Napoleon's Rise and Fall, 1793–1821

Timeline

Layers

Ottoman Empire · Russian Empire · Under Russian military occupation · Revolutionary Serbia · Sweden · Denmark–Norway (French ally 1807–14) · Norway (Danish to 1814, independent 1814, union with Sweden) · Great Britain / United Kingdom · Hanover (British crown) · Portugal · Spain (Bourbon; patriot Spain 1808–14) · Poland–Lithuania (to 1795) · Habsburg Monarchy / Austrian Empire · Swiss Confederation · Helvetic Republic / Mediation Switzerland · Prussia · Other states of the Holy Roman Empire (to 1806) · Other German states (from 1806) · Saxony · Bavaria · Württemberg · Baden · Hesse-Darmstadt · Grand Duchy of Berg (Murat, then Napoleon) · Dalberg's state / Grand Duchy of Frankfurt · Kingdom of Westphalia (Jérôme Bonaparte) · Duchy of Warsaw · Free City of Danzig · Free City of Kraków · Dutch Republic / Netherlands · Batavian Republic / Kingdom of Holland · Republic of Valais · Neuchâtel (Berthier) · Anglo-Corsican Kingdom · Kingdom of Sardinia (Savoy) · Republic of Genoa · Ligurian Republic · Republic of Venice · Duchy of Parma · Duchy of Modena · Lucca (Republic; Elisa's principality) · Grand Duchy of Tuscany · Kingdom of Etruria · Principality of Elba (Napoleon 1814–15) · Papal States · Roman Republic · Kingdom of Naples and Sicily (Bourbon) · Parthenopean Republic · Kingdom of Naples (Joseph, Murat) · Cisalpine Republic / Kingdom of Italy · Republic of Ragusa · Septinsular Republic (Ionian Islands) · Order of St John (Malta) · Illyrian Provinces (French Empire) · France (Republic, Consulate, Empire) · French Egypt · French-held Spain (Joseph Bonaparte) · Under French military occupation · Under Coalition military occupation · Napoleon's (or France's main) field army — area = men · Napoleon

Events

• 19 Dec 1793, Siege of Toulon: Republican army under Carteaux, Doppet then Dugommier retook the royalist port held by British, Spanish, Neapolitan and Sardinian troops; Bonaparte's artillery plan took Fort Mulgrave (Little Gibraltar) on 16-17 Dec and forced the fleet out.
• 23 Dec 1793, Battle of Savenay: Marceau and Westermann destroyed the Vendean main army, ending the large-scale Vendee rising.
• 1 Jun 1794, Glorious First of June: Howe's Channel Fleet defeated Villaret-Joyeuse's fleet far out in the Atlantic, but the French grain convoy from America reached Brest.
• 26 Jun 1794, Battle of Fleurus: Jourdan's Army of Sambre-et-Meuse beat Coburg (balloon reconnaissance used); Austrians abandoned Belgium.
• 5 Apr 1795, Peace of Basel (Prussia): Prussia left the First Coalition and recognised French occupation of the left bank of the Rhine; Spain signed on 22 Jul.
• 27 Jun 1795, Quiberon expedition: Royalist emigres landed by the Royal Navy at Quiberon were beaten by Hoche; some 700 prisoners were later executed.
• 1 Oct 1795, Belgium annexed: The Convention annexes the Austrian Netherlands, Liege and Luxembourg on 1 Oct 1795 (nine departments).
• 5 Oct 1795, 13 Vendemiaire (royalist uprising in Paris): Barras and General Bonaparte (artillery under Murat) shot down royalist insurgents at Saint-Roch with grapeshot, saving the Convention and launching Bonaparte's career.
• 23 Nov 1795, Battle of Loano: Scherer's Army of Italy (Massena, Augereau) broke the Austro-Sardinian line under Wallis, opening the Riviera.
• 12 Apr 1796, Battle of Montenotte: Bonaparte's first victory as army commander; Argenteau's Austrians were driven from the Apennine passes, splitting them from the Piedmontese.
