Napoleonic Wars facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Napoleonic Wars
Top: The Battle of Austerlitz Bottom: The Battle of Waterloo
Date 18 May 1803 – 20 November 1815 (1803-05-18 – 1815-11-20) (12 years, 5 months and 4 weeks) Location Europe, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Río de la Plata, French Guiana, West Indies, Indian Ocean, North America, Caucasus Result Coalition victory Congress of Vienna Full results Exile of Napoleon I to St. Helena Fall of the First French Empire Restoration of the Bourbon monarchy Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and Denmark-Norway Decline of the Spanish and Portuguese empires Establishment of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands Rise of the British Empire as the dominant world superpower Rise of Prussia as a great power Beginning of the Risorgimento and the Unification of Germany Widespread rise of nationalism and liberalism in Europe Major population loss
Belligerents
Coalition forces: Austria Russia Prussia United Kingdom Bavaria Brunswick French royalists Hanover Hungary Montenegro Nassau Netherlands Ottoman Empire Papal States Persia Portugal Sardinia Saxony Sicily Spain Sweden Tuscany Württemberg	France and allies: French Republic (1792–1804) French Empire (1804–1815) French clients: Bonapartist Spain Confederation of the Rhine Duchy of Warsaw Etruria Holland Italy Lucca-Piombino Naples Polish Legions Switzerland Austria Denmark–Norway Ottoman Empire Persia Prussia Russia Spain Sweden
Commanders and leaders
Francis I Alexander I Frederick William III George III Louis XVIII William I Selim III Mustafa IV Mahmud II Maria I Charles IV Ferdinand VII Gustav IV Crown Prince Charles John Ferdinand I	Napoleon I  Maximilian I Frederick VI Józef Poniatowski  † Louis Bonaparte Eugène de Beauharnais Joachim Murat Frederick I Joseph Bonaparte Jérôme Bonaparte Frederick I
Strength
900,000 Russian regulars, cossacks and militia at peak strength 750,000 British under arms in total 250,000 British regulars and militia at peak strength 320,000 Prussian regulars and militia at peak strength Unknown numbers of Austrians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Swedish and other coalition members	3,000,000 French under arms in total 1,200,000 French regulars and militia at peak strength 685,000 French and allied regulars at peak strength
Casualties and losses
Italians: 120,000 killed or missing Spanish: more than 300,000 military deaths — more than 586,000 killed Portuguese: up to 250,000 dead or missing British: 32,232 killed in action British: 279,574 killed by wounds, disease, accidents and other causes Russian: 289,000 killed in action Prussian: 134,000 killed in action Austrian: 550,220 killed in action (1792–1815) Ottoman: 50,000 killed or missing	371,000 killed in action 800,000 killed by disease, wounds, accidents and other causes 600,000 civilians killed 65,000 French allies killed

The Napoleonic Wars were wars which were fought during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte over France. They started after the French Revolution ended and Napoleon Bonaparte became powerful in France in November 1799. War began between the United Kingdom and France in 1803. This happened when the Treaty of Amiens ended in 1802.

These wars changed European military systems. Cannons became lighter and moved faster. Armies were much larger, yet had better food and supplies. They were very big and destructive, mainly because of compulsory conscription. The French became powerful very fast, and conquered most of Europe. The French then lost quickly. The French invasion of Russia failed. The Napoleonic Wars ended with the Second Treaty of Paris on 20 November 1815. This was just after the Battle of Waterloo, a big battle that Napoleon lost. Napoleon's empire lost the wars. The Bourbon Dynasty ruled France again.

Some people call the time between April 20 1792 and November 20 1815 "the Great French War". On one side was the First Empire of France, Kingdom of Italy, and others. On the other side was Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Sicily, and others.

1805-1812: Napoleonic Conquest of Europe

On 18 May 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of the French at Notre Dame de Paris. The following year, the Third Coalition started. In response, Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy. The Austrian Emperor, Franz I, angrily declared war on Napoleon, beginning the War of the Third Coalition. The British destroyed the French navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in October. In December the Austrians and the Russians allied, and fought the French at the Battle of Austerlitz. The Russo-Austrian army suffered a devastating defeat and had to sign a treaty with Napoleon.

In 1806, the War of the Fourth Coalition started. The Kingdom of Prussia declared war on France first but was crushed by Napoleon's troops at the Battle of Jena. Napoleon captured Berlin before the Russians could help. In 1807, Napoleon defeated the Russian army at the Battle of Friedland, ending the Fourth Coalition.

In 1809, the War of the Fifth Coalition began when Austria declared war on Napoleon. In the early phases of the war, the Austrians had advantage of the war, but later the French captured Vienna, ending the Fifth Coalition. At the height of his power in 1810, Napoleon had controlled France, Spain, northern Italy, Germany, all the way to Russia. In 1808, the Peninsular War began when Napoleon crowned his brother Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain and fought British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops. In 1809, the Finnish War began between Russia and Sweden when Sweden and Portugal did make peace with France. This led to the annexation of Finland by Russia and decisive failure for Sweden. In 1811, France and Russia made disagreements again and Napoleon allied with Prussia and Austria and invaded Russia.

