# First French Empire

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France under Napoleon Bonaparte from 1804 to 1815

Not to be confused with [First French colonial empire](/source/First_French_colonial_empire).

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French Republic République française[a] (1804–1808) French Empire Empire français (1808–1815) 1804 – 1814 20 March – 7 July 1815 Flag Imperial coat of arms Motto: Liberté, Ordre Public[2] ("Liberty, Public Order") Anthem: Chant du départ ("Song of the Departure"; official)[dubious – discuss] Veillons au salut de l'Empire ("Let's ensure the salvation of the Empire"; unofficial) The First French Empire at its peak territorial control in September 1812: Directly administered Client states Military occupation Sphere of influence De jure borders of client states, but under neither French nor client control Capital Paris Official languages French Religion Catholic Church (state religion) Calvinism Lutheranism Judaism Demonym French Government Monarchy Emperor • 1804–1814, 1815 Napoleon I • 1814, 1815 Napoleon II (claimant) President of the Executive Commission • 1815 Joseph Fouché Legislature Parliament • Upper house Tribunat (until 19 September 1807) Chamber of Peers (from 22 April 1815) • Lower house Corps législatif (until 4 June 1814) Chamber of Representatives (from 22 April 1815) Historical era Napoleonic era • Constitution adopted 18 May 1804 • Coronation of Napoleon 2 December 1804 • Treaties of Tilsit 7 July 1807 • Invasion of Russia 24 June 1812 • Treaty of Fontainebleau 11 April 1814 • Hundred Days 20 March – 7 July 1815 Area 1812[3] 2,100,000 km2 (810,000 sq mi) Population • 1812 44 million[4] Currency French franc Preceded by Succeeded by French First Republic Kingdom of Holland Ligurian Republic Andorra Kingdom of France S. Principality of the United Netherlands United Kingdom of the Netherlands Neutral Moresnet Luxembourg Grand Duchy of Tuscany Andorra Monaco Principality of Elba Provisional Government of Belgium (1814–1815)

Part of a series on the History of France Timeline Ancient Prehistory Greek colonies 600 BC – 49 BC Celtic Gaul until 50 BC Roman Gaul 50 BC – 486 AD Middle Ages Francia and the Frankish settlement Merovingians 481–751 Carolingians 751–987 West Francia 843–987 Kingdom of France 987–1792 Direct Capetians 987–1328 Valois 1328–1498 Early modern Ancien Régime Valois-Orléans kings 1498–1515 Valois-Angoulême kings 1515–1589 Bourbon kings 1589–1792 Long 19th century French Revolution 1789–1799 Kingdom of France 1791–1792 First Republic 1792–1804 First Empire 1804–1814 Restoration 1814–1830 July Monarchy 1830–1848 Second Republic 1848–1852 Second Empire 1852–1870 Third Republic 1870–1940 Belle Époque 1871–1914 20th century Third Republic 1870–1940 Interwar period 1919–1939 Années folles 1920–1929 Free France Vichy France 1940–1944 Provisional Republic 1944–1946 Fourth Republic 1946–1958 Fifth Republic 1958–present Topics Diplomacy Economy Health care Law LGBTQ Medicine Military Monarchs Consorts Politics Religion Taxation Territory France portal History portal v t e

This article is part of a series about Napoleon Family Wives Joséphine de Beauharnais Marie Louise Children Charles Léon Alexandre Walewski Napoleon II Parents Carlo Maria Buonaparte Letizia Ramolino Brothers Joseph Lucien Louis Jérôme Sisters Caroline Pauline Elisa Life and career Timeline First French Empire Client states Coup of 18 Brumaire Consulate Assassination attempts Constitutions 1799 1802 1804 1815 Napoleonic Wars Coronation Sale of Louisiana Planned invasion of the United Kingdom Holland Mesures usuelles Looting of art Tactics Weaponry and warfare 1st abdication 1st exile Route Napoléon 2nd abdication Death mask Battles and wars French Revolutionary Wars War of the First Coalition French Revolution Siege of Toulon 13 Vendémiaire Italian Campaign of 1796-1797 Montenotte Campaign Battle of Lodi Battle of Castiglione Battle of Bassano Battle of Arcole Battle of Rivoli Siege of Mantua Fall of Venice French campaign in Egypt and Syria Battle of the Pyramids Battle of Mount Tabor Siege of Acre Battle of Aboukir War of the Second Coalition Marengo campaign Battle of Marengo Napoleonic Wars War of the Third Coalition Ulm Campaign Battle of Ulm Battle of Austerlitz War of the Fourth Coalition Battle of Jena-Auerstedt Greater Poland Uprising Battle of Eylau Battle of Friedland Peninsular War Battle of Somosierra War of the Fifth Coalition Battle of Eckmühl Battle of Aspern-Essling Battle of Wagram French invasion of Russia Battle of Smolensk Battle of Borodino Battle of the Berezina War of the Sixth Coalition German campaign of 1813 Battle of Lützen Battle of Bautzen Battle of Dresden Battle of Leipzig Campaign of France Battle of La Rothière Six Days' Campaign Battle of Vauchamps Battle of Montereau Battle of Laon Battle of Reims Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube Hundred Days Waterloo campaign Battle of Ligny Battle of Waterloo Views Catholic Church Concordat of 1801 Tiara Jewish people Grand Sanhedrin Infamous Decree Protestants Organic Articles Slavery Law of 20 May 1802 Saint-Domingue expedition Homes and honours Equestrian statue Palace of Fontainebleau Les Invalides Longwood House Maison Bonaparte Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker Milan Warsaw monument Legacy Egyptology Rosetta Stone Mémoires sur l'Égypte Description de l'Égypte Institut d'Égypte Bank of France French Prefecture System Legion of Honour Napoleonic Code Coinage Public works Pont d'Iéna Simplon Pass Arc de Triomphe Column of the Grande Armée Rue de la Victoire Cultural depictions Propaganda Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) Valentin Vodnik Pan Tadeusz War and Peace Crime and Punishment Napoleon complex "Red Napoleon" term German Romanticism Bonapartism "China is a sleeping giant" quote Tomb Retour des cendres Penis Studies v t e

The **French Empire** ([French](/source/French_language): *Empire français*; [Latin](/source/Latin_language): *Imperium Francicum*), known retroactively as the **First French Empire**, and colloquially as **Napoleonic France**, was the empire ruled by [Napoleon Bonaparte](/source/Napoleon_Bonaparte), who established French [hegemony](/source/Hegemony) over much of [continental Europe](/source/Continental_Europe) at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from 18 May 1804 to 6 April 1814 and again briefly from 20 March 1815 to 7 July 1815, when Napoleon was exiled to [Saint Helena](/source/Saint_Helena).[5]

Historians refer to Napoleon's regime as the "First Empire" to distinguish it from the restorationist *[Second Empire](/source/Second_French_Empire)* (1852–1870) ruled by his nephew [Napoleon III](/source/Napoleon_III). Neither should be confused with the [French colonial empire](/source/French_colonial_empire), which refers to France's various [colonies](/source/Colonies), [protectorates](/source/Protectorate) and [mandate territories](/source/League_of_Nations_mandate).