• 28 Apr 1796, Armistice of Cherasco: Piedmont-Sardinia asked for an armistice; the Treaty of Paris (15 May) ceded Savoy and Nice to France.
• 10 May 1796, Battle of Lodi: Bonaparte forced the bridge over the Adda against Beaulieu's rearguard (Sebottendorf); the episode created the legend of the little corporal.
• 15 May 1796, Bonaparte enters Milan: The Army of Italy entered Milan in triumph; Austrian Lombardy was occupied and the citadel held until 29 Jun.
• 4 Jun 1796, Siege of Mantua: Austria's strongest fortress in Italy was twice besieged and relieved in 1796; Wurmser surrendered on 2 Feb 1797 after Rivoli. Austrian casualties include disease.
• 4 Jul 1796, Siege of Mantua: Austrian garrison under Wurmser then holds out for seven months against four relief attempts.
• 5 Aug 1796, Battle of Castiglione: Bonaparte beat Wurmser's relief army after the Lonato fighting (3-4 Aug), forcing it back into the Tyrol.
• 8 Sep 1796, Battle of Bassano: Bonaparte beat Wurmser's column; the Austrians lost 6,000 prisoners and fled to Mantua.
• 15 Nov 1796, Battle of Arcole: Alvinczi's second relief army was beaten in three days of fighting in the marshes around Arcole; Bonaparte led an attack across the bridge with a flag.
• 21 Dec 1796, French expedition to Ireland (Bantry Bay): Hoche's fleet with 15,000 men reached Bantry Bay; storms scattered the ships and no landing was made.
• 14 Jan 1797, Battle of Rivoli: Bonaparte defeated Alvinczi's main force; La Favorita (16 Jan) and Mantua's surrender ended the Austrian threat in Italy.
• 14 Feb 1797, Battle of Cape St Vincent: Jervis and Nelson beat a larger Spanish fleet (Cordoba) off Portugal before it could join the French at Brest.
• 19 Feb 1797, Treaty of Tolentino: Pope Pius VI ceded Avignon, Bologna, Ferrara and the Romagna and paid 30 million livres.
• 22 Feb 1797, Battle of Fishguard: Last invasion of Britain: some 1,400 French under Tate landed in Wales and surrendered within two days.
• 16 Mar 1797, Battle of Valvasone (Tagliamento): Bonaparte crossed the Tagliamento and took Gradisca against Archduke Charles, opening the road to Carinthia.
• 18 Apr 1797, Preliminaries of Leoben: Austria agreed preliminaries with Bonaparte's vanguard about 130 km from Vienna; Austria gave up Belgium and Lombardy and was promised Venetian lands.
• 12 May 1797, Fall of the Republic of Venice: The Great Council voted itself out of existence under French ultimatum; French troops entered on 16 May.
• 4 Sep 1797, Coup of 18 Fructidor: Directors Barras, Reubell and La Revelliere-Lepeaux, backed by Augereau's troops, purged the royalist-leaning legislature; Bonaparte's army supplied the muscle.
• 11 Oct 1797, Battle of Camperdown: Duncan's North Sea fleet destroyed de Winter's Batavian fleet, ending the invasion plan against Ireland. Casualties approximate.
• 17 Oct 1797, Treaty of Campo Formio: Signed at Passariano by Bonaparte and Cobenzl: Austria recognised the Cisalpine Republic, gave up Belgium and the left bank and received Venice and Dalmatia.
• 15 Feb 1798, French occupy Rome; Roman Republic proclaimed: Berthier's army entered Rome on 10 Feb; Pius VI was taken to France and the Roman Republic proclaimed.
• 5 Mar 1798, Battle of the Grauholz (fall of Bern): Brune and Schauenburg crushed the Bernese militia, ending the Old Swiss Confederacy; Bern's treasury later paid for the Egyptian expedition.
• 19 May 1798, Egyptian expedition sails from Toulon: Bonaparte embarked with about 38,000 men (incl. 30,800 infantry) and some 300 transports and escorts, with the scholars of the Commission of Arts and Sciences.