1812: Invasion of Russia/The War of 1812

Napoleon staged a French invasion of Russia in 1812 just as the United States and Britain started the War of 1812. It was in Russia that Napoleon was first checked in his conquest of Europe, at the huge Battle of Borodino. However, the Russians had to retreat and abandon the capital, Moscow, to the advancing French troops. Napoleon found Moscow empty and burning. The cold winter along with starvation from scorched earth tactics devastated Napoleon's army.

Napoleon's weakened ''Grande Armee'' had to retreat to Paris through the Russian freezing winter, but was finally defeated by the Russians. Prussia and Austria declared war after Napoleon's failure, beginning the War of the Sixth Coalition. In the latter 19th century, Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's music piece 1812 Overture depicted the Patriotic war and celebrated the resistance and liberation of Russia.

Meanwhile, the much smaller War of 1812 started between Britain and the United States over maritime issues. It continued until 1815, neither side gaining anything. Revolutions in Latin America made independent states of most of the Spanish Empire in America.

1813-1814: Battle of Leipzig and First Restoration

The British, Spanish, and Portuguese had pushed Napoleon's forces out of Spain following the Battle of Vitoria. The Allies (consisting of Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria) defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig and captured Paris in 1814. The brother of King Louis XVI had already proclaimed himself French king, Louis XVIII, and was sent by the Prussian forces to Paris and crowned Bourbon king. Napoleon was forced to abdicate.

1815: Battle of Waterloo and Hundred Days

Napoleon was later exiled to Elba and was nearly assassinated. But then he and 200 other men escaped back to Paris and forced Louis XVIII off the throne, beginning Hundred Days. The former Coalition members formed the Seventh Coalition and the Duke of Wellington of Great Britain defeated Napoleon again at the Battle of Waterloo with the help of the Prussians in 1815. Louis XVIII was returned to the throne again, and the Second Restoration began.

Images for kids

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  French victory over the Prussians at the Battle of Valmy in 1792

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  Bonaparte defeating the Austrians at the Battle of Rivoli in 1797

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  French victory over the Austrians and Russians at the Second Battle of Zürich

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  The British victory over the French at the Battle of Alexandria, resulted in the end of Napoleon's military presence in Egypt.

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  "Maniac-raving's-or-Little Boney in a strong fit" by James Gillray. His caricatures ridiculing Napoleon greatly annoyed the Frenchman, who wanted them suppressed by the British government.

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  The Battle of San Domingo, 6 February 1806

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  The Battle of the Pyrenees, July 1813

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  The British managed to occupy and take control of Cape Colony, British Guiana, Malta, Mauritius and Ceylon during the Napoleonic Wars.

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  The British HMS Sandwich fires at the French flagship Bucentaure (completely dismasted) in the battle of Trafalgar. Bucentaure also fights HMS Victory (behind her) and HMS Temeraire (left side of the picture). HMS Sandwich did not fight at Trafalgar and her depiction is a mistake by the painter.

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  European strategic situation in 1805 before the War of the Third Coalition

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  Surrender of the town of Ulm, 20 October 1805

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  The French entering Vienna on 13 November 1805

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  After defeating Prussian forces at Jena, the French Army entered Berlin on 27 October 1806.

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  Charge of the Russian Imperial Guard cavalry against French cuirassiers at the Battle of Friedland, 14 June 1807

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  The Battle of Trangen during the Dano–Swedish War, 1808–1809. The Norwegians fought bravely and defeated the Swedes.

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  Polish cavalry at the Battle of Somosierra in Spain, 1808

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  Napoleon accepting the surrender of Madrid during the Peninsular War

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  The Second of May 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes, by Francisco de Goya (1814)

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  The strategic situation in Europe in February 1809

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  The French Empire in 1812 at its greatest extent

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  Political map of the Americas in 1794

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  The Battle of Borodino as depicted by Louis Lejeune. The battle was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the Napoleonic Wars.

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  Napoleon's withdrawal from Russia, a painting by Adolph Northen

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  Fragment from the manuscript "Memoires on Napoleon's campaigns, experienced as a soldier of the second regiment". Written by Joseph Abbeel, a soldier participating in the War of the Sixth Coalition, 1805–1815.

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  The Battle of Leipzig involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe prior to World War I.

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  The Battle of Hanau (30–31 October 1813), took part between Austro-Bavarian and French forces.

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  Russian army enters Paris, 31 March 1814

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  Wellington at Waterloo by Robert Alexander Hillingford

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  The charge of the French Cuirassiers at the Battle of Waterloo against a square of Scottish Highlanders

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  In 1800, Bonaparte took the French Army across the Alps, eventually defeating the Austrians at Marengo.

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  Napoleon on the field of Eylau

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  Napoleon's retreat from Russia in 1812. His Grande Armée had lost about half a million men.

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  The Battle of Trafalgar

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  French soldiers in skirmish with Bashkirs and Cossacks in 1813

See also

In Spanish: Guerras napoleónicas para niños