On 18 May 1804, Napoleon was granted the title [Emperor of the French](/source/Emperor_of_the_French) (*Empereur des Français*, pronounced [\[ɑ̃pʁœʁ de fʁɑ̃sɛ\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French)) by the French *[Sénat conservateur](/source/S%C3%A9nat_conservateur)* and was crowned on 2 December 1804 (11 [Frimaire](/source/Frimaire) year XIII),[6] signifying the end of the [French Consulate](/source/French_Consulate) and of the [French First Republic](/source/French_First_Republic). Despite his coronation, the state continued to be formally called the "**French Republic**" until October 1808.[7] The empire achieved military supremacy in mainland Europe through the [War of the Third Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Third_Coalition), where French armies scored a string of decisive victories against [Austrian](/source/Austrian_Empire) and [Russian](/source/Russian_Empire) forces, most notably at the [Battle of Austerlitz](/source/Battle_of_Austerlitz) in 1805.[8] French dominance was reaffirmed during the [War of the Fourth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Fourth_Coalition), at the [Battle of Jena–Auerstedt](/source/Battle_of_Jena%E2%80%93Auerstedt) in 1806 and the [Battle of Friedland](/source/Battle_of_Friedland) in 1807,[9] before Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia led to the near complete loss of his army, and the French empire started to collapse in 1814 amidst the severe depletion of its army and a mounting invasion from all sides by [several countries](/source/Sixth_coalition). French forces fought with stiff resistance and Napoleon held off coalition forces with a series of successive victories in February and March 1814 before he was eventually defeated in April. The following year, Napoleon managed to briefly restore the French empire before he was finally defeated at the [Battle of Waterloo](/source/Battle_of_Waterloo) in 1815.

A series of wars, known collectively as the [Napoleonic Wars](/source/Napoleonic_Wars), extended French influence to much of Western Europe and into Poland. At its height in 1812, the French Empire had [130 departments](/source/130_departments_of_the_First_French_Empire), a population over 44 million people, ruled over 90 million subjects throughout Europe, maintained an extensive military presence in [Germany](/source/Confederation_of_the_Rhine), [Italy](/source/Kingdom_of_Italy_(Napoleonic)), [Spain](/source/Spain_under_Joseph_Bonaparte), and [Poland](/source/Duchy_of_Warsaw), and counted Austria and Prussia as nominal allies.[4] Early French victories exported many ideological features of the Revolution throughout Europe: the introduction of the [Napoleonic Code](/source/Napoleonic_Code) throughout the continent increased legal equality, established jury systems and legalised divorce, and [seigneurial dues and seigneurial justice](/source/Manorialism) were abolished, as were [aristocratic](/source/Aristocracy_(class)) privileges in all places except Poland.[10] France's defeat in 1814 (and then again in 1815), marked the end of the First French Empire and the beginning of the [Bourbon Restoration](/source/Bourbon_Restoration_in_France).

## History

### Origin

Main articles: [18 Brumaire](/source/18_Brumaire) and [French Consulate](/source/French_Consulate)

In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte was confronted by [Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès](/source/Emmanuel_Joseph_Siey%C3%A8s)—one of five [Directors](/source/French_Directory) constituting the executive branch of the French government—who sought his support for a *coup d'état* to overthrow the [Constitution of the Year III](/source/Constitution_of_the_Year_III). The plot included Bonaparte's brother [Lucien](/source/Lucien_Bonaparte), then serving as speaker of the [Council of Five Hundred](/source/Council_of_Five_Hundred), [Roger Ducos](/source/Roger_Ducos), another Director, and [Charles Maurice de Talleyrand](/source/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord). On 9 November 1799 ([18 Brumaire](/source/Coup_of_18_Brumaire) VIII under the [French Republican Calendar](/source/French_Republican_calendar)) and the following day, troops led by Napoleon Bonaparte seized control. They dispersed the legislative councils, leaving a [rump legislature](/source/Rump_legislature) to name Bonaparte, Sieyès, and Ducos as provisional Consuls to administer the government. Although Sieyès expected to dominate the new regime, the [Consulate](/source/French_Consulate), he was outmaneuvered by Bonaparte, who drafted the [Constitution of the Year VIII](/source/Constitution_of_the_Year_VIII) and secured his own election as First Consul. He thus became the most powerful person in France, a power that was increased by the [Constitution of the Year X](/source/Constitution_of_the_Year_X), which made him First Consul for life.

The [Battle of Marengo](/source/Battle_of_Marengo) (14 June 1800) inaugurated the political idea that was to continue its development until Napoleon's [Russian campaign](/source/French_invasion_of_Russia). The [Peace of Amiens](/source/Treaty_of_Amiens), which cost him control of [Egypt](/source/Ottoman_Egypt), was a temporary truce. He gradually extended his authority in Italy by annexing the [Piedmont](/source/Piedmont) and by acquiring [Genoa](/source/Genoa), [Parma](/source/Parma), Tuscany, and [Naples](/source/Naples), and added this Italian territory to the [Cisalpine Republic](/source/Cisalpine_Republic). Then he laid siege to the Roman state and initiated the [Concordat of 1801](/source/Concordat_of_1801) to control the material claims of the [Pope](/source/Pope). When he recognised his error of raising the authority of the Pope from that of a figurehead, Napoleon produced the *[Articles Organiques](/source/Organic_Articles)* (1802) with the goal of becoming the legal protector of the papacy, like [Charlemagne](/source/Charlemagne). To conceal his plans before their actual execution, he aroused French colonial aspirations and the memory of the 1763 [Treaty of Paris](/source/Treaty_of_Paris_(1763)), worsening British relations with France, whose borders now extended to the [Rhine](/source/Rhine) and beyond, to [Hanover](/source/Hanover), Hamburg, and [Cuxhaven](/source/Cuxhaven). Napoleon would have ruling elites from a fusion of the new bourgeoisie and the old aristocracy.[11]

On 12 May 1802, the French [Tribunat](/source/Tribunat) voted unanimously, with the exception of [Lazare Carnot](/source/Lazare_Carnot), in favour of the Life Consulship for the leader of France.[12] This action was confirmed by the [*Corps Législatif*](/source/Corps_l%C3%A9gislatif). A general [plebiscite](/source/Referendum) followed thereafter resulting in 3,653,600 votes aye and 8,272 votes nay.[13] On 2 August 1802 (14 Thermidor, An X), Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Consul for life. Pro-revolutionary sentiment swept through Germany aided by the "Recess of 1803", which brought [Bavaria](/source/Electorate_of_Bavaria), [Württemberg](/source/Duchy_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg), and [Baden](/source/Margraviate_of_Baden) to France's side. Prime Minister [William Pitt the Younger](/source/William_Pitt_the_Younger), back in power in Britain, appealed once more for an Anglo-Austro-Russian coalition against France to counter French expansionism.[14]

