Curated playlist
Napoleon
- Malet coup of 1812When false news of Napoleon's death spread in 1812, why did no one name his infant son emperor?
- NapoleonNapoleon crowned himself emperor with a replica of Charlemagne's crown. The pope had just anointed him.
- Treaty of Campo FormioNapoleon signed the Treaty of Campo Formio in a merchant's house in a small village.
- Legion of HonourNapoleon called his Legion of Honour crosses baubles, then used them to lead men. He founded the French order in 1802.
- Peace of Pressburg (1805)The Peace of Pressburg set in motion the end of the Holy Roman Empire. Francis II soon gave up his imperial title.
- French ConsulateThe French Consulate gave Napoleon power as First Consul, not king. It lasted less than five years.
- Concordat of 1801Parts of Napoleon's 1801 deal with the pope still apply in Alsace-Moselle. France ended it elsewhere in 1905.
- Coup of 18 BrumaireThe 1799 coup that made Napoleon ruler of France began as someone else's plot. Sieyès wanted a general as scenery.
- Protector of the Confederation of the RhineNapoleon's title as Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine appears in its treaty just once.
- Constitution of the Year VIIIThe Constitution of the Year VIII, the charter that created France's Consulate, was written in just 11 days. The man who stood to gain most from it, Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted a text that was, in his own words, "short and obscure". He got…
- Frankfurt proposalsIn November 1813, Napoleon was offered a way to keep his crown and ignored it. The Allies later moved on.
- Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)Britain refused to sign the 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau that exiled Napoleon. Castlereagh saw Napoleon as a usurper.
- Abdications of BayonneNapoleon took Spain's crown from a father and son without firing a shot. It happened at a French castle in May 1808.
- Acte de déchéance de l'EmpereurNapoleon was voted off his throne by the Senate he had shaped. The law passed on the 2nd of April 1814.
- Congress of ErfurtAt the Congress of Erfurt, Napoleon's own diplomat secretly told Russia's emperor to resist him.
- Continental SystemOn the 21st of November 1806, Napoleon closed every port he controlled to British goods.
- Italian campaign of 1796–1797Napoleon's Italian campaign began with a French army in mutiny. Within eighteen months it forced Austria to make peace.
- Military career of NapoleonNapoleon lost only eleven of the more than 80 battles he fought. His final tally was 75 wins and 7 unclear results.
- Coronation of NapoleonAt his 1804 coronation in Notre-Dame, Napoleon crowned himself. Pope Pius VII watched as he then crowned Josephine.
- Napoleon and the JewsA French newspaper reported in May 1799 that Napoleon had invited Jews to rebuild Jerusalem.
- Clisson et EugénieNapoleon's novella Clisson et Eugénie was split into six pieces scattered across continents.
- French expedition to SardiniaNapoleon Bonaparte first saw combat in a failed French attack on Sardinia. He was then an unknown Corsican lieutenant.
- Napoleon's penisA urologist paid $3,000 in 1977 for what is claimed to be Napoleon's penis. His family still holds it.
- Napoleon's theoremThe evidence linking Napoleon to Napoleon's theorem is thin. A Dublin exam set it in October 1820.
- Napoleon's tombNapoleon's tomb took two decades to build, and its king was long dead. Napoleon III opened it in 1861.
- Quum memorandaPope Pius VII excommunicated everyone who seized Church lands, without naming Napoleon.
- Route NapoléonThe Route Napoléon is a road through the southern French Alps, and it follows the footsteps of a man who was trying to take back an empire. Honoré de Balzac later wrote that France gave herself to Napoleon just as a pretty girl abandons…
- Napoleonic CodeFrance's Legislative Body first rejected the draft Napoleonic Code by 142 to 139.
- French Imperial EagleNapoleon told his troops in 1804 to defend a small bronze eagle with their lives. Losing it cost a regiment its honor.
- HMS Undaunted (1807)In April 1814, the frigate HMS Undaunted carried Napoleon to exile on Elba.
- Legacy of NapoleonNapoleon lost his last four wars, yet his legal code outlived his empire by two centuries.
- Napoleon complexThe Napoleon complex, also called Napoleon syndrome or short-man syndrome, is a label for short men who seem overly aggressive or domineering. The term is mostly aimed at men, and sometimes at people with dwarfism. The unspoken claim is…
- Bank of FranceNapoleon gave fifteen elite financiers control of the new Bank of France. They had backed his rise to power.
- Napoleonic tacticsNapoleonic tactics were built around a musket that could hit a man only at 50 to 70 yards.