austrian Empire to cancel the title of Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon then joined the German vassal states to form the "Rhine Federation" and put it under his own protection. The following autumn, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Russia and Prussia formed the fourth anti-French alliance, but in June 65438 +65438 10+April, the French army defeated the enemy in Jena and Olstadt at the same time, and the Prussian army was almost wiped out, so Napoleon gained most of Germany. 1in June, 807, the French army defeated the Russian army again in Poland. Napoleon met with Russian czar Alexander I and the two sides signed a peace treaty. The year before, Napoleon issued an Amnesty in Berlin, announcing the mainland blockade policy and prohibiting any trade between the European continent and Britain. Since then, the supremacy of the French Republic in the European continent has been established. Napoleon I was also the king of Italy, the protector of the Rhine Federation and the arbiter of the Swiss Federation, and named his brothers Joseph, Louis and Jerome the kings of Naples, Holland and Westphalia respectively.
Turning point: invasion of Spain, the Austrian Empire and Russia.
/kloc-at the end of 0/807, civil strife broke out in Spain, and the Spanish king was spurned by the people. Napoleon took the opportunity to invade Spain and made his eldest brother Joseph Bonaparte king of Spain. But this move was opposed by the Spanish, and Napoleon could not quell the local riots at all. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland intervened in the Spanish dispute on 1808. British troops landed in Montego Bay on August 8th and occupied the whole of Portugal on August 30th. Later, with the support of local nationalists, they gradually drove the French out of the Iberian Peninsula.
At the beginning of 1809, when Napoleon fell into the quagmire of Spain, the fifth anti-French alliance was established. The Austrian Empire attacked French territory in Germany from behind, and Napoleon was forced to withdraw his troops from Spain and lead the army eastward. Although the Austrian Imperial Army gained an advantage at first, Napoleon soon turned defeat into victory, forcing the Austrian Empire to sign the Vienna Peace Treaty again and cede land. The following year, Napoleon married Princess Mary Louisa of the Austrian Empire, and France and Austria formed an alliance.
By the end of 18 1 1, the relationship between France and Russia began to deteriorate. Russian czar Alexander I refused to continue to cooperate with the French Republic against Britain, and eventually the war broke out. Napoleon led an army of 500,000 people who spoke 12 languages into Russia. Russian troops retreated and did not resist until the French army entered Moscow after the Battle of Borodino on September 18 12 (70,000 French troops were killed and seriously injured). Napoleon thought Alexander I would compromise, but he was greeted by a sea of fire all over Moscow. At this time, another failed coup was planned in China, forcing him to rush back to the French Republic. Finally, only 10000 people returned to the French Republic.
Defeat, Exile, Hundred Days Regime and Waterloo
18 13 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Russia, Prussia and the Austrian Empire formed the sixth anti-French alliance, and the two sides fought fiercely in Germany many times. Although the French army won many victories, Napoleon was under increasing pressure. Until the battle of Leipzig in 10, the French army was defeated, and the vassal state became independent from the French Republic, and the allies began to advance to Paris. 1865438+March 3, 20041day, Paris was occupied. The Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of the French Republic, and Napoleon had to abdicate. 181April 13 Napoleon signed the abdication edict at Fontainebleau Palace in Paris, and two days later Napoleon announced his unconditional surrender. Napoleon himself was exiled to the Mediterranean island of Elba after he abdicated. Napoleon retained the title of "Emperor", but his territory was limited to that small island.
Napoleon was almost assassinated on his way to the island of Elba and tried to commit suicide. In Paris, Louis Stanislas Xavier returned to the French Republic, became the king of the French Republic again, and the Bourbon Dynasty was restored. Napoleon's wife and son were imprisoned by the Austrian Republic, and it was rumored that Napoleon would be exiled to an island in the Atlantic Ocean. All these left Napoleon with no choice but to flee the island on February 26th, 2005 and lead 65,438+0,000 people back to the French Republic on March 65,438+0. The troops of the French Republic sent to stop him continued to support Napoleon. On March 20th, Napoleon returned to Paris. By this time, his regular army10.4 million people, volunteers 200 thousand people. Louis Stanislas Xavier escaped and the Hundred Days Dynasty began.
However, the good times did not last long, and European countries quickly formed the seventh anti-French alliance. 18 15 June 18 Napoleon's army was completely annihilated in the Battle of Waterloo, Belgium, and he formally surrendered in July 15. The First Empire of France fell, and Louis Stanislas Xavier was restored again. Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena. 1821May 5, Napoleon died on the island. On May 8th, the conqueror was buried beside Tolbert Springs on St Helena and paid tribute to him. Today, there are still different opinions about the cause of Napoleon's death. The autopsy report of a doctor in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shows that he died of a severe gastric ulcer, but new research suggests that Napoleon died of arsenic poisoning. Historians also found arsenic-containing minerals from the wallpaper loved by nobles in those days, presumably because the environment was humid and arsenic infiltrated into the environment.
Nine years after his death, under the pressure of the people, the New Orleans dynasty erected a statue of Napoleon on the pillar of Vendom. 1840, Louis-Philippe of the July Dynasty of the French Republic sent his son to pick up Napoleon's body. 65438+ February 65438+In May of that year, Napoleon's coffin was transported back to Paris, passed through the Arc de Triomphe, and was buried in the old disabled soldiers' retirement home (Honorary Military Hospital) on the banks of the Seine.