NAPOLEON I

Napoleon I has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the People, Dates, Places and Events category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

Napoleon I is one of the most important people in whole history of european integration and will probably have influence on the future of United Europe, because has been the last great European leader as the first romantic hero that changed the political situation in Europe, still appreciated and studied nowadays as the more ancient as Alexander "the Great" or Julius Caesar.

Napoleon boanaparte was born in 1769 A.D. in Corsica in an italian family and enrolled in the frech army during the French Revolution, of which he became protagonist as the "little general" that could defeat the Allied troops defending the ancien regime in Europe, as well as the sans-culottes rebels against the republican regime chosen by the reactionary Directorate, in the end emerged as Prime Consulus of the Triumvirate that in 1799 A.D. made the golpe against the same Directorate. Thanks to his continuing military victories in the expeditions to Italy, Egypt and Lothingen, France could resist to the Allies "coalitions" leaded by Great Britain and the Reich Empire and determine several historical evolutions of the european political scenary: as Northern Italy passed under the control of the I Francois Republic, the ancient Republic of Venice and Genoa extinguished in 1797 A.D. and the Hapsburg dinasty adandoned their possessions after centuries; the same happened to the State of Roman Church, occupied and transformed in republic, while the Kingdom of Two Sicilies was conquered and assigned to the rule of the marshal Murat; once conquered the isle of Malta and the port of Alexandria, Napoleon I could limit the british maritime traffic in the Mediterranean Sea, having also destroyed the spanish fleet; in conclusion, the the Netherlands and Switzerland lost their sovereignty recognized by the Treaty of Westfalia and were transformed in republics controlled directly by France.

Within the Triumvirate (imitation of ancient Romans during the civil wars...), Napoleon I assumed the leadership of the country and promoted fundamental reforms through the Constitution that restored the european aristocratic traditions and the notability of the public funcionaries, while he issued a Civil Code estended to all Europe and still in force in many European states! Once consolided the french victories, Napoleon I founded the French Empire in 1804 A.D. and obtained the "life consulus" with a popular plebiscite, then little time after the title of Empereur provided of inheritance law: it was a step back in the history of european integration to 800 A.D., when Charlemagne had been crowned Imperator Christianorum, while Napoleon I refused the sacer rite and crowned himself in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris saying: "This comes from God and woes to who takes it from me!". At the top of his power, Napoleon I restored the ancient Regnum Italiae and the Kingdom of Naples, ruled personally in contrary to the ancient consuetudinarian laws and the recent Ius Publicum European established in 1648 A.D. by the main european powers, that formed a new coalition and reopened the "napoelonic wars" epoch.

Quite all the European states were allied against Napoleon I except for Denmark but went regularly defeated in the field battles of Austelitz, Jena and Wagram, that had deep consequences on Europe political map: the Reich Empire was obliged to expire in 1806 A.D. (after one thousand years!) and reform as Austrian Empire under the Habsburg-Lotrhingen austrian dinasty; Germany was re-ordered in the Confederation of Rhin, including the secular hundreds of Principades, Duchies and "free town" of the ancient Sacrum Imperium under the military protection of Napoleon I and the leadership of the Kingdom of Prussia and the new kingdoms of Bavaria, Saxony, Hannover and Württenberg founded by him and ruled by the ancient feudal european genealogies; in Spain he crowned his brother, who helped the petit empereur with the "continental block" against the british goods.

Established the new status quo of his personal power over all continental Europe (no one else had done something similar in the history of european integration!), by marrying the daughter of the Austrian Emperor, Napoleon I decided to defeat the last enemies still existing: the Great Britain and the Russian Empire. The first was isolated in its archipelago (there started the british foreign policy of "splendid isolation") and attacked in the american colonies by the United States, that had just bough the immense Luoisiana territory from Napoloen I and could count on the french troops help. Instead, Russia was invaded by the same general in 1812 A.D.: the "gran armee" of one million of soldiers arrived to Moscow, burned by the Zar Alexander I fleeing, but was forced to stop and return back during the winter season, loosing an incalculable part of his troops. Meantime the english Duke of Wellington was freeing up the Iberian peninsula from the french occupation and could threaten directly the France territory from South: then it came for Napoleon I the first serious field loss in the battle of Lipsia, followed by many revolts everywhere in Europe and France so that Allied could occupy Paris and oblige Napoleon I to go prisoner in the Elba isle in 1814 A.D..

But after a short period, Napoleon I tried again to rise the power and returned to Paris ("the Hundreds days") acclamed by the people and the troops. So he had some field battle victories in Flandres but was definitely defeated in the Battle of Waterloo on 18th june 1815 A.D. by the Duke of Wellington commander of the last coalition, then arrested and sent exiled to the far Saint Helene isle in the Atlantic Ocean where he died on 5th may 1821 A.D.. How did Napoleon die? It is not clear still today, someone says for an heart attack, someone for poison and someone for depression. It is certain that with him ended an epoch of continued wars that distorted forever Europe with political, social and juridical changings that would have hit the history of european integration until nowadays! More than other, it is the fear for the "one man at the power" that escorted the european political thoughs since then, as ghost of Caesar or Alexander coming back, often used by the democratic phylosofer or politicians to influence the public opinion. But ironically, Napoleon I had been a paladine of the human rights and of indivual freedom, that spreaded all around Europe in following XIX century A.D. and were coded into the European Union treaties, as well as the principle of equality in front of the law that restored the ancient citizenship right established by the roman emperor Caracalla in 212 A.D.. Even if Napoleon I redesigned the political map of Europe, he saved the ancient european genealogies within the german confederation and the feudal traditions, preserving the consolided affairs of the landlords and bourgeois classes with the help of the richest european bankers, in the end emitted a new golden coin ("Marenco") as was in custom of the ancient emperors.

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