French Revolution Terms # 71-96

Battle of the Nations (1813) aka Battle of Leipzig

this was a battle between the 6th Coalition and France. The 6th Coalition, made up of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Saxony, battled Napoleon's army at Leipzig, Saxony. Having a larger army and better equipment, the 6th Coalition easily defeated the French forces. Following the battle, the coalition rallied its troops and invaded France itself. Napoleon was forced to resign, and was exiled to Elba.

War of the Second Coalition

(1798-1802). This was the second attempt by the European monarchs, led by Austria and Russia, to contain or eliminate Revolutionary France. The war happened at the same time of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, and though Russia had a few major victories in the beginning, Russia eventually left the Coalition. France was victorious in the war, and the treaties of Luneville and of Amiens officially ended the Second Coalition.

Constitutional Charter

(Charter of 1814) It was issued by Louis XVIII in 1814 to preserve liberties won during the Revolution (and, frankly, to make it palatable enough to the French people to accept a king back onto the throne). It established a constitutional monarchy and a bicameral parliament, proclaimed religious toleration, and set Catholicism as the state religion.

Elba

A small island 20 kilometers offshore of Tuscany (Italy). Napoleon was exiled here for about 300 days before returning to France for the Hundred Days and being defeated in the battle of Waterloo.

Battle of Austerlitz (1805)

Also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, it was Napoleon's greatest victory. After 9 hours of fighting, France won the battle, defeating the Third Coalition, led by Alexander I of Russia and Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire. After this huge win in the Austrian Empire, the combatants agreed to the Treaty of Pressburg, which took Austria out of the war, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, and created the Confederation of the Rhine.

White Terror

Following the return of King Louis XVIII of France to power, people suspected of having ties with the governments of the French Revolution or of Napoleon suffered arrest and execution. 50,000-80,000 officials were purged from the government.

Duke of Wellington

He was a British military leader who led Britain's Peninsular Campaign (the fight on the Iberian) against Napoleon. Although he had several victories in his career, people mostly remember one battle that he won, the Battle of Waterloo, which led to the end of Napoleon. He later went on to become Prime Minister.

Peninsular Campaign (1808-1814)

In 1807, France allied with the Spanish and invaded the Portuguese. Napoleon and the French then turned on their Spanish allies in 1808. The French forces captured Spain and dismantled the Spanish administration, planning to install Napoleon's brother (Joseph) as the new king. However, Spanish guerilla forces fought back, draining the resources of France's army. Meanwhile, England secured Portugal and mounted attacks on French forces. The combined power of the Spanish guerillas, the English, and the Portuguese resulted in the capture of Madrid in 1812, and pushed Napoleon's forces back into France by 1814.

Invasion of Russia

In 1812, Napoleon launched a two-front invasion on Russia. 600,000 French forces marched towards Moscow and St. Petersburg, opposed by 200,000 Russian troops. The Russians successfully stopped the forces that intended to capture St. Petersburg, making the division headed by Napoleon himself the sole attacking force. Winning minor victories along the way, the French marched about 1,000 km into Russian territory, and met the Russian forces at the battle of Borodino. Napoleon emerged victorious, but suffered major losses and failed to destroy the Russian army. Following the battle, the French captured Moscow, and attempted to negotiate a peace treaty. The Russians refused and burned down most of Moscow, leaving nowhere for Napoleon's troops to stay. Napoleon was forced to retreat, having to march his army all the way back to France, and struggling with the harsh Russian climate. By the time his army returned, only about 30,000 troops remained. About 380,000 men died, 100,000 were captured, and the rest had deserted. It was a humiliating defeat for Napoleon.

St. Helena

It is a rocky island far off the coast of western Africa where the allies imprisoned Napoleon after his defeat at Waterloo. Many historians believe that the British laced Napoleon's licorice with arsenic, resulting in his death in 1819.

Continental System

It was a large-scale embargo against British trade. Britain countered by threatening to sink any ship that didn't come to a British port, leading to the armed conflict between the US and Britain in the War of 1812. It also resulted in the disastrous Russian Campaign; when Czar Alexander I of Russia stopped enforcing the Continental System, Napoleon felt that invasion was his only choice.

Treaty of Tilsit

It was negotiated between the French, Russians, and the Prussians. The several terms to this agreement included Russia and France becoming allies, and it split Europe into different sections controlled by either nation. Prussia was stripped of half of its land. The land taken from them was converted into the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, which the King of Saxony ruled. Prussia was told to significantly shrink their army to 40,000 men. The treaties also created the Continental System, designed to stop all trade with Britain.

Consulate

It was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in 1799 to the establishment of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804. Napoleon was named the first consul, thereby establishing himself as the head of a conservative French Republic. The establishment of the French Consulate was also victory for Sieyès, who advocated for the new form of government, believing that the Directory was ineffective. Over a period of five years, Napoleon was able to use the aristocratic Consulate to consolidate his power before naming himself emperor.

Plebiscite

More commonly known as a referendum, a (term) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. Napoleon held numerous (term) to grant him more and more authority. The French people overwhelmingly supported him in these votes.