• 23 May 1798, Irish Rebellion of 1798: United Irishmen rose in Leinster, Ulster and Connacht; main battle at Vinegar Hill (21 Jun); a French squadron was beaten at Tory Island (12 Oct).
• 12 Jun 1798, French take Malta: After landings on 9-11 Jun Grand Master Hompesch capitulated; the Knights' island stayed French until Sept 1800.
• 2 Jul 1798, Alexandria taken: The French landed at Marabout on 1 Jul and stormed Alexandria next day against token Egyptian resistance.
• 21 Jul 1798, Battle of the Pyramids: Bonaparte's divisions in squares defeated Murad Bey's Mamluk cavalry at Embabeh; Cairo opened to the French.
• 1 Aug 1798, Battle of the Nile: Nelson destroyed Brueys's fleet in Aboukir Bay; Brueys and L'Orient were lost; the army in Egypt was cut off. French casualties approximate.
• 22 Aug 1798, Humbert's landing in Ireland (Castlebar to Ballinamuck): Humbert landed 1,000 men at Killala, won at Castlebar (27 Aug), and surrendered to Cornwallis at Ballinamuck.
• 21 Oct 1798, Revolt of Cairo: Cairo rose against the occupation and was put down with artillery fire from the Citadel; Gen. Dupuy was killed.
• 23 Jan 1799, Fall of Naples; Parthenopean Republic: Championnet stormed Naples (20-23 Jan) after the king fled to Sicily; the Parthenopean Republic was proclaimed.
• 3 Mar 1799, Siege of Jaffa: The French stormed Jaffa; some 2,000 prisoners were shot on Bonaparte's order on 8-10 Mar.
• 7 Mar 1799, Jaffa stormed: 7 Mar 1799: the French storm Jaffa; the garrison is massacred and about 2,500-3,000 prisoners are shot on 10 Mar.
• 20 Mar 1799, Siege of Acre: Djezzar Pasha with Sidney Smith's naval support stopped Bonaparte for two months; plague and losses forced his retreat to Egypt.
• 25 Mar 1799, Battle of Stockach: Archduke Charles defeated Jourdan's Army of the Danube; Jourdan resigned.
• 5 Apr 1799, Battle of Magnano: Kray beat Scherer near Verona; Scherer was replaced by Moreau.
• 16 Apr 1799, Battle of Mount Tabor: Kleber's 2,000 held a square against some 25,000 Ottomans until Bonaparte arrived and routed them.
• 27 Apr 1799, Battle of Cassano: Suvorov defeated Moreau on the Adda; Milan fell on 28 Apr and Serurier's division surrendered at Verderio.
• 17 Jun 1799, Battle of the Trebbia: Suvorov beat Macdonald's Army of Naples in three days, ending French control of central and southern Italy.
• 25 Jul 1799, Battle of Abukir (land): Bonaparte annihilated an Ottoman army landed by the Royal Navy; his last victory in Egypt before returning to France.
• 15 Aug 1799, Battle of Novi: Suvorov routed Joubert's Army of Italy (Joubert killed); Italy was lost except Genoa.
• 23 Aug 1799, Bonaparte leaves Egypt: With Berthier, Murat, Lannes and Monge he sailed in secret on the frigate Muiron, leaving Kleber in command.
• 19 Sep 1799, Battle of Bergen: Brune's Franco-Batavian army repulsed the Anglo-Russian attack in North Holland; the Allies later withdrew under the Convention of Alkmaar (18 Oct). Casualty figures disputed.
• 25 Sep 1799, Second Battle of Zurich: Massena crushed Korsakov's Russians, which forced Suvorov to retreat over the Alps from Italy.
• 6 Oct 1799, Battle of Castricum: Brune and Daendels beat the Duke of York; the Anglo-Russian expedition to Holland ended.
• 10 Nov 1799, Coup of 18 Brumaire: After landing at Frejus on 9 Oct, Bonaparte with Sieyes overthrew the Directory at Saint-Cloud on 9-10 Nov; the Consulate was set up, First Consul from 13 Dec.