On 18 May 1804, Napoleon was given the title of "[Emperor of the French](/source/Emperor_of_the_French)" by the [Senate](/source/French_Consulate#The_new_government); finally, on 2 December 1804, he was [solemnly crowned](/source/Coronation_of_Napoleon_and_Jos%C3%A9phine), after receiving the [Iron Crown](/source/Iron_Crown) of the [Lombard kings](/source/List_of_kings_of_the_Lombards), and was consecrated by [Pope Pius VII](/source/Pope_Pius_VII) in [Notre-Dame de Paris](/source/Notre-Dame_de_Paris). In four campaigns, the Emperor transformed his "[Carolingian](/source/Charlemagne)" [feudal](/source/Feudalism) [republican](/source/French_First_Republic) and [federal](/source/Federation) empire into one modelled on the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire). The memories of imperial Rome were for a third time, after [Julius Caesar](/source/Julius_Caesar) and Charlemagne, used to modify the historical evolution of France.

Although Napoleon’s [planned invasion of Britain](/source/Napoleon's_planned_invasion_of_the_United_Kingdom) was abandoned after the defeat at [Trafalgar](/source/Battle_of_Trafalgar), the army assembled at Boulogne became [La Grande Armée](/source/Grande_Arm%C3%A9e), which went on to win decisive victories in the [Ulm campaign](/source/Ulm_campaign) and at [Austerlitz](/source/Battle_of_Austerlitz).

### Early victories

*The [Battle of Austerlitz](/source/Battle_of_Austerlitz), 2nd December 1805*, by [François Gérard](/source/Fran%C3%A7ois_G%C3%A9rard)

In the [War of the Third Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Third_Coalition), Napoleon swept away the remnants of the old [Holy Roman Empire](/source/Holy_Roman_Empire) and created in [southern Germany](/source/Southern_Germany) the [vassal states](/source/Vassal_state) of [Bavaria](/source/Kingdom_of_Bavaria), [Baden](/source/Grand_Duchy_of_Baden), [Württemberg](/source/Kingdom_of_W%C3%BCrttemberg), [Hesse-Darmstadt](/source/Grand_Duchy_of_Hesse), and [Saxony](/source/Kingdom_of_Saxony), which were reorganised into the [Confederation of the Rhine](/source/Confederation_of_the_Rhine). The [Treaty of Pressburg](/source/Peace_of_Pressburg_(1805)), signed on 26 December 1805, extracted extensive territorial concessions from Austria, on top of a large financial indemnity. Napoleon's creation of the [Kingdom of Italy](/source/Kingdom_of_Italy_(Napoleonic)), the occupation of [Ancona](/source/Ancona), and his annexation of [Venetia](/source/Veneto) and its former [Adriatic](/source/Adriatic_Sea) territories marked a new stage in the French Empire's progress.

To create [satellite states](/source/Satellite_state), Napoleon installed his relatives as rulers of many European states. The [Bonapartes](/source/House_of_Bonaparte) began to marry into old European royal families, gaining sovereignty over many states. Older brother [Joseph Bonaparte](/source/Joseph_Bonaparte) replaced the dispossessed [Bourbons](/source/House_of_Bourbon) in [Naples](/source/Kingdom_of_Naples_(Napoleonic)); younger brother [Louis Bonaparte](/source/Louis_Bonaparte) was installed on the throne of the [Kingdom of Holland](/source/Kingdom_of_Holland), formed from the [Batavian Republic](/source/Batavian_Republic); brother-in-law [Marshal](/source/Marshal_of_the_Empire) [Joachim Murat](/source/Joachim_Murat) became [Grand-Duke of Berg](/source/Grand_Duchy_of_Berg); youngest brother [Jérôme Bonaparte](/source/J%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Bonaparte) was made son-in-law to the King of Württemberg and [King of Westphalia](/source/Kingdom_of_Westphalia); adopted son [Eugène de Beauharnais](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_de_Beauharnais) was appointed Viceroy of Italy; and adopted daughter and second cousin [Stéphanie de Beauharnais](/source/St%C3%A9phanie_de_Beauharnais) married [Karl (Charles)](/source/Charles%2C_Grand_Duke_of_Baden), the son of the Grand Duke of Baden. In addition to the vassal titles, Napoleon's closest relatives were also granted the title of [French Prince](/source/Nobility_of_the_First_French_Empire) and formed the [Imperial House of France](/source/Imperial_House_of_France_(First_French_Empire)).

Met with opposition, Napoleon would not tolerate any neutral power. On 6 August 1806 the [Habsburgs](/source/House_of_Habsburg) abdicated their title of [Holy Roman Emperor](/source/Holy_Roman_Emperor) in order to prevent Napoleon from becoming the next Emperor, ending a political power which had endured for over a thousand years. Prussia had been offered the territory of [Hanover](/source/Hanover) to stay out of the Third Coalition. With the diplomatic situation changing, Napoleon offered Great Britain the province as part of a peace proposal. To this, combined with growing tensions in Germany over French hegemony, Prussia responded by forming an alliance with Russia and sending troops into Bavaria on 1 October 1806. During the [War of the Fourth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Fourth_Coalition), Napoleon destroyed the Prussian armies at [Jena and Auerstedt](/source/Battle_of_Jena%E2%80%93Auerstedt). Successive victories at [Eylau](/source/Battle_of_Eylau) and [Friedland](/source/Battle_of_Friedland) against the Russians finally ruined [Frederick the Great](/source/Frederick_the_Great)'s formerly mighty kingdom, obliging Russia and Prussia to make peace with France at [Tilsit](/source/Treaties_of_Tilsit).

### Height of the Empire

Napoleon reviewing the [Imperial Guard](/source/Imperial_Guard_(Napoleon_I)) before the [Battle of Jena](/source/Battle_of_Jena%E2%80%93Auerstedt), 1806

The [Treaties of Tilsit](/source/Treaties_of_Tilsit) ended the war between Russia and France and began an alliance between the two empires that held as much power as the rest of Europe. The two empires secretly agreed to aid each other in disputes. France pledged to aid Russia against the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire), while Russia agreed to join the [Continental System](/source/Continental_System) against Britain. Russia also agreed to recognize the [Confederation of the Rhine](/source/Confederation_of_the_Rhine), as agreed on by the treaty.[15] Napoleon also forced Alexander to enter the [Anglo-Russian War](/source/Anglo-Russian_War_(1807%E2%80%931812)) and to instigate the [Finnish War](/source/Finnish_War) against Sweden in order to force Sweden to join the Continental System.

