To the west, he enforced a trade blockade on Britain by invading Portugal, its commercial ally, and brought much of Spain under his control in the process. But even as Napoleon abandoned hope of invading Britain, his Grand Army went on to occupy swaths of Europe in what is now Germany and Poland. The French Empire’s renewed hopes to break British naval power were dashed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. ( Why claiming the crown cost Napoleon a famous fan: Beethoven.) His forces defeated Austria, and in 1804 Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France. Returning to France, Napoleon took part in a coup against the government and then became first consul in February 1800. By 1799 France was at war with most of Europe. Proposing an aggressive approach by attacking Britain’s territories en route to India, Napoleon led the invasion of Egypt in 1798. As a young soldier, he supported the radical ideals of the French Revolution and rose rapidly through the ranks of the French army. The First Rise and Fallīorn on the island of Corsica in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte possessed furious intelligence and relentless ambition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |