THE Napoleonic era it was one of the main periods of Contemporary History, falling between the years of 1799 and 1815. But does the young reader know the reasons for the importance of this era and why this name?
The name of this era is linked to the general - and later emperor - French Napoleon Bonaparte, which was in power between 1799 and 1815. Its importance lies in the fact that Napoleon intended to expand throughout Europe the bourgeois institutions created during the French Revolution, mainly through military action, which generated numerous battles.
Napoleon was one of the greatest military strategists in history. He quickly managed to reach the highest positions in the French revolutionary army. At the age of 24, he had already become a general, after leading French troops in the liberation of the city of Toulon in 1793. Its prestige increased with the conquest of other important victories, of which it is worth mentioning the campaigns carried out in the north of the Italian Peninsula.
In 1799, returning from a campaign in Egypt, Napoleon became the first consul of France, after leading a coup d'état that deposed the Directory, which became known as the 18 Brumaire coup, according to the revolutionary calendar. His role in front of the government was to repress both the royalist forces and the more radical republican groups, such as the Jacobins, as both intended to return to power.
Bonaparte would become consul for life in 1802 after a plebiscite. However, the maximum power would be reached in 1804, when, after a new plebiscite, Napoleon Bonaparte received the title of emperor of france. The bourgeoisie that fought against absolutism and established a republic now had an emperor as its main representative.
Napoleon's coronation itself marked the resumption of yet another bond of Absolutism, between State and Catholic Church, represented by the participation of Pope Pius VII. By placing the crown on his own head, Napoleon demonstrated his intention to have a power above the religious.
In power, Bonaparte carried out numerous reforms that represented the strengthening of bourgeois institutions and which were used later. In the legal field, the first civil Code which established the equality of all citizens before the law. ensured the right to private property and the maintenance of the lands of the nobility and the Church in the hands of the peasants. However, it prohibited the union of workers in unions, while the association of employers was free; the woman was subordinate to her husband, and the children would only be responsible for them after 21 years of age.
In the economic area, he created the Bank of France it's the frank, an official currency that was very important for French domestic and foreign trade, as well as helping to stabilize the country's economy.
Illustration of Napoleon's participation in battle, made for the book Guerra e Paz, by Leon Tolstoy
It divided France into administrative departments that facilitated its centralized control. It built roads, aqueducts and bridges, organized the post office, beautified cities, facilitating communication within French territory.
Napoleon made the compulsory primary education, under the responsibility of the State. It created schools at different levels, which culturally strengthened the bourgeoisie and ensured a common educational base for the French from different regions of the country. General education throughout the country added to the existence of a national army it formed the basis of the nationalism that would develop during the nineteenth century.
But Napoleon did not restrict himself to acting within the borders of France. His empire was also marked by a strong military expansion action. Its aim was to defeat the former absolutist monarchies that existed in Europe. His main enemies were Austria, Russia and England.
Against the latter, in 1806, Napoleon imposed the Continental Lock, which intended to impede the trade of the countries of the European continent with England, in an attempt to economically strangle the British. This action resulted in the intensification of the conflict between the English and the French, as well as the flight of the Portuguese court to Brazil, in 1808.
The Napoleonic empire was able to annex or create alliances with countries and kingdoms ranging from Spain to the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, where Poland is now located. The entire Italian Peninsula was subordinate to the French.
The decline of the Napoleonic Empire began when Bonaparte decided to invade Russia after the country publicly opposed the Continental Blockade. The French army's campaign was a failure, owing to both Russia's severe cold and the scorched earth strategy adopted by the Russians. The result was the French army's supply crisis and 60,000 of the 600,000 soldiers sent home.
Weakened, Napoleon was forced to abdicate the throne after the defeat to the coalition formed by Sweden, Austria, Russia and Prussia, financed by England. He was exiled on the island of Elba, off the Italian coast. In his place, Louis XVIII ascended the throne, representing the former French royal family, which lost power with the revolution.
Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The architectural construction was done in several places in Europe, representing the achievements of Napoleon
But the return of the former nobles generated tension in France, as part of the population did not want the restoration of absolutism. Taking advantage of the situation, Napoleon escaped from exile and returned to Paris with the support of the population. but your new government would only last one hundred days. The union of England and Prussia against France was victorious after the victory over the French army at Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon was arrested and sent to the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, where he died in 1821.
With the Congress of Vienna, held between 1814 and 1815, the Absolutist States guaranteed the maintenance of the power that held before the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, still redrawing the borders of European countries. But the institutions created by Napoleon were not extinct, remaining in France and spreading across Europe and America, influencing the independence movements. Despite Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat, the European bourgeoisie was victorious.
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