More specifically, Alexander agreed to evacuate [Wallachia](/source/Wallachia) and [Moldavia](/source/Moldavia), which had been occupied by Russian forces as part of the [Russo-Turkish War](/source/Russo-Turkish_War_(1806%E2%80%931812)). The [Ionian Islands](/source/Ionian_Islands) and [Cattaro](/source/Kotor), which had been captured by Russian admirals [Fyodor Ushakov](/source/Fyodor_Ushakov) and [Dmitry Senyavin](/source/Dmitry_Senyavin), were to be handed over to the French. In recompense, Napoleon guaranteed the sovereignty of the [Duchy of Oldenburg](/source/Duchy_of_Oldenburg) and several other small states ruled by the Russian emperor's German relatives.

The treaty removed about half of Prussia's territory: [Cottbus](/source/Cottbus) was given to Saxony, the left bank of the [Elbe](/source/Elbe) was awarded to the newly created Kingdom of Westphalia, [Białystok](/source/Bia%C5%82ystok) was given to Russia, and the rest of the Polish lands in Prussian possession were set up as the [Duchy of Warsaw](/source/Duchy_of_Warsaw). Prussia was ordered to reduce its army to 40,000 men and to pay an indemnity of 100,000,000 francs. Observers in Prussia viewed the treaty as unfair and as a national humiliation.

Aftermath of the [Battle of Eylau](/source/Battle_of_Eylau), 1807

Talleyrand had advised Napoleon to pursue milder terms; the treaties marked an important stage in his estrangement from the emperor. After Tilsit, instead of trying to reconcile Europe, as Talleyrand had advised, Napoleon wanted to defeat Britain and complete his Italian dominion. To the coalition of the northern powers, he added the league of the [Baltic](/source/Baltic_Sea) and Mediterranean ports, and to the bombardment of [Copenhagen](/source/Copenhagen) by the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) he responded with a second decree of blockade, dated from Milan on 17 December 1807.

The application of the Concordat and the taking of Naples led to Napoleon's first struggles with the Pope, centred around [Pius VII](/source/Pope_Pius_VII) renewing the theocratic affirmations of [Pope Gregory VII](/source/Pope_Gregory_VII). The emperor's Roman ambition was made more visible by the occupation of the Kingdom of Naples and of the [Marches](/source/March_(territory)), and by the entry of General [Sextius Alexandre François de Miollis](/source/Sextius_Alexandre_Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Miollis) into Rome; while General [Jean-Andoche Junot](/source/Jean-Andoche_Junot) invaded [Portugal](/source/Kingdom_of_Portugal), Marshal Murat [took control](/source/Peninsular_War) of formerly Roman Spain as Regent. Soon after, Napoleon had his brother, Joseph, crowned King of Spain and sent him there to take control.

Napoleon tried to succeed in the [Iberian Peninsula](/source/Iberian_Peninsula) as he had done in Italy, in the Netherlands, and in Hesse. However, the exile of the Spanish Royal Family to [Bayonne](/source/Bayonne), together with the enthroning of Joseph Bonaparte, turned the Spanish against Napoleon. After the *[Dos de Mayo](/source/Dos_de_Mayo_Uprising)* riots and subsequent reprisals, the Spanish government began an effective guerrilla campaign, under the oversight of local *Juntas*. The Iberian Peninsula became a war zone from the Pyrenees to the Straits of Gibraltar and saw the *Grande Armée* facing the remnants of the Spanish Army, as well as British and Portuguese forces. General [Pierre Dupont](/source/Pierre_Dupont_de_l'%C3%89tang) capitulated at [Bailén](/source/Battle_of_Bail%C3%A9n) to General [Francisco Castaños](/source/Francisco_Javier_Casta%C3%B1os%2C_1st_Duke_of_Bail%C3%A9n), and Junot at [Cintra](/source/Convention_of_Cintra), Portugal to General [Arthur Wellesley](/source/Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington).

Spain used up the soldiers needed for Napoleon's other fields of battle, and they had to be replaced by conscripts. Spanish resistance affected Austria, and indicated the potential of national resistance. The provocations of Talleyrand and Britain strengthened the idea that the Austrians could emulate the Spanish. On 10 April 1809, Austria invaded France's ally, Bavaria. The campaign of 1809, however, would not be nearly as long and troublesome for France as the one in Spain and Portugal. Following a short and decisive action in Bavaria, Napoleon opened up the road to the Austrian capital of [Vienna](/source/Vienna) for a second time. At [Aspern](/source/Battle_of_Aspern-Essling), Napoleon suffered his first serious tactical defeat, along with the death of Marshal [Jean Lannes](/source/Jean_Lannes), an able commander and dear friend of the emperor. The victory at [Wagram](/source/Battle_of_Wagram), however, forced Austria to sue for peace. The [Treaty of Schönbrunn](/source/Treaty_of_Sch%C3%B6nbrunn), signed on 14 December 1809, resulted in the annexation of the [Illyrian Provinces](/source/Illyrian_Provinces) and recognised past French conquests.

The Pope was forcibly deported to [Savona](/source/Savona), and his domains were incorporated into the French Empire. The Senate's decision on 17 February 1810 created the title "King of Rome", and made Rome the capital of Italy. Between 1810 and 1812 Napoleon's divorce of [Joséphine](/source/Jos%C3%A9phine_de_Beauharnais), and his marriage with [Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria](/source/Marie_Louise%2C_Duchess_of_Parma), followed by the birth of [his son](/source/Napoleon_II), shed light upon his future policy. He gradually withdrew power from his siblings and concentrated his affection and ambition on his son, the guarantee of the continuance of his dynasty, marking the high point of the Empire.

### Intrigues and unrest

Napoleon demanded that [Alexander I of Russia](/source/Alexander_I_of_Russia) and [Frederick William III of Prussia](/source/Frederick_William_III_of_Prussia) meet him at [Tilsit](/source/Treaties_of_Tilsit) in July 1807.

Undermining forces, however, had already begun to impinge on the faults inherent in Napoleon's achievements. Britain, protected by the English Channel and its navy, was persistently active, and rebellion of both the governing and of the governed broke out everywhere. Napoleon, though he underrated it, soon felt his failure in coping with the Peninsular War. Men like [Baron von Stein](/source/Heinrich_Friedrich_Karl_vom_und_zum_Stein), [August von Hardenberg](/source/Karl_August_von_Hardenberg), and [Gerhard von Scharnhorst](/source/Gerhard_von_Scharnhorst) had begun secretly preparing Prussia's retaliation[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*].