• 20 Mar 1800, Battle of Heliopolis: Kleber with about 10,000 beat 30,000 Ottomans near Cairo and recaptured the city from the rebels.
• 6 Apr 1800, Siege of Genoa: Massena held the city under Austrian siege and British blockade until famine forced his surrender, which gave Bonaparte time to cross the Alps.
• 5 May 1800, Battle of Messkirch: Moreau's Army of the Rhine beat Kray in Swabia; Stockach and Biberach followed.
• 9 Jun 1800, Battle of Montebello: Lannes beat Ott's corps near Casteggio, five days before Marengo (French losses 600-3,000 depending on source).
• 14 Jun 1800, Battle of Marengo: Melas surprised Bonaparte's Army of the Reserve, which was saved late in the day by Desaix (killed) and Kellermann's cavalry; Austria agreed to evacuate Italy west of the Mincio.
• 14 Jun 1800, Assassination of Kleber: Kleber was stabbed in Cairo by a Syrian student; Menou took command of the army in Egypt.
• 3 Dec 1800, Battle of Hohenlinden: Moreau routed Archduke John in a forest near Munich; the road to Vienna was open and Austria sued for armistice (Steyr 25 Dec).
• 25 Dec 1800, Battle of Pozzolo: Brune forced the Mincio crossing against Bellegarde; Armistice of Treviso followed on 16 Jan 1801.
• 9 Feb 1801, Treaty of Luneville: Austria confirmed Campo Formio and ceded the whole left bank of the Rhine; the Batavian, Helvetic, Cisalpine and Ligurian republics were guaranteed.
• 21 Mar 1801, Battle of Alexandria: Abercromby's British (Abercromby mortally wounded) defeated Menou's Army of the Orient; British-Ottoman forces later took Cairo (27 Jun) and Alexandria (2 Sep).
• 28 Mar 1801, Treaty of Florence: Naples cedes Piombino and the Presidi, closes its ports to Britain and admits French garrisons in Apulia.
• 2 Apr 1801, Battle of Copenhagen: Parker and Nelson attacked the Danish line to break the League of Armed Neutrality, a week after Tsar Paul's death (23 Mar). Danish casualties in the france column; Denmark was not at war with Britain's allies but was Britain's target.
• 6 Jul 1801, Battle of Algeciras: Linois's French squadron under Spanish shore batteries repulsed Saumarez, who lost HMS Hannibal; Saumarez won the second action on 12 Jul.
• 2 Sep 1801, Capitulation of Alexandria: Menou capitulated; British ships carried some 10,000 French back to France.
• 25 Mar 1802, Treaty of Amiens: Britain gave back almost all its colonial conquests except Trinidad and Ceylon; France evacuated Naples and the Papal States; the peace lasted 14 months.
• 2 Aug 1802, Napoleon made Consul for Life: A plebiscite confirmed Bonaparte First Consul for life; annexations of Elba (26 Aug) and Piedmont (11 Sep) followed.
• 18 May 1803, Britain declares war; Hanover occupied: Britain declared war on France on 18 May 1803; Mortier invaded Hanover and the Convention of Artlenburg (5 Jul) disbanded the Hanoverian army. The Army of England began to gather at Boulogne.
• 21 Mar 1804, Execution of the duc d'Enghien: Seized in Baden on Napoleon's order and shot in the moat of Vincennes; the act shocked Europe's courts.
• 2 Dec 1804, Coronation of Napoleon as Emperor: Proclaimed Emperor on 18 May 1804, Napoleon crowned himself and Josephine in Notre-Dame in the presence of Pius VII.
• 26 May 1805, Napoleon crowned King of Italy; Genoa annexed: Napoleon was crowned with the Iron Crown at Milan Cathedral; Eugene de Beauharnais became viceroy; the Ligurian Republic was annexed by decree on 4 Jun.
• 4 Jun 1805, Genoa annexed: The Ligurian Republic is annexed to France as three departments.
• 22 Jul 1805, Battle of Cape Finisterre: Calder's British squadron fought Villeneuve's Franco-Spanish fleet in fog; two Spanish ships were captured, but Villeneuve's retreat to Cadiz ended Napoleon's invasion plan.
