French Revolution and Napoleon
St. Helena
The final exile site of Napoleon Bonaparte, he died here.
sans-culottes
"Without culottes (special knee britches that symbolized status)" Working-class men and women who demanded a republic and pushed the Revolution into a radical phase.
Louisiana Purchase
1803 purchase of the Louisiana territory from France. Made by Jefferson, this doubled the size of the US.
Legislative Assembly
A French congress with the power to create laws, collect taxes, and approve declarations of war, established by the Constitution of 1791. It replaced the National Assembly, but only lasted for a year.
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
A body of legislation passed in July 1790 that redefined the relationship between the clergy and the state in France. It allowed for the confiscation of church property formerly used to support the clergy, replacing it with a guarantee of state salaries for clergymen instead. It also stipulated that parish priests and bishops be elected just like public officials. The National Assembly attempted to enforce it by requiring the clergy to take an oath, divided public opinion of the French Revolution (1789-99) and galvanized religious opposition.
Napoleonic Code
A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon.
plebiscite
A direct vote in which a country's people have the opportunity to approve or reject a proposal. Napoleon used many in his rise to power.
Confederation of the Rhine
A federation of German states organized under Napoleon I in July 1806. Formerly under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, which was dissolved the same year, the new federation placed itself under the "protection" of Napoleon and was governed by one of his close allies. It quickly fell apart after Napoleon's defeat in Russia.
deficit spending
A government's spending more money than it makes
Marquis de Lafayette
A liberal nobleman who led French forces assisting in the American Revolution. The common people of France revered Lafayette as an idealistic man who was dedicated to liberty and the principles of the Revolution. Although Lafayette organized the National Guard of armed citizens to protect the Revolution from attack by the king, he balked as the Revolution became more radical.
Guillotine
A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution.
September Massacres
A period of several days where angry and fearful citizens took law into their own hands. They raided prisons and killed prisoners. They also targeted nobles, priests, and royalist.
Olympe de Gouges
A proponent of democracy, she demanded the same rights for French women that French men were demanding for themselves. In her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen (1791), she challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male-female inequality. She lost her life to the guillotine due to her revolutionary ideas.
Nationalism
A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country
Louis XIV and Louis XV
Accumulated great amounts of debt from various oversea wars, and spending on extravagances that ultimately led to France being on the verge of bankruptcy during Louis XVI' s reign due to large interest on an even larger debt.
Consul for Life
After Napoleon names himself first Consul, what title does he take?
July 14, 1789
Bastille Day (French Independence Day)
The Quadruple Alliance
Coalition of the major European powers: England, Prussia, Russia, and Austria to maintain the peace of Europe and the political and social order of the continent.
How were revolutionary reforms changed under Napoleon?
Consolidated his power by strengthening the central government. Concordat of 1801. Napoleonic Code!!!
National Convention
Controlled by Radicals who abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. They also drew up a new constitution for France. Controlled by the Jacobins who sought to erase all traces of the old order. Killed Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Created the Committee of Publi Safety to deal with threats to France.
Czar Alexander I
Czar of Russia from 1801 to 1825; after the defeat of Napoleon's army in 1812, he became one of the most powerful leaders in Europe, supporting the suppression of all revolutionary movements in Russia and Europe
National Assembly
Delegates of the Third Estate at the Estates General who bonded together to draw up a constitution for France.
The Congress of Vienna
Early 19th of Century. A group made up of conservative political leaders who met as representatives of the 'great powers' that defeated Napoleon - Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. They attempted to restore the pre-revolutionary order. They were under the guidance of the influential foreign minister of Austria, Prince Clemens von Metternich the group managed to dismantle Napoleon's empire and return sovereignty to Europe's royal families, restored them to the thrones they had lost during the Napoleonic era, and created a diplomatic order based on a balance of power that prevented any one state from dominating the others.
Bourgeoisie
Educated, middle class of France; provided force behind the Revolution.
French Plague
Figurative nickname for the French Revolution. Other European monarchs did not want it "spreading" to their countries.