The alliance arranged at Tilsit was seriously shaken by the Austrian marriage, the threat of Polish restoration to Russia, and the Continental System. The very persons whom he had placed in power were counteracting his plans. With many of his siblings and relations performing unsuccessfully or even betraying him, Napoleon found himself obliged to revoke their power. [Caroline Bonaparte](/source/Caroline_Bonaparte) conspired against her brother and against her husband Murat; the hypochondriac Louis, now Dutch in his sympathies, found the supervision of the blockade taken from him, and also the defence of the [Scheldt](/source/Scheldt), which he had refused to ensure. Jérôme Bonaparte lost control of the blockade on the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea) shores[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. The very nature of things was against the new dynasties, as it had been against the old.[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*]

After national insurrections and family recriminations came treachery from Napoleon's ministers. Talleyrand betrayed his designs to [Klemens von Metternich](/source/Klemens_von_Metternich) and suffered dismissal[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. [Joseph Fouché](/source/Joseph_Fouch%C3%A9), corresponding with Austria in 1809 and 1810, entered into an understanding with Louis and also with Britain, while [Louis Antoine de Bourrienne](/source/Louis_Antoine_Fauvelet_de_Bourrienne) was convicted of speculation. By consequence of the spirit of conquest Napoleon had aroused, many of his marshals and officials, having tasted victory, dreamed of sovereign power: Marshal [Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte](/source/Charles_XIV_John), who had helped him to the Consulate, played Napoleon false to win the crown of Sweden[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. Marshal [Jean-de-Dieu Soult](/source/Jean-de-Dieu_Soult), like Murat, coveted the Spanish throne after that of Portugal, thus anticipating the treason of 1812.

The country itself, though flattered by conquests, was tired of self-sacrifice. The unpopularity of [conscription](/source/Lev%C3%A9e_en_masse) gradually turned many of Napoleon's subjects against him[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. Amidst profound silence from the press and the assemblies, a protest was raised against imperial power by the literary world, against the excommunicated sovereign by Catholicism, and against the author of the Continental Blockade by the discontented bourgeoisie, ruined by the crisis of 1811[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]. Even as he lost his military principles, Napoleon maintained his gift for brilliance. His [Six Days' Campaign](/source/Six_Days'_Campaign), which took place at the very end of the [War of the Sixth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Sixth_Coalition), is often regarded as his greatest display of leadership and military prowess. But by then it was the end (or "the finish"), and it was during the years before when various European states conspired against France. While Napoleon and his holdings idled and worsened, the rest of Europe agreed to avenge the revolutionary events of 1792.

### Last days

Main articles: [French invasion of Russia](/source/French_invasion_of_Russia), [War of the Sixth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Sixth_Coalition), and [Hundred Days](/source/Hundred_Days)

Napoleon and his staff during the [War of the Sixth Coalition](/source/War_of_the_Sixth_Coalition), by [Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier](/source/Ernest_Meissonier)

Napoleon had hardly succeeded in putting down the revolt in Germany when the emperor of Russia himself headed a European insurrection against Napoleon. To put an end to this, ensure his own access to the Mediterranean, and exclude his chief rival, Napoleon invaded Russia in 1812. Despite his victorious advance, the [taking of Smolensk](/source/Battle_of_Smolensk_(1812)), the victory on the [Moskva](/source/Battle_of_Borodino), and the entry into Moscow, he was defeated by the country and the climate, and by Alexander's refusal to make terms. After this came the terrible retreat in the harsh Russian winter, while all of Europe was turning against him. Pushed back, as he had been in Spain, from bastion to bastion, after the crossing of the [Berezina](/source/Battle_of_Berezina), Napoleon had to fall back upon the frontiers of 1809, and then—having refused the peace offered to him by Austria at the Congress of Prague (4 June – 10 August 1813), from fear of losing Italy, where each of his victories had marked a stage in the accomplishment of his dream—on those of 1805, despite the victories at [Lützen](/source/Battle_of_L%C3%BCtzen_(1813)) and [Bautzen](/source/Battle_of_Bautzen_(1813)), and on those of 1802 after his disastrous defeat at [Leipzig](/source/Battle_of_Leipzig), when [Bernadotte](/source/Charles_XIV_John)—now Crown Prince of Sweden—turned upon him, General [Jean Moreau](/source/Jean_Victor_Marie_Moreau) also joined the Allies, and longstanding allied states, such as [Saxony](/source/Saxony) and [Bavaria](/source/Bavaria), forsook him as well.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

Following his retreat from Russia, Napoleon continued to retreat, this time from Germany. After the loss of Spain, reconquered by an Allied army led by the [Duke of Wellington](/source/Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington), the uprising in the Netherlands preliminary to the invasion, and the [manifesto of Frankfurt](/source/Frankfurt_proposals) (1 December 1813)[16] which proclaimed it, he was forced to fall back upon the frontiers of 1795; and was later driven further back upon those of 1792—despite the forceful [campaign of 1814 against the invaders](/source/Campaign_in_north-east_France_(1814)). Paris capitulated on 30 March 1814, and the *[Delenda Carthago](/source/Carthago_delenda_est)*, pronounced against Britain, was spoken of Napoleon. The empire briefly fell with Napoleon's abdication at [Fontainebleau](/source/Treaty_of_Fontainebleau_(1814)) on 11 April 1814.

After less than a year's exile on the island of Elba, Napoleon escaped to France with a thousand men and four cannons. King [Louis XVIII](/source/Louis_XVIII) sent Marshal [Michel Ney](/source/Michel_Ney) to arrest him. Upon meeting Ney's army, Napoleon dismounted and walked into firing range, saying "If one of you wishes to kill his emperor, here I am!" But instead of firing, the soldiers went to join Napoleon's side shouting "*Vive l'Empereur!*" Napoleon retook the throne temporarily in 1815, reviving the empire in the "[Hundred Days](/source/Hundred_Days)". However, he was defeated by the Seventh Coalition at the [Battle of Waterloo](/source/Battle_of_Waterloo). He surrendered himself to the British and was exiled to [Saint Helena](/source/Saint_Helena), a remote island in the South Atlantic, where he remained until his death in 1821. After the Hundred Days, the [Bourbon monarchy was restored](/source/Bourbon_Restoration_in_France), with Louis XVIII regaining the French throne, while the rest of Napoleon's conquests were disposed of in the [Congress of Vienna](/source/Congress_of_Vienna).

## Nature of Napoleon's rule

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The [Napoleonic Code](/source/Napoleonic_Code)

Napoleon gained support by appealing to some common concerns of the French people. These included dislike of the emigrant [nobility](/source/Nobility) who had escaped persecution, fear by some of a restoration of the *[Ancien Régime](/source/Ancien_R%C3%A9gime)*, a dislike and suspicion of foreign countries that had tried to reverse the Revolution—and a wish by Jacobins to extend France's revolutionary ideals.

