On July 14, 1789, the bourgeois revolution broke out in France, known in history as the French Revolution.
The Bourbon dynasty that had ruled France for centuries, and its monarchy collapsed within three years, The French Revolutionary War quickly became a global conflict that saw France fighting an alliance with its European allies.
In 1803, with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, the flames of war soared into the sky, The Napoleonic War began.
The causes of the French Revolution
The author believes that the French Revolution was the result of famine, major financial crisis and unfair taxation in France.
In 1789, forced to reform the national finance, Louis XVI convened the Third Estate , hoping to get approval to increase taxes.
On June 20, the Third Estate (House of Commons) gathered at Versailles to declare itself National Assembly and announced that it would not dissolve until France had a new constitution.
On July 14, as anti-monarchy sentiment grew, the people of Paris stormed into the Bastille, the royal prison.
In June 1791, with the passage of time and situation, the royal family became more and more concerned about the incident and began to try to escape. The intention of the Parliament to establish a constitutional monarchy was terminated.
The First War of the Alliance
As France ignited the flames of war, its neighbors watched with concern and began to prepare for war.
On April 20, 1792, France realized the change in the situation and openly declared war on Austria.
However, the early fighting went poorly as French troops fled. Austrian and Prussian armies entered France, but met strong resistance and were imprisoned at Valmy.
In November, the French army entered the Austrian Netherlands and achieved a major victory. In January, the revolutionary government executed Louis XVI, leading Spain, England, and the Netherlands to enter the war.
As a result, France began to implement mass conscription, launching a series of campaigns that saw them make territorial gains on all fronts, and drive Spain and Prussia out of the war in 1795.
Second Alliance War
In 1798, a new alliance was formed with Russia and Austria, and despite the losses suffered by its allies, Britain was still at war with France.
The author believes that: due to the resumption of hostilities, the French army began to carry out campaigns in Egypt, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
html In August, the French fleet was defeated in the Battle of the Nile, and the coalition achieved an early victory.
In 1799, Russia was successful in Italy, but left the alliance at the end of the year after a dispute with Britain and a defeat at Zurich.
The battle took a turn for the better in 1800 with French victories at Marengo and Hohenlinden.
The latter opened the way to Vienna , forcing Austria to sue for peace negotiations.
In 1802, Britain and France signed the Treaty of Amiens, and the war ended temporarily.
The Third Alliance War
In 1803, war broke out again between Britain and France. History proved that the previous peace was only short-lived.
In 1804, Napoleon was crowned emperor to lead the Grand Army, France began planning an invasion of Britain, and London began working on a new alliance with Russia, Austria, and Britain.
In October 1805, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson (Horatio Nelson) defeated the French-Spanish combined fleet at Trafalgar, Napoleon's expected victory was temporarily frustrated.But this success was quickly offset by Austria's failure in Ulm (Ulm).
After capturing Vienna, Napoleon suppressed a Russian-Austrian coalition at Austerlitz on December 2. After once again taking the battlefield by storm, Austria left the alliance after signing the Treaty of Pressburg.
By this point, the French army was dominant on land, while the Royal Navy retained control of the seas.
Fourth Alliance War
Shortly after Austria left, Prussia and Saxony joined the Fourth Alliance.
Entering the conflict in August 1806, Prussia took action before Russian troops could be mobilized.
html In March 39, Napoleon launched a large-scale attack on Prussia and destroyed the Prussian armies at Jena and Auerstadt the following month.
In February 1807, Napoleon marched eastward, repulsed the Russian army stationed in Poland, and personally led the army in a bloody battle at Eylau. The campaign resumed in the spring and defeated the Russian army in Friedland.
The author believes that it was the failure of this war that directly led Tsar Alexander I to conclude the Treaty of Tilsit in July. Through these agreements, Prussia and Russia officially became allies of France.
The War of the Fifth Alliance
In October 1807, French troops crossed the Pyrenees into Spain to implement Napoleon's Continental System, which blocked trade with Britain.
This action led to what became the Peninsular War , followed by larger armies and the Napoleonic Wars the following year. While Britain struggled to help Spain and Portugal, Austria went to war and joined the new Fifth Alliance.
Marched into France in 1809, but eventually the Austrian forces were driven back to Vienna. In May, they successfully defeated the French team, but were defeated by France two months later and were forced to make peace again. Austria signed the Treaty of Schönbrunn . The British and Portuguese troops were trapped in Lisbon .
Sixth Alliance War
As Britain became increasingly involved in the Peninsular War, Napoleon began planning a massive invasion of Russia.
In June 1812, in the years following Tilsit, Napoleon carefully studied his tactics and began to invade Russia.
By fighting scorched earth tactics, France won the victory of Borodino at a high cost and successfully occupied Moscow , but was forced to retreat when winter came. After all, the French army's system could not withstand the severe cold in Moscow.
As France lost most of its troops in the retreat, Britain, Spain, Prussia, Austria and Russia formed the Sixth Alliance.
After Napoleon rebuilt his army, he once again swept the battlefield one after another, but was defeated by the Allies in Leipzig in October 1813, and Napoleon was forced to return to France.
On April 6, 1814, Napoleon, the "European God of War", was forced to abdicate and was later exiled to Elba, ending his glorious and dazzling life.
The Seventh Alliance War
After Napoleon's defeat, alliance members held the Congress of Vienna and began to outline a blueprint for the post-war world.
On March 1, 1815, Napoleon was unwilling to fail in exile. He escaped and landed in France. Marching to Paris, he raised an army along the way and soldiers flocked to his banner.
On June 16, Napoleon engaged the Prussian forces at Ligny and Quatre Bras, attempting to attack the Allied forces before they could regroup.
Two days later, Napoleon attacked the Duke of Wellington's army at the Battle of Waterloo, but was eventually defeated by Wellington. When Prussia arrived, Napoleon was forced to flee to Paris, and was forced to abdicate again on June 22.
At this point, Napoleon, the god of war, surrendered to the British and was exiled to St. Helena Island . He died of illness on May 5, 1821.
The impact of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars
In June 1815, the Congress of Vienna came to an end, delineating new borders for European countries and establishing an effective balance of power system, which to some extent maintained European peace in the future of this century.
On November 20, 1815, the signing of the Treaty of Paris declared the official end of the Napoleonic Wars.
With the defeat of Napoleon, the 23-year near-continuous war finally ended, Louis XVIII ascended the throne of France.
The author believes: To some extent, the Napoleonic Wars triggered large-scale legal and social changes, marked the end of the Holy Roman Empire, and inspired nationalist sentiments in Germany and Italy.