Jacques Necker
Financial expert of Louis XVI, he advised Louis to reduce court spending, reform his government, abolish tariffs on internal trade, but the First and Second Estates got him fired when he suggested they pay taxes.
Assignats
French Revolutionary paper money backed by Roman Catholic land that was confiscated
Louis XVIII
French monarch who was restored to the throne by the allies after Napoleon was defeated
Prince Charles de Talleyrand
French representative @ Congress of Vienna
Prince Clemens von Metternich
From Austria, the Congresses' most influential member who wanted to restore things to the way they were in 1792, work fell to him, Alexander I of Russia, Britain's Lord Robert Castlereagh, and Prince Charles de Talleyrand of France. EXTREMELY CONSERVATIVE.
Directory
Government established after the Reign of Terror by MODERATES who seized power from RADICAL revolutionaries.
Was Napoleon good or bad? Provide examples.
He could be called a good man who did bad things. ''Or:'' He could be called a bad man who did good things. ''Or even:'' Sometimes what appears to be good or bad to one individual is not viewed in the same manner by others.
Louis XVI
King of France from 1774 to 1792. He was weak and indecisive. His failure to grant reforms led to the outbreak of the French Revolution and ultimately his demise when he was beheaded after being put on trial for treason.
Maximilien Robespierre
Leader of the Committee of Public Safety. One of the most influential figures of the French Revolution; instrumental in the period of the French Revolution known as the Reign of Terror, was eventually arrested and executed.
Duke of Wellington
Leader of the combined British and Prussian army that FINALLY defeated Napoleon at Waterloo
Cahiers
List of grievances drawn up by delegates going to the meeting of the estates general
First Estate
Made up of the clergy, constituted for less than 1% of the French population, but owned over 10% of land in the country. Not required to pay any taxes.
Second Estate
Made up of the nobility, constituted for less than 1% of the French population. Not required to pay any taxes.
Citizen Capet
Name under which Louis XVI was tried by the revolution. Louis convicted in front of national convention of treason, voted guilty. Stripped of all titles and honorifics by the egalitarian, republican government, Citizen Louis Capet was guillotined in front of a cheering crowd
Concordat of 1801
Napoleon made peace with the Catholic Church by granting Catholics religious freedom, but kept the French Catholic Church under state control.
First Consul
Napoleon named this after ousting the Directory; remained this until proclaiming himself emperor; first of three.
Battle of the Nations
Napoleon was defeated by armies of the enemy(combined forces) at LEIPZIG, he was exiled to Elba which he later escaped.
Joseph Bonaparte
Napoleon's brother, made king of Spain but unable to control the Spanish which led to many uprisings by the people who were loyal to Ferdinand.
Josephine
Napoleon's first wife
Continental System
Napoleon's policy of preventing trade between Great Britain and continental Europe, intended to destroy Great Britain's economy, but it really didn't because they had a colonial empire. Instead it just infuriated other European countries with Napoleon.
Admiral Horatio Nelson
Naval officer whose fleet defeated Napoleon's at the Battle of Trafalgar.
What were some techniques of Napoleon to build his Grand Empire?
Nepotism. Forced other countries into alliances. Used warfare to annex other European countries.
General Winter
Nickname for the harsh climate of Russia that had defeated the Grand Army of Napoleon.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
One of the fundamental documents of the French Revolution, defining a set of individual rights and collective rights of all of the estates as one. Influenced by the doctrine of natural rights, these rights are universal: they are supposed to be valid in all times and places, pertaining to human nature itself. Written by the National Assembly and modeled after the American Declaration of Independence
National Guard
People's "army" of the revolution during the early days of the Revolution. Led by Lafayette. It was like a private volunteer police force that served as the "muscle" of the revolution in the summer of '89.
Legitimacy
Principle by which monarchies that had been unseated by the French Revolution or Napoleon were restored
Tennis Court Oath
Promise by the National Assembly to meet no matter what until they had a completed constitution for France.
Storming of the Bastille
The BEGINNING of the French Revolution. People saw it as a blow to tyranny, a step towards freedom.
