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Continental System
The Continental System refers to Napoleon's attempt, beginning in 1806 with the Berlin Decree, to strangle Britain's economy by closing off all European ports. This would prevent the British from exporting their manufactured goods to Europe. The Continental System was largely a failure. It created discontent throughout Europe, and, as Napoleon tried to enforce it in Spain, he touched off the Peninsular War. -
Confederation of the Rhine
Early in 1806, Napoleon dissolved the old Holy Roman Empire to which the German states had belonged, and created in its place the Confederation of the Rhine, the name for Napoleon-dominated Germany. -
Corsica
The fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean. Corsica rebelled against Genoa in 1729, and was independent for a time, until Genoa ceded its rights in the island to France in 1768, which took the island over by force. Napoleon was born on Corsica in 1769, the same year that it became a French province. -
Directory
The Directory was the name for the French revolutionary government from 1795 to 1799. It had a bicameral legislature consisting of the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of the Ancients. Five Directors made up the weak executive branch. This government was created to remedy the excesses of Robespierre's government. -
Elba
An island off the west coast of Italy. Napoleon was exiled to Elba from 1814 until his escape in 1815. -
Jacobin
An extreme revolutionary group during the French Revolution. The Jacobins' equalitarian vision was very liberal, but they were also very violent. The Jacobin stereotype was epitomized by the figure of Robespierre. -
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days refer to the days from March 20 to July 8, 1815, which saw Napoleon's escape from exile Elba, his raising of a new army, and his last campaign to dominate Europe. The combined forces of the British and Prussian armies finally brought the campaign to a stop in the battle of Waterloo. -
Napoleonic Code
The system of laws, especially the civil code, which Napoleon announced in 1804. This code remains a basis of European continental law to this day, but differs somewhat from the Anglo-American "Common Law" tradition at the root of the U.S. legal system. (The Napoleonic Code did have some influence, however, in forming the legal system of the state of Louisiana, however, which was settled by the French.) -
Saint Helena
A British colony in the South Atlantic. Napoleon was exiled there from 1815 to his death in 1821. -
Tuileries
The Palais des Tuileries was a French palace next to the Louvre, which French Royalty and Napoleon often inhabited. The palace burned down in 1871. -
Peace of Amiens
In this 1802 the British and French agreed not to fight. Of the entire Napoleonic era, 1802 was the only year during which no European power was officially at war with another European power.
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Austerlitz
In this battle, fought on December 2, 1805, Napoleon's army defeated the Russian and Austrian armies. The Russian army limped back to Poland while the Austrians surrendered their Italian territory, Venetia, to the French.
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Concordat
The French Revolution had treated the Catholic Church in France very badly, and the government had confiscated much Church property. By signing the Concordat on July 15, 1801, the French government and the Church agreed to a reconciliation. Napoleon could now forge ahead in his regime without opposition from the Church.
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Treaty of Campo Formio
This treaty with Austria ended Napoleon's Italian campaign and secured his victory. Because he negotiated the details of the treaty on his own authority, Napoleon incurred the severe annoyance of the Directory; however, the military triumph cemented by the treaty propelled Napoleon to the height of popularity among the French people.
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Treaty of Fontainebleau
This 1814 treaty called for the exile of Napoleon to Elba, promising him a stipend of 2 million francs a year (which he never received). The treaty also allowed Napoleon to keep the title of Emperor.
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Leipzig
In this battle, fought in October 1813 and also known as the Battle of Nations, Napoleon's army of raw recruits was defeated by a four-nation alliance. Up to that time, no single battle had involved so many soldiers.
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Treaty of Luneville
In this February 1800 treaty, the Austrians and French renewed the conditions of the Treaty of Campo Formio.
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Peninsular War
In this war, fought in the Iberian Peninsula from 1808-1814, the Portuguese, Spanish, and British (under Wellington) struggled against the French, who were trying to impose the Continental System on them.
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Treaty of Tilsit
This treaty, signed in 1807, required both Russia and Prussia to join the Continental System. Russia, Prussia, and Austria declared war on Britain following the treaty.
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Trafalgar
This naval battle was fought October 21, 1805 off the coast of Spain. In it, Napoleon's navy of 33 French and Spanish ships was decimated by the British fleet of 27 ships. Admiral Horatio Nelson commanded the British fleet, and lost his life in the battle. The battle firmly established Britain's naval supremacy for the rest of the 19th century.
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Waterloo
In this June 18, 1815 battle, Napoleon was finally defeated by the British (under Wellington) and the Prussians (under Blucher). The loss was partially due to a crucial mistake of Napoleon's: Prior to the arrival of the Prussians on the scene, Napoleon had had a chance to attach the British forces, but decided to wait for the muddy ground to dry before attacking.
