Napoleon Bonaparte Dbq

Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader who rose to power during the time of the French Revolution. He eventually crowned himself emperor of France in 1804 after gaining political power. He showed many traits of Enlightenment ideals such as religious tolerance and rational government. When Napoleon rose to power many people supported his ideas and beliefs such as the Napoleonic Code and increased religious freedom throughout his empire, however as time went on and Napoleon’s empire grew, people including women and leaders of other countries began to realize the effect of Napoleon’s actions, causing them to perceive him differently.
One of Napoleon’s goals as leader of France was to expand his empire as far as possible. Napoleon stated

in the first document: “Soldiers, you are naked, ill fed! The Government owes you much… the courage you display in the midst of these rocks, are admirable” This source is from Napoleon’s Address to the Army at the Beginning of the Italian Campaign and it shows how Napoleon is appreciative of the effort of his troops during their conquest of Italy. This article was written in 1796, at the height of Napoleon’s power, when many people were in favor of his efforts. In addition, document 3 is also in favor of Napoleon. It is a painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps on horseback. In this painting, Napoleon appears calm yet ready for battle as he and his troops charge over the Alps in order to take Austria. The painter, Jacques-Louis David soon became Napoleon’s official court painter because of his depictions of the French leader. Similar to document 1, this painting was completed in 1800, the time of Napoleon’s expanding empire.
As time went on and Napoleon conquered more and more land, and instituted new laws, people became displeased with some of Napoleon’s decisions. Document 5 is another painting of Napoleon, however unlike in document 3, this work of art depicts Napoleon as a shorter and broader man. This painting is without color and within the painting Napoleon is not performing any heroic actions. The time of this painting was 1812, right around the time of Napoleon’s defeat in Russia. This loss eventually led to the downfall of Napoleon’s empire. Document 4 shows the beginning of Napoleon’s questionable actions. This document is an excerpt from the Napoleonic Code, which was a series of civil laws instituted by Napoleon himself. Chapter 6 of this code explains the rights and duties of married couples. The code states that women are to be submissive to men, meaning that women are obliged to live with their husbands, and women cannot plead in her own name, the authority of the husband in needed first. “The wife is obliged to live with her husband…The wife cannot plead in her own name, without the authority of her husband” (Document 4). Throughout history women had always been treated lesser than men, and it was very clear that this code was aimed toward the approval of men.
In addition to women, other countries were not fond of Napoleon.

During his reign, Napoleon was able to conquer most of Eastern Europe including Austria and Prussia. Document 7 shows Napoleon being forced to dance to the tune of the English in front of the Duke of Wellington. It can be seen that Napoleon is once again depicted as a short man, who was also looked down upon by other leaders. The Duke of Wellington seems to be taunting Napoleon because Napoleon was unable to conquer Britain, due to Britain’s superior naval power. This painting was from 1815, which was the time of Napoleon’s exile and the fall of his empire. This is most likely why Napoleon is being laughed at being made fun of by the Duke. Document 6 also depicts other countries’ views of Napoleon. Within the painting, Napoleon is blowing bubbles from his pipe with the names of certain countries on them. The top half of the painting is filled with bubbles, each one representing a country, while the bottom half of the painting shows Napoleon sitting down blowing the bubbles. This represents how many countries joined together to stop Napoleon and his conquest of Europe. Around the time of this painting, a treaty was signed between Russia, Prussia, and Austria joining the forces of the countries together against France. This ultimately led to the end of Napoleon’s empire, and his exile to St. Helena, where he lived the last few years of his

life.
In conclusion, the beginning of Napoleon’s reign was a time of expansion and great popularity for Napoleon. However, as time went on and Napoleon began conquering more and more land, the leaders of Eastern Europe became displeased with Napoleon taking their land. Napoleon also lost the support of many women because of the way they were treated within the Napoleonic code. Eventually, countries banned together to stop the rise of France and there was nothing Napoleon could to do stop the demise of his empire.