Napoleon attracted power and imperial status and gathered support for his changes of French institutions, such as the [Concordat of 1801](/source/Concordat_of_1801) which confirmed the Catholic Church as the majority church of France and restored some of its civil status. Napoleon by this time, however, thought himself more of an enlightened despot. He preserved numerous social gains of the Revolution while suppressing political liberty. He admired efficiency and strength and hated feudalism, religious intolerance, and civil inequality.

Although a supporter of the [radical](/source/Radical_politics) [Jacobins](/source/Jacobins) during the early days of the Revolution, Napoleon became increasingly autocratic as his political career progressed, and once in power embraced certain aspects of both liberalism and authoritarianism—for example, [public education](/source/State_school), a generally liberal restructuring of the French [legal system](/source/List_of_national_legal_systems), and the emancipation of the Jews—while rejecting [electoral democracy](/source/Representative_democracy) and [freedom of the press](/source/Freedom_of_the_press).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

France justified the spread of her empire as one of spreading her superior culture, bringing Enlightenment thinking and modern civilisation to what they viewed as backwards peoples. However this consequently led to attitudes of contempt against many of the nations France conquered and repression against recalcitrant populations.[17]

## Maps

		- [French *départements* in 1801 during the Consulate](/source/130_departments_of_the_First_French_Empire)

		- French *départements* in 1812

		- Map of the First French Empire in 1812, divided into 130 *départements*, with the kingdoms of [Spain](/source/Spain_under_Joseph_Bonaparte), Portugal, [Italy](/source/Kingdom_of_Italy_(Napoleonic)) and [Naples](/source/Kingdom_of_Naples_(Napoleonic)), and the [Confederation of the Rhine](/source/Confederation_of_the_Rhine) and Illyria and Dalmatia

		- Europe in 1812, with the French Empire at its peak before the [Russian Campaign](/source/French_invasion_of_Russia)

		- The First French Empire with its [client states](/source/Client_state) in 1812

## See also

- [France portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:France)

- [Armorial of the First French Empire](/source/Armorial_of_the_First_French_Empire)

- [History of France](/source/History_of_France)

- [List of Napoleonic battles](/source/Lists_of_battles_of_the_French_Revolutionary_Wars_and_Napoleonic_Wars)

- [Military career of Napoleon Bonaparte](/source/Military_career_of_Napoleon_Bonaparte)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Domestically styled as *French Republic* (French: *République française*) until 1808: compare the French franc minted in 1808 and 1809, as well as Article 1 of the Constitution of the Year XII.[1]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Constitution de l'An XII – Empire – 28 floréal An XII"](https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/les-constitutions-dans-l-histoire/constitution-de-l-an-xii-empire-28-floreal-an-xii). *Conseil constitutionnel*. which reads in English *The Government of the Republic is vested in an Emperor, who takes the title of Emperor of the French.*

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["National Motto of France"](https://frenchmoments.eu/national-motto-of-france/). *French Moments*. 7 May 2015. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230531220309/https://frenchmoments.eu/national-motto-of-france/) from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Taagepera501_4-0)** [Taagepera, Rein](/source/Rein_Taagepera) (September 1997). ["Expansion and Contraction Patterns of Large Polities: Context for Russia"](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3cn68807). *[International Studies Quarterly](/source/International_Studies_Quarterly)*. **41** (3): 501. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/0020-8833.00053](https://doi.org/10.1111%2F0020-8833.00053). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [2600793](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2600793). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180817161348/https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3cn68807) from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Lyon_Bloomsbury_1994_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Lyon_Bloomsbury_1994_5-1) [Lyons, Martyn](/source/Martyn_Lyons) (1994). [*Napoleon Bonaparte and the Legacy of the French Revolution*](https://books.google.com/books?id=7ZBKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA232). Bloomsbury. p. 232. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1349234363](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1349234363) – via Google Books. (paper [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0333572917](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0333572917))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gallica.bnf.fr_6-0)** texte, France Auteur du (23 January 1804). ["Bulletin des lois de la République française"](https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4453562). *Gallica*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190823040943/https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k4453562) from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Thierry, Lentz. ["The Proclamation of Empire by the Sénat Conservateur"](http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/lentz_proclamation.asp). *napoleon.org*. Fondation Napoléon. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160323213424/http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/lentz_proclamation.asp) from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Decree upon the Term, French Republic"](https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/legislation/c_republic.html). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220930044339/https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/legislation/c_republic.html) from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Battle of Austerlitz"](https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43578/Battle-of-Austerlitz). *Encyclopædia Britannica*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20141008022110/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43578/Battle-of-Austerlitz) from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Hickman, Kennedy. ["Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Friedland"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170214064202/http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/napoleonicwars/p/battle-of-friedland.htm). *militaryhistory.about.com*. about.com. Archived from [the original](http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/napoleonicwars/p/battle-of-friedland.htm) on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTELyons1994234–236_11-0)** [Lyons 1994](#CITEREFLyons1994), pp. 234–236.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** Haine, Scott (2000). [*The History of France*](https://archive.org/details/historyoffrance00hain/page/92) (1st ed.). Greenwood Press. pp. [92](https://archive.org/details/historyoffrance00hain/page/92). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-313-30328-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-313-30328-9).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2006). *The encyclopedia of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: a political, social, and military history, Volume 1*. ABC-CLIO. p. 211. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1851096466](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1851096466). Elected to the Tribunate in 1802, he [Carnot] showed himself increasingly alienated by Napoleon's personal ambition and voted against both the Consul for Life and the proclamation of the Empire. Unlike many former Revolutionaries, Carnot had little (...); [Chandler, David G.](/source/David_G._Chandler) (2000). [*Napoleon*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jO6XAwAAQBAJ). Pen and Sword. p. 57. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1473816565](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1473816565).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Bulletin des Lois

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Black, Jeremy](/source/Jeremy_Black_(historian)) (1994). [*British Foreign Policy in an Age of Revolutions, 1783-1793*](https://books.google.com/books?id=zgbjPESz3dcC). Cambridge University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780521466844](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780521466844).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Treaties of Tilsit"](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803104634272). *Oxford Reference*. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** The Frankfort Declaration, 1 December 1813: [http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/diplomatic/c_frankfort.html](http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/diplomatic/c_frankfort.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200929140729/https://www.napoleon-series.org/research/government/diplomatic/c_frankfort.html/) 29 September 2020 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Dwyer, Philip G. "Violence and the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars: massacre, conquest and the imperial enterprise." Journal of Genocide Research 15, no. 2 (2013): 117-131.

## Further reading

### Primary sources

- Anderson, F. M. (1904). [*The constitutions and other select documents illustrative of the history of France, 1789–1901*](https://archive.org/details/constitutionsan00andegoog). The H. W. Wilson company.

