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Napoleon Summary Document
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Includes key dates, facts, analysis of all events within the French Revolution and Napoleon A-Level Specification that may be needed for the exam
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Napoleon Bonaparte to 1807The career of Bonaparte to 1799
Early life and character
Napoleon was born in 1769 as a son of a minor Corsican noble. His status allowed him to win a place
at a preparatory school in Brienne and he trained as an artillery officer in Paris. Though not directly
involved in the events of 1789, Napoleon welcomed the revolution. When war came in 1792
Napoleon remained loyal to the regime, whilst many of his fellow officers chose to emigrate.
In late 1793 he proved his potential by helping to secure victory over the British into lawn, and was
promoted to Brigadier General at the age of 24. He was lucky not to suffer like the others when
Robespierre was overthrown in 1794.
He won the gratitude of the regime for crushing the Vendemiaire rising in Paris in 1795, and in 1796
was given command of French forces fighting in Italy. He proved his generalship by securing several
victories over superior Austrian forces and forcing them to make peace on his terms at Campoformio
in 1797. Here he demonstrated his wider ambition as he acted in making peace with the Austrians
without authority from the French government. The government was presented with a treaty so
beneficial to France that it could not object.
He had also in 1797 sent one of his generals to help purge the assembly of royalists. The use of armed
forces in this way increased the political role of the army and indicated the increased risk posed by an
ambitious general. And it was partly because of that risk that the French government sent him on the
Egypt campaign in 1789.
His victories in the Egypt campaign increased his reputation at a time when France was once more
pressed by the forces of the 2nd coalition. When Napoleon returned to France the danger posed by the
2nd coalition had receded but several leading politicians led by Abbe Sieyes were looking for a
general to help force a reform of the constitution to strengthen the government and protect it from the
extremes. This resulted in the coup of Brumaire in 1799, Napoleon was placed in control of the Paris
Garrison and his brother Lucien was made president of one of the two legislative bodies. Both were
moved away from the centre of Paris to Saint Cloud to avoid possible crowd trouble. Napoleon then
declared the assembly suspended. The army remained loyal and Paris quiet and Sieyes was free to
devise and implement his revised constitution, however, Napoleon forced him to make concessions.
His military leadership and reasons for success to 1799 including Toulon,
the Italian Campaign, Egypt
Toulon (1793)
In Toulon, the site of a major French naval base and arsenal, royalist counterrevolutionaries responded
by entering into a negotiation with British admirals. They agreed to surrender the town if the British
would preserve the town for the imprisoned King. When an Anglo-Spanish force took over, they
seized 70 French ships which equated to half the French armada
France started an offensive to win the town back but was unsuccessful and Napoleon was drafted in
when the previous commander was wounded. Executing a plan conceived by Napoleon,
Revolutionary troops, under cover of an intense bombardment, successfully assaulted the allied-held
forts while guns were unleashed on British ships. The French took the city back from the fleeing
British, and Napoleon was promoted to Brigadier General.
Italian Campaign (1796-1797)
, Bonaparte led his army forward into Italy. He was badly outnumbered. His 38,000 French soldiers
faced 38,000 Austrians and their allies, 25,000 Piedmontese.
Bonaparte planned to isolate the Austrians from the Piedmontese, then conquer each separately which
he did successfully. Winning key victories at Lodi, Castiglione and Arcola in 1796. After beating the
Piedmontese, he demanded gold and silver. As a result, he was able to pay his army with valuable
resources as opposed to the weak paper currencies- was able to bolster French finances with these
rewards.
The campaign culminated in the battle of Rivoli in which he decisively defeated the larger Austrian
army of nearly 30,000Peace was made at Campo Formio on Napoleon’s terms in 1797- with a fait
accompli so favourable to France presented to the directory that they had no option but to accept.
Egypt (1798-1799)
The French government agreed to let Napoleon go on the Egypt campaign in 1798. Napoleon landed
with 35,000 in Egypt. After swiftly defeating Alexandria, he marched onto Cairo. At the battle of the
Pyramids, the Mamelukes charged. Bonaparte’s men stood in tight formation and held their fire until
the Mamelukes reached within fifty paces of their ranks.
However: British Admiral Horatio Nelson caught the French fleet anchored off the Egyptian coast and
blew it to pieces (Battle of the Nile)
Tactical Strengths (how well could he utilise methods in the immediate term):
He was excellent at boosting the morale of his troops ( e.g., leading from the front at Lodi
(1796) or playing the ‘Marseillaise,’ before the Battle of the Pyramids (1798)
He used tactics such as concentrating his forces on a single point, while also outflanking the
enemy (e.g. at Lodi)
He divided and then regrouped his forces very effectively e.g. Before the Battle of the
Pyramids and knew exactly when to bring in reserves.
Showed ruthlessness when necessary (e.g. Jaffa Massacre during the Egypt Campaign)
Strategic Vision (overall outlook) often lacking:
He fought battles for the sake of victory eg he did not need to fight at Lodi to take Milan
He pushed his troops recklessly onwards, often without planning how they would eat or sleep ( eg.
Egyptian Camp 1798-9)
He was unable to turn former opponents into allies
He left the fleet undefended in 1798 - it was destroyed by Nelson ( Battle of the Nile) only 1 month
after Napoleon’s victory at the Battle of the Pyramids
Originality:
Guibert had already proposed the ‘corps system,’ which allowed for easier command for
Napoleon and the various wings of his armies
Du Teil had already advocated the use of light artillery and skirmishes to outflank and
overwhelm enemy forces
Both these authors were tasked with reforming the armies of the Old Regime after the disasters of the
mid-1700s e.g. ( 7 Years War) He inherited the principle of ‘Total War’ - e.g. the levee en Masse of
August 1793. This provided massive resources of men and materials. However, he was original in the
use of heavy twelve-pound guns which were nicknamed Napoleon’s ‘little daughters.
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