Napoleon's Domestic Accomplishments

Napoleon was very successful in his domestic policy. He created the Bank of France in 1800, which stabilized the nation's economy. The franc was the name of the currency. He also made an agreement with the Catholic Church, called the Concordat of 1801, which tied the state with the Catholic Church. His most significant accomplishment was the creation of the Civil Code in 1804. The major black mark on Napoleon's record was women's rights.

Grande Empire

Napoleon's Grand Empire was divided into three sections, the French empire with a portion of Italy, the satellite countries, or countries that were dependent on France and ruled by Napoleon's family or close friends, and the allies of France who were forced into their allegiance (like Prussia and Russia).

Grande Armée

Napoleon's army. With it, he conquered nearly all of Continental Europe. Unfortunately for him, it was destroyed in the Russian Campaign in 1812.

Empire

Napoleon's coup d'etat and consolidation of power over 5 years allowed him to create the First French Empire. He pursed polices that pleased many of the citizens and affirmed his control, but his zest for war eventually led to his downfall. Many favored the rise of Napoleon, looking for strength and stability to replace ineffectiveness and the weak Consulate. The Empire lasted from 1804-1814.

Lord Horatio Nelson

The big hero of the Battle of Trafalgar, but he was mortally wounded during the battle.

Louis XVIII

The monarchy had been abolished during Louis XVI's rule, but the Bourbons were restored to power following Napoleon's exile to Elba. Louis XVIII took over as king. He ruled during the Bourbon restoration period, from 1814-1824. His government was a constitutional monarchy. The Charter of 1814 limited Louis XVIII's personal power. Louis went into hiding during the Hundred Days, but was later restored to the throne. Louis named Talleyrand Prime Minister. Louis' reign witnessed the -White Terror-. People suspected of having ties with the governments of the French Revolution or of Napoleon were arrested and executed, 50,000-80,000 officials were purged from the government. After the Hundred Days, Louis had to sign another Treaty of Paris, which retracted France's borders and formally ended Napoleon's reign. Fun fact - Louis was the last French monarch to die while reigning.

Hundred Days

The period between when Napoleon arrived in Paris after escaping exile on Elba and when Louis XVIII returned to Paris. When Louis XVIII's soldiers, sent to arrest Napoleon after his escape, encountered him, they deserted and joined Napoleon, then marched on Paris! March 20, 1815 - July 8, 1815.

Family Monarchy

The power of the husband and father was as absolute over the wife and kids as that of Napoleon was over his subjects. Women could not separate from their husbands (divorce did not exist) even if the husband cheated, but the husband could separate from his wife if she cheated (and she might get sent away to a nunnery)!

Battle of Trafalgar (1805)

This was a battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars. The French lost. 27 British ships defeated 33 French and Spanish ships off the coast of Spain. 22 French and Spanish ships were destroyed, and 0 of Britain's ships were ruined. This battle showed that the British Navy was far superior. The big hero was Lord Horatio Nelson, but he was mortally wounded during the battle.

Concordat of 1801

This was an agreement made between Pope Pius VII and Napoleon. The agreement reasserted the Catholic Church as the dominant religion of France, thereby ending the emphasis on secularization through the Cult of Reason and the Cult of the Supreme Being. It gave Catholics in France the right to practice their religion freely. This agreement allowed Napoleon to gain favor with Catholics in France while giving him a political arm in Rome through restoring ties with the Papacy.

Battle of Waterloo

Waterloo, Belgium, June 18, 1815. The Seventh Coalition defeated French forces led by Napoleon. Waterloo marked the end of the rule of Napoleon as the emperor of France and the Hundred Days. Two giant forces of the Seventh Coalition had been set up in the northeast border of France. Napoleon wanted to attack these forces before they could get any more help. It nearly worked. The Seventh Coalition successfully entered France and reinstated Louis XVIII to power. Napoleon gave up the throne and surrendered to the British government.

The Third of May, 1808 - Goya

When the French captured Madrid in 1808, word of their planned disposal of the government leaked to the public. The citizens of Madrid revolted on May 2nd, 1808. In response, the French commander said, "The population of Madrid, led astray, has given itself to revolt and murder. French blood has flowed. It demands vengeance. All those arrested in the uprising, arms in hand, will be shot." On May 3, the French troops rounded up and shot hundreds of the Spanish revolters. The Third of May, 1808 was a painting by Francisco Goya that depicted the massacre. (Picture on term 88.)

Confederation of the Rhine

a confederation of fifteen German states, minus Austria, Prussia, and Saxony. Napoleon named himself the "protector" of the Confederation. It replaced the Holy Roman Empire, which had been around for 1000 years.

Napoleonic Code (1804)

also called the Civil Code of 1804, reasserted fundamental qualities of the revolution. The first was equality of all male citizens before the law and absolute security of wealth and private property. The protection of private property allowed Napoleon to establish powerful private banks that helped to serve the state's interests. The code also provided for freedom of religion, a reversal of the emphasis on secularism. It also forbade inherited privileges, thereby confirming the end of the nobility. Furthermore, the Napoleonic Code stressed that public sector jobs be awarded based on merit, not through purchase of government positions. Unfortunately, Napoleon, and his assistant Rousseau, believed women to be inferiors, so the Code Napoleon placed women under the complete control of their husbands. The Napoleonic Code was very significant because it firmly established a viable legal system that could be respected and upheld by the French.