Marie Antoinette
Queen of France (as wife of Louis XVI), and daughter of Maria Theresa (Hapsburg in Austria). She was unpopular because of her extravagance and opposition to reform. This general dislike of her contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy. She was guillotined after with her husband in October of 1793.
The Paris Commune
Radical group that replaced the royalist government of Paris. Tried to govern Paris as an independent entity from France. It had great political and social influence, but was soon stomped down by the royal army.
Lord Robert Castlereagh
Represented Britain @ Congress of Vienna, wanted to limit French military power.
Girondins
Rival group of the Jacobins
Francis I
Ruler of Austria at the time of the Congress of Vienna
The Great Fear
Rural unrest had been present in France since the worsening grain shortage of the spring, and the grain supplies were now guarded by local militias as rumors that bands of armed men were roaming the countryside spread. In response, fearful peasants armed themselves in self-defense and, in some areas, attacked manor houses.
The Holy Alliance
Russia, Austria and Prussia. Founded to uphold the Congress of Vienna and preserve Christian ideals.
Declaration of the Rights of Woman
Short work written by the French feminist Olympe de Gouges in 1791 that was modeled on the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and that made the argument that the equality proclaimed by the French revolutionaries must also include women.
Factions
Small political groups that competed to gain power during the periods of unrest in France
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo, fought on 18 June 1815, was Napoleon Bonaparte's last battle. His defeat put a final end to his rule as Emperor of the French. Waterloo also marked the end of the period known as the Hundred Days, which began in March 1815 after Napoleon's return from Elba, where he had been exiled after his defeats at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and the campaigns of 1814 in France.
Did the Congress of Vienna achieve its goal?
The COV's goal: To create a lasting peace. The peace lasted for 100 years, but with every uprising the Quadruple Alliance put out the feelings of nationalism continue to grow underneath the surface. In the whole scope of history the peace they set up was not LASTING FOREVER.
Estates General
The French Parliament. Had not been called in 175 until Louis XVI was forced to call it as France was on the verge of bankruptcy.Traditionally each estate only had one vote. In this case, the first and second estates always outvoted the third estate. The third estate wanted votes to be counted "by head" so that they would be more fairly represented.
Declaration of Pilnitz
The French Plague, a rebellious spirit, scared other European monarchs into signing this document in which they promised to counter attack any revolutionary uprisings that would threaten monarchical power.
Grand Army
The army that Napoleon assembled to invade Russia when Alexander I refused to follow the Continental System. It was the largest army ever assembled in European history. Consisting of more than half a million men from all throughout the Napoleonic Empire, this army was used in an attempt to invade Russia.
Constitution of 1791
The completed main task of the National Convention. Set up a limited monarchy in place of the absolute monarchy, formed the Legislative Assembly, gave tax-paying males the right to vote, and reformed many laws. To moderate reformers, the Constitution of 1791 seemed to complete the Revolution.
Grand Empire
The empire over which Napoleon and his allies ruled, encompassing virtually all of Europe except Great Britain and Russia.
Elba
The first island that Napoleon was exiled to. Right in between Corsica and Italy. He escaped with the help of his supporters.
Jacobins
The most RADICAL political faction of the French Revolution who ruled France during the Reign of Terror led by Maximilian Robespierre from 1793-1794.
"Le Marseillaise"
The national anthem of France, which was made, and was popular during the French Revolution
ancien regime
The old, unfair social structure in France
Tuileries
The palace in Paris in which King Louis XVI and his family were placed under house arrest after they were forcibly taken from their court at Versailles. The point of removing the royal family to Paris was to allow the people to keep a close watch on their actions.
Reign of Terror
The rule of Maximilien Robespierre, as the leader of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793. He ruled as a dictator and instilled fear in French citizens to keep them true to the ideals of the Revolution. 40,000 people died in one year at the hands of the government.
Blockade
The shutting of a port to keep people or supplies from moving in or out. The British did this in response to Napoleon's Continental System. This measure created a scarcity of goods in Europe and intensified resentment against French power.