### Surveys

- Bruun, Geoffrey (1938). [*Europe and the French Imperium, 1799–1814*](https://archive.org/download/in.ernet.dli.2015.183653/2015.183653.Europe-And-The-French-Imperium-1799-1814_text.pdf) (PDF).

- Bryant, Arthur (1942). *Years of Endurance 1793–1802*. on Britsin

- Bryant, Arthur (1944). *Years of Victory, 1802–1812*., on Britsin

- [Colton, Joel](/source/Robert_Roswell_Palmer); Palmer, R. R. (1992). *A History of the Modern World*. [New York](/source/New_York_City): McGraw-Hill, Inc. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-07-040826-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-07-040826-2).

- Esdaile, Charles (2008). [*Napoleon's Wars: An International History, 1803–1815*](https://www.amazon.com/Napoleons-Wars-International-History-1803-1815/dp/B002ECEVS4). Viking Adult.

- Fisher, Todd & Fremont-Barnes, Gregory (2004). *The Napoleonic Wars: The Rise and Fall of an Empire*. [Oxford](/source/Oxford): Osprey Publishing Ltd. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-84176-831-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-84176-831-6).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_multiple_names:_authors_list))

- Godechot, Jacques; et al. (1971). [*The Napoleonic era in Europe*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9rFmAAAAMAAJ). Holt, Rinehart and Winston. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0030841668](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0030841668).

- Grab, Alexander (2003). *Napoleon and the Transformation of Europe*. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

- Hazen, Charles Downer (1917). [*The French Revolution and Napoleon*](https://web.archive.org/web/20180922121101/https://www.questia.com/library/16519/the-french-revolution-and-napoleon). Archived from [the original](https://www.questia.com/library/16519/the-french-revolution-and-napoleon) on 22 September 2018. Retrieved 27 August 2017.

- Lefebvre, Georges (1969). [*Napoleon from 18 Brumaire to Tilsit, 1799–1807*](https://archive.org/details/napoleonfrom18br00lefe). Columbia University Press.

- Lefebvre, Georges (1969). [*Napoleon; from Tilsit to Waterloo, 1807–1815*](https://books.google.com/books?id=mTwJAQAAIAAJ). Columbia University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0231033138](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0231033138).

- Muir, Rory (1996). *Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon: 1807–1815*.

- [Lieven, Dominic](/source/Dominic_Lieven) (2009). [*Russia Against Napoleon: The Battle for Europe, 1807 to 1814*](https://web.archive.org/web/20130605171204/http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/esdaile_10_09.html). Allen Lane/The Penguin Press. Archived from [the original](http://www.literaryreview.co.uk/esdaile_10_09.html) on 5 June 2013.

- Schroeder, Paul W. (1996). [*The Transformation of European Politics 1763–1848*](https://books.google.com/books?id=BS2z3iGPCigC). [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press). pp. 177–560. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0198206545](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0198206545).

- Pope, Stephen (1999). *The Cassel Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars*. Cassel. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-304-35229-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-304-35229-6).

- Rapport, Mike (2013). *The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction*. [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press).

- Ross, Steven T. (1969). *European Diplomatic History, 1789–1815: France Against Europe*.

- [Rothenberg, Gunther E.](/source/Gunther_E._Rothenberg) (1988). "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon". *[Journal of Interdisciplinary History](/source/Journal_of_Interdisciplinary_History)*. **18** (4): 771–793. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/204824](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F204824). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [204824](https://www.jstor.org/stable/204824).

- Rowe, Michael (2014). "Borders, War, and Nation-Building in Napoleon's Europe". *Borderlands in World History, 1700–1914*. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 143–165. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-137-32058-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-137-32058-2).

- Schroeder, Paul W. (1994). [*The Transformation of European Politics 1763–1848*](https://web.archive.org/web/20190407225933/https://www.questia.com/read/28171953/the-transformation-of-european-politics-1763-1848). Archived from [the original](https://www.questia.com/read/28171953/the-transformation-of-european-politics-1763-1848) on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2017., advanced synthesis

- Woolf, Stuart (1991). *Napoleon's Integration of Europe*. Routledge. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780415755535](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780415755535).

### Napoleon

- Dwyer, Philip (2008). [*Napoleon: The Path to Power*](https://www.amazon.com/Napoleon-Path-Power-Philip-Dwyer-ebook/dp/B00280LN5G). Yale University Press.

- Englund, Steven (2010). *Napoleon: A Political Life*. Scribner. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0674018037](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0674018037).

- McLynn, Frank (1997). *Napoleon: A Biography*. New York: Arcade Publishing Inc. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55970-631-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55970-631-7).

- Johnson, Paul (2002). *Napoleon: A life*. Penguin Books. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-670-03078-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-670-03078-1).

- Markham, Felix (1963). [*Napoleon*](https://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=10369968). Mentor.

- McLynn, Frank (1998). *Napoleon*. [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom): Pimlico. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7126-6247-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7126-6247-5).

- Mowat, R. B. (1924). [*The Diplomacy of Napoleon*](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.80819).

- Roberts, Andrew (2014). *Napoleon: A Life*.

- Thompson, J. M. (1951). [*Napoleon Bonaparte: His Rise and Fall*](https://books.google.com/books?id=s2uTaPHPnZ8C). [Oxford University Press](/source/Oxford_University_Press).

### Military

- Bell, David A. (2008). [*The First Total War: Napoleon's Europe and the Birth of Warfare as We Know It*](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0618919813).

- Broers, Michael; et al., eds. (2012). *The Napoleonic Empire and the New European Political Culture*. Palgrave Macmillan UK. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0230241312](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0230241312).

- Chandler, David G. (1995). *The Campaigns of Napoleon*. New York: Simon & Schuster. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-02-523660-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-02-523660-1).

- Elting, John R. (1988). *Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armée*. New York: Da Capo Press Inc. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-306-80757-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-306-80757-2).

- Gates, David (2011). *The Napoleonic Wars 1803–1815*. New York: Random House.

- Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1995). *Napoleon's Military Machine*. Da Capo Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1885119186](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1885119186).

- Uffindell, Andrew (2003). *Great Generals of the Napoleonic Wars*. Kent: Spellmount. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-86227-177-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86227-177-1).

- Rothenberg, E. Gunther (1977). *The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon*.

- Smith, Digby George (1998). *The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery*.

