From the National Convention to the Napoleon Empire

1. The National
Convention, the
Directory, the Consulate
and the Empire
The French Revolution

2. National Convention
• Reduced Louis XVI’s role to a citizen and
prisioner
• January 21,1793: Louis was executed with his
wife Marie Antoinette.
• Battle of Valmy: France vs Austria and Prussia

3. The Terror
• Robespierre assumes control over the Jacobins. Leader of the
Committee of Public Safety.
• His period of rule was called The Terror.
• Thousands of people were executed during the Terror.
Robespierre was executed by guillotine and removed from
government in 1794.
• After this event, the power went to the upper middle class
making a new plan of government.
Task: to protect the
Revolution from the enemies

4. The Directory
To have clear ideas
• Jacobins  Socialist(Podemos)
• Bourgeoisie  Liberals (Ciudadanos)
– Napoleon  Dictator (Franco)

5. • Jacobins imposed their radical saw
of Enlightenment and killed
everybody opposing.
• Bourgeoisie organised a coup in
1794 and modified the Constitution
in 1795.
One of the most
prominent Jacobins was
Jean-Paul Marat. He
called for the death of all
those who continued to
support the king

6. New Constitution of 1795
• Strong executive power with a five-member
board (DIRECTORY)
• Legislative power rested in two chambers:
– Council of Five Hundred
– Council of the Elders

7. Two sides on people´s political saw
• Privileged sector, who wanted monarchy
• Sans-culottes (in French, without
knickers/panties), who preferred Jacobin
government

8. Napoleon
Born in Corsica in 1769, he became one
of the brightest generals in history,
ruled over most of Europe and spread
the Enlightened ideas around the
globe, just to see his dreams vanish in
the fields of Belgium.
Napoleon in a painting by
Jacques-Louis David
His imperial coat of arms

9. Early life
He was born in Ajaccio (Corsica)
in 1769 and he was baptized as
Napoleone di Buonaparte and
adopted Napoleon Bonaparte
because it sounded more French
Napoleon’s father, Carlo
Buonaparte
As he came from a noble family he
had a better education than most
Corsicans, as he studied first at the
religious school in Autun and then in
the military academy at Brienne-le-
Château
Military
school in
Brienne-le-
Château

10. Early military career
He was appointed artillery
commander of the
republican forces at the
siege of Toulon in 1793
2 days after having married with Joséphine
de Beauhamais, he left Paris to take control
of the Italian war against Sardinia-Piedmont
and the Austrian Empire. He completely
took the initiative and crushed the Sardinian
army before the Austrians arrived. He later
defeated the Austrian army in the battles of
Tarvis and at the Pont d’Arcole
His first wife, Joséphine
de Beauhamais
In 1798 he was sent to invade Egypt, where
he succeeded defeating the Mamluks in the
battle of the Pyramids. After securing Egypt
and losing all his fleet to the Royal Navy
commanded by Nelson in the battle of the
Nile, he invaded Siria but lost most of his
army because of disease. There he
abolished feudalism and serfdom, as well as
promoted research of Egyptian culture. He
returned to France in August 1799.
Napoleon Bonaparte before the
Sphinx, by Jean-Léon Gérôme

11. The Consulate
One of the Directors asked Napoleon to support
a coup. The 9th on November 1799 (Coup d’État
du 18 brumaire) he, Sieyes and Dunos installed
the Consulate, with the three of them as Consuls.
Two years later he wrote a constitution in which
he proclaimed himself First Consul for life.
His politics as consul:
•Free secondary education
•Created a central bank
•Developed infrastructure in France
•He allowed freedom of religion (some
Protestants and Jews had to live in
ghettos)
Le général Bonaparte au Conseil des Cinq-Cents, à
Saint-Cloud. 10 novembre 1799 by François
Bouchot

12. Campaigns
1805-Rhine campaign: he crossed the Rhine and invaded Vienna. Battle of Austerlitz
against the HRE and Russia. Won control of Germany, Northern Italy and the
Rhine.
1806-Invasion of Prussia. Prussia had to accept the harsh terms Napoleon offered
them.
1808-Peninsular campaign: he lost the war in Spain and Portugal due to the guerrilla
tactics carried by this two countries
1812-Invasion of Russia: lost most of his men because of illness and starvation.
Napoleon’s withdrawal
from Russia, by Adolph
Northern
Guerra de Independencia

13. Exile and Hundred Days
• In 1814 he marched
on exile to the isle of
Elba, leaving his son,
Napoleon II as
Emperor, but he was
overthrown by Louis
XVIII
• He returned in 1815
and took the power
• He lost the battle of
Waterloo against the
Prussians and the
British and was
exiled to Saint
Helena
Napoleon returning
from Elba, by Karl
Stenben
Napoleon on Saint Helena
by François-Joseph
Sandmann

14. THE NAPOLEONIC CODE AND WOMEN
The husband owes protection
to his wife, the wife obedience
to her husband.
The wife is obliged to live with
her husband, and to follow him
to every place where he may
judge it convenient to reside:
the husband is obliged to
receive her, and to furnish her
with everything necessary for
the wants of life
The wife cannot plead in her
own name, without the
authority of her husband, even
though she should be a public
trader, or non-communicant, or
separate in property.
A wife, although non-
communicant or separate in
property, cannot give, alienate,
pledge, or acquire by free or
chargeable title, without the
concurrence of her husband in
the act, or his consent in
writing.
The Napoleonic Code is a series of laws that regulated women’s rights
Some excerpts from the
Napoleonic code:
Napoleon’s first wife,
Joséphine

15. The wife may demand
divorce on the ground of
adultery in her husband,
when he shall have brought
his concubine into their
common residence.
The son who has not attained
the full age of 25 years, the
daughter who has not
attained the full age of 21
years, cannot contract
marriage without the consent
of their father and mother; in
case of disagreement, the
consent of the father is
sufficient.
A woman cannot contract a
new marriage until ten
months have elapsed from
the dissolution of the
preceding marriage.
The father, and in default of
the father, the mother, and in
default of the father and
mother, the grandfathers and
grandmothers, may oppose
the marriage of their children
and descendants, although
they have accomplished
twenty-five years.
Marie Louise, Napoleon’s
second wife

16. THE END