"Liberte, Equalite, and Fraternite"
The slogan of the French Revolution
Constitution of 1795
This constitution was approved by the National Convention in 1795. This constitution stated the need for a Directory (five men leading the assembly), and the end of this constitution in 1799 is recognized as the official end to the Revolution. It was more of a conservative constitution than its predecessor. It spelled out a liberal republic with a financial plan that gained much money from taxes. It was led by middle-class lawyers. This constitution did not ensue peace among the urban poor, and was unsuccessful in fixing the problem of civil unrest. This Constitution was thrown out in 1799 when Napoleon organized a Coup d'etat against the directory.
Committee of Public Safety
This was the group of 12 men that carried out the Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre in response to any threats to France. It was made by the National Convention.
emigres
Threatened nobles and clergy who fled France in the wake of the Revolution. They left and made other people afraid of "the French plague". It is because of them that monarchs sign the Declaration of Pilnitz.
Emperor of France
Title Napoleon gave himself to seize complete power of France. Most of the population supported him as he had brought economic prosperity to France, established order and peace in France, allowed peasants to keep their land,made peace with the Catholic Church, and welcomed emigres home.
Third Estate
Very diverse group of the common French people. Constituted for over 98% of the population.
Republic
a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them and whose head of state is not a monarch.
Tricolor
a red, white, and blue badge which was eventually adopted as the national flag of France
Republic of Virtue
a speech given by Maximilien Robespierre in 1794. In it, provided his political theory. advocates the use of terror in defending democracy, which he equated with virtue. advocated many of the ideals expressed in the French Constitution of 1793.The "Republic of Virtue" was part of the dechristianization of the French Revolution. The leaders renamed the cathedral Notre Dame de Paris to 'The Temple of Reason. 'The new French Revolutionary Calendar was created too.
Coup d'etat
a sudden overthrow of the government
Battle of Trafalgar
an 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon's forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson. This defeat led to the implementation of the Continental System.
Battle of Austerlitz
battle that took place in the heart of Europe, Napoleon defeated a combined force of Russia, Prussia, and Austria-Hungary making him the master of Europe.
Guerrilla Warfare
fighting carried on through hit-and-run raids
Napoleon Bonaparte
dominated French and European history from 2799-1815; brought the French revolution to an end in 1799; born into nobility, commissioned as a lieutenant in the French army in 1785; rose quickly through the ranks of the French army, won the confidence of his men with energy, charm, and ability to make quick decisions; these and his intelligence, ease with words, and confidence won people's support; 1797 a conquering hero in France, but 1799 abandoned his army against British; took part in the coup d'etat in Paris that overthrew the Directory; a new government called the consulate was proclaimed--first consul, controlled entire government, appointed members of bureaucracy, controlled the army, conducted foreign affairs, and influenced the legislature; In 1802, consul for life, in 1804 crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I; ideal of republican liberty had been destroyed by Napoleon's takeover of power; most French were Catholic so to restore stability to France, in 1801 agreed with the pope to recognize Catholicism as religion of the majority of French people, and pope wouldn't ask for the return of church lands from the revolution; Catholic church no longer enemy of French gov't, and those owning church lands were avid supporters of his regime; completed 7 law codes, most important Civil Code, or Napoleonic Code, which recognized the equality of all citizens, the right to choose a profession, religious toleration, and the abolition of sefdom and feudalism; property rights carefully protected, outlawed trade unions and strikes; woman were less equal than men; promotion was based on ability only; created a new aristocracy based on merit in the state service; insisted that all writing be inspected by the gov't; defeated Prussia, Austria, Russia, and Sweden; sought to spread equality, religious toleration, and economic freedom; nobility and clergy lost their special privileges.
Consulate
government established in France after the overthrow of the Directory in 1799, with Napoleon as first consul in control of the entire government. Ended when Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France.
Annexed
join or attach, to take control of
Jacques Louis David
leading painter during the french revolution
Marie Louise
napoleon's second wife
Scorched Earth Policy
the practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land
Suffrage
the right to vote
Abdicated
to give up power