• 17 Oct 1805, Capitulation of Ulm: Napoleon's Grande Armee encircled Mack's Austrians by a wide flank march through Swabia; after Elchingen (14 Oct) Mack capitulated and about 27,000 men marched out on 20 Oct.
• 21 Oct 1805, Battle of Trafalgar: Nelson (killed) with 27 ships beat Villeneuve and Gravina's 33 Franco-Spanish ships off Cape Trafalgar, ending any chance of a French invasion of Britain.
• 11 Nov 1805, Battle of Dürenstein: Kutuzov's Russians trapped Gazan's division of Mortier's corps on the Danube; the French escaped but lost heavily.
• 13 Nov 1805, French enter Vienna: Murat, Lannes and Bertrand tricked the Austrian guard into surrendering the Tabor bridge; Vienna fell without a shot and Napoleon quartered at Schönbrunn.
• 2 Dec 1805, Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon feigned weakness on the right, let the Allies strip the Pratzen Heights and split their centre; Alexander I and Francis II's Russo-Austrian army was crushed on the first anniversary of the coronation.
• 26 Dec 1805, Peace of Pressburg: Austria ceded Venetia, Istria, Dalmatia and Tyrol; Bavaria and Wurttemberg became kingdoms.
• 15 Feb 1806, French enter Naples: Joseph Bonaparte becomes king on 30 Mar after Ferdinand flees to Sicily under British protection.
• 26 Feb 1806, Siege of Gaeta: Massena besieged the Bourbon fortress under the Prince of Hesse-Philippsthal after Joseph's invasion of Naples; the garrison capitulated on 18 Jul.
• 30 Mar 1806, Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Naples: Ferdinand IV had fled to Sicily; Joseph entered Naples on 14 Feb and was proclaimed king by Napoleon's decree.
• 4 Jul 1806, Battle of Maida: Stuart's British expedition from Sicily defeated Reynier's French in Calabria; the victory fed a long insurgency (Calabria 1806-1811).
• 12 Jul 1806, Confederation of the Rhine founded: Sixteen German princes left the Holy Roman Empire under Napoleon's protectorate; Francis II abdicated as Emperor on 6 Aug 1806.
• 14 Oct 1806, Battle of Jena-Auerstedt: Napoleon destroyed the Prussian main army at Jena while Davout's lone III Corps beat Brunswick's main force at Auerstedt.
• 27 Oct 1806, Napoleon enters Berlin: Triumphal entry through the Brandenburg Gate two weeks after Jena; Frederick William III had fled to East Prussia.
• 21 Nov 1806, Berlin Decree (Continental System): Napoleon declared the British Isles in blockade and banned British trade across the Continent.
• 7 Feb 1807, Battle of Eylau: A bloody drawn battle in a snowstorm; Augereau's corps was destroyed and Davout's flank march saved the day; Napoleon withdrew to winter quarters.
• 19 Mar 1807, Siege of Danzig: Lefebvre's X Corps (with Poles, Italians and Saxons) took Danzig from the Prussians (Kalckreuth) before Russian relief arrived.
• 14 Jun 1807, Battle of Friedland: Napoleon caught Bennigsen with the Alle river at his back and destroyed the Russian army; the war ended within a month.
• 7 Jul 1807, Treaties of Tilsit: After meeting Alexander I on a raft in the Niemen, Napoleon halved Prussia, created the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Duchy of Warsaw, and made Russia an ally in the Continental System.
• 16 Aug 1807, Second Battle of Copenhagen: A British expedition (Cathcart, Gambier) bombarded neutral Copenhagen and seized the Danish fleet to keep it from Napoleon; about 195 Danish civilians were killed and 768 wounded, and Denmark joined France.
• 27 Oct 1807, Treaty of Fontainebleau (Spain, Portugal): France and Spain agreed to partition Portugal; French troops were allowed to cross Spain.
• 30 Nov 1807, French occupy Lisbon: Junot's army reached Lisbon after a forced march; the Portuguese court had sailed for Brazil the day before (29 Nov).