## External links

- [Napoleon, His Armies and Battles](https://web.archive.org/web/20051025065033/http://web2.airmail.net/napoleon/index.html) (archived 25 October 2005)

v t e Napoleon Napoleonic era timeline First French Empire Life and career Stay in Auxonne [fr] Coup of 18 Brumaire Consulate Assassination attempts Le souper de Beaucaire Constitutions 1799 1802 1804 1815 Napoleonic Wars Coronation Sale of Louisiana Continental System Planned invasion of the United Kingdom Holland Mesures usuelles Looting of art Tactics Weaponry and warfare 1st abdication 1st exile Route Napoléon 2nd abdication 2nd exile Death of Napoleon mask Battles and wars French Revolutionary Wars Siege of Toulon French Revolution 13 Vendémiaire Battle of Lodi Battle of Arcole Battle of Rivoli French campaign in Egypt and Syria Battle of the Pyramids Siege of Jaffa Battle of Marengo War of the Third Coalition Battle of Austerlitz Peninsular War War of the Fourth Coalition Battles of Jena–Auerstedt War of the Fifth Coalition Battle of Wagram French invasion of Russia Battle of Borodino War of the Sixth Coalition Battle of Leipzig Battle of Vauchamps Battle of Arcis-sur-Aube Hundred Days Battle of Ligny Battle of Waterloo Views Catholic Church Concordat of 1801 Tiara Jewish people Grand Sanhedrin Infamous Decree Protestants Organic Articles Slavery Law of 20 May 1802 Saint-Domingue expedition Homes and honours Arc de Triomphe Hôtel Bonaparte Château de Malmaison Column of the Grande Armée Emperor Napoleon I Memorial Equestrian statue Palace of Fontainebleau Hôtel des Invalides Longwood House Maison Bonaparte Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker Milan Rue de la Victoire Vendôme Column Legacy and memory Bank of France Bonapartism Conseil d'État Cultural depictions "China is a sleeping giant" quote German Romanticism Legion of Honour Napoleonic Code Propaganda Tomb Retour des cendres Penis Studies Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) The Memorial of Saint Helena Family Joséphine de Beauharnais (first wife) Marie Louise (second wife) Charles Léon (son) Alexandre Colonna-Walewski (son) Napoleon II (son) Carlo Maria Buonaparte (father) Letizia Ramolino (mother) Joseph Bonaparte (brother) Lucien Bonaparte (brother) Louis Bonaparte (brother) Jérôme Bonaparte (brother) Caroline Bonaparte (sister) Pauline Bonaparte (sister) Elisa Bonaparte (sister) Related Napoléon (coin) Napoleon Museum (Havana) Napoleon Museum (Monaco) Category / Commons

v t e Client states of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815) Sister republics Germany Mainz Ireland Connacht Italy Alba Ancona Bergamo Bologna Brescia Cisalpinia Cispadania Crema Italy Liguria Lucca Parthenopea Piedmont Rome Subalpinia Tiberinia Transpadania Venice Netherlands Batavia Bouillon Switzerland Helvetia Lemania Rauracia Valais Swiss Confederation Europe at the height of Napoleon's Empire Napoleonic creations Central and Eastern Europe Courland, Semigallia and Pilten Danzig Lithuania Poland Warsaw Germany Aschaffenburg Confederation of the Rhine Baden Bavaria Berg Erfurt Frankfurt Hesse Leyen Regensburg Salm Salm-Horstmar Salm-Reifferscheid-Dyck Saxony Westphalia Wetzlar Württemberg Würzburg Italy Etruria Italy Lucca and Piombino Massa and Carrara Naples Pontecorvo Benevento Tuscany Mediterranean Malta Egypt Netherlands Holland Spain Spain

v t e Annexed departments of the French First Republic (1792–1804) and of the French First Empire (1804–1814) Ionian Islands Corcyre Ithaque Mer-Égée Austrian Netherlands Deux-Nèthes Dyle Escaut Forêts Jemmape Lys Meuse-Inférieure Ourthe Sambre-et-Meuse Old Swiss Confederacy Léman Mont-Terrible Simplon Kingdom of Holland Bouches-de-la-Meuse Bouches-de-l'Escaut Bouches-de-l'Yssel Bouches-du-Rhin Ems-Occidental Frise Yssel-Supérieur Zuyderzée Holy Roman Empire Bouches-de-l'Elbe Bouches-du-Weser Ems-Oriental Ems-Supérieur Lippe Mont-Tonnerre Rhin-et-Moselle Roer Sarre Italian states Alpes-Maritimes Apennins Arno Doire Gênes Marengo Méditerranée Mont-Blanc Montenotte Ombrone Pô Rome Sésia Stura Tanaro Taro Trasimène Kingdom of Spain Bouches-de-l'Èbre Montserrat merged as Bouches-de-l'Èbre-Montserrat Sègre Ter merged as Sègre-Ter Austrian Empire Illyrian Provinces (autonomous) See also Left Bank of the Rhine Departments of the First French Empire French rule in the Ionian Islands (1797–1799) 1807–1814 Incorporation (Netherlands) French departments of Catalonia

v t e France topics History Overviews History Timeline Political history Military history Language Economic Foreign relations Colonialism Journalism Liberalism and radicalism Regions History of Brittany History of Normandy Ancient Prehistory Greek colonies Celtic Gaul Roman Gaul Middle Ages Visigothic Kingdom Francia West Francia Middle Ages Kingdom of France Fundamental laws Early Modern Early modern era House of Bourbon Absolute monarchy Ancien Régime Wars of Religion Thirty Years' War Peace of Westphalia Second Hundred Years' War Louis XIV War of the Spanish Succession Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 Seven Years' War Revolution French Revolution Napoleonic era First Republic First Empire Late Modern Long nineteenth century Restoration July Monarchy Revolution of 1848 Second Republic Coup of 2 December 1851 Second Empire Government of National Defense Third Republic Belle Époque World War I Interwar Années folles World War II Vichy France Free France Liberation Provisional Government Contemporary 1900 to present Fourth Republic Algerian War Fifth Republic May 68 2005 riots Great Recession 2015 Paris attacks 2017 presidential election COVID-19 pandemic 2021 labor protests 2022 presidential election Geography Administrative divisions Cities Climate change Borders Islands Lakes Mountains National parks Rivers World Heritage Sites Politics Constitutions Elections presidential Foreign relations Politics Political scandals Human rights Intersex LGBT Judiciary Law history enforcement criminal law Military Parliament Political parties Economy Agriculture Automotive industry Banking Central bank Economic history Energy Euro Exports Franc (former currency) French subdivisions by GDP Mining Stock exchange Science and technology Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Trade unions Transport Rail Society Abortion Birth control Censorship Corruption Crime Demographics Education Health care Homelessness Immigration Life expectancy People Poverty Religion secularism Racism Social class Welfare Culture Anthem Architecture Art Coat of arms Cinema Cuisine Cultural icons Fashion Flag Gardens Language Libraries Literature Media Music Philosophy Public holidays Sport History Symbols Theatre Outline Category Portal WikiProject

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[48°51′44″N 02°19′57″E / 48.86222°N 2.33250°E / 48.86222; 2.33250](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=First_French_Empire&params=48_51_44_N_02_19_57_E_type:country)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [First French Empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_French_Empire) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_French_Empire?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.