• 2 May 1808, Dos de Mayo uprising: Madrid rose against Murat's garrison; the revolt was crushed and some 400 were shot next day (Goya's Third of May), but it began the Peninsular War.
• 5 May 1808, Abdications of Bayonne: Charles IV and Ferdinand VII were forced to renounce the Spanish throne; Joseph Bonaparte was proclaimed King of Spain on 6 Jun.
• 19 Jul 1808, Battle of Bailen: Castanos and Reding forced Dupont's 20,000 to capitulate in Andalusia; first major defeat of a Napoleonic army in the open field.
• 1 Aug 1808, Murat king of Naples: Joseph goes to Spain; Joachim Murat is proclaimed Gioacchino Napoleone.
• 21 Aug 1808, Battle of Vimeiro: Wellesley repulsed Junot's attack near Lisbon; the Convention of Sintra (30 Aug) then returned the French army to France with its loot.
• 30 Aug 1808, Convention of Sintra: Junot's 26,000 men were evacuated from Portugal aboard British ships.
• 27 Sep 1808, Congress of Erfurt: Napoleon and Alexander I renewed the alliance with a parade of German princes while Austria rearmed.
• 30 Nov 1808, Battle of Somosierra: Polish Chevau-legers charged up the pass and took the Spanish guns, opening the road to Madrid.
• 4 Dec 1808, Napoleon retakes Madrid: After Gamonal, Espinosa and Tudela scattered the Spanish armies, Madrid capitulated on 4 Dec; Napoleon left Spain on 17 Jan 1809 and Joseph re-entered Madrid on 22 Jan.
• 20 Dec 1808, Second Siege of Zaragoza: Lannes and Moncey starved out Palafox's garrison street by street; about 30,000 soldiers and 34,000 civilians died, many of disease.
• 16 Jan 1809, Battle of Corunna: Soult attacked Moore's British rearguard (Moore killed) while it embarked; the army was evacuated.
• 21 Feb 1809, Zaragoza (second siege): Dec 1808-21 Feb 1809: Lannes takes the city; roughly 54,000 dead (garrison and civilians) by Wikipedia's tally, heavily disease.
• 9 Apr 1809, Tyrolean Rebellion: Andreas Hofer's Tyroleans drove out the Bavarians and beat French-Bavarian troops three times on the Bergisel (25 May, 29 May, 13 Aug); Hofer was shot at Mantua on 20 Feb 1810.
• 10 Apr 1809, Austria opens the War of the Fifth Coalition: Archduke Charles crossed the Inn into Bavaria without a declaration of war.
• 22 Apr 1809, Battle of Eckmuhl: After Abensberg (20 Apr) and Landshut (21 Apr), Napoleon and Davout defeated Archduke Charles's main army, opening the way to Vienna.
• 13 May 1809, French enter Vienna (second time): After a short bombardment Vienna surrendered; Napoleon again made Schönbrunn his headquarters.
• 17 May 1809, Rome and the Papal States annexed: Napoleon decreed the annexation of the Papal States from Schönbrunn; Pius VII excommunicated him and was arrested on 6 Jul.
• 21 May 1809, Battle of Aspern-Essling: Napoleon's first defeat in a pitched battle: Archduke Charles stopped the crossing of the Danube at Lobau when the bridges broke; Marshal Lannes was mortally wounded.
• 6 Jun 1809, Siege of Girona: Verdier and Augereau besieged Alvarez's garrison for seven months before starvation forced surrender.
• 5 Jul 1809, Battle of Wagram: After crossing the Danube from Lobau in a night operation, Napoleon beat Archduke Charles after two days of the largest battle of the wars to that date; the Austrians retreated at Znaim.
• 27 Jul 1809, Battle of Talavera: Wellesley and Cuesta held off Victor and Jourdan (Joseph present) but had to retreat into Portugal after Soult threatened their rear.
• 30 Jul 1809, Walcheren Campaign: A huge British expedition (Chatham) took Flushing but was stricken by Walcheren fever, losing thousands of men, and withdrew.

72 more events in the text version.

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