Page:Life of Napoleon Buonaparte.pdf/11

 crown of Naples, was bestowed on his brother Joseph, that of Holland on Louis, and that of Westphalia, on Jerome; the republican Lucien declining every gift of this nature.

In July 1806, he ratified at Paris the famous treaty of the confederation of the Rhine, in which he transferred to himself the preponderancy previously enjoyed by the house of Austria. In the month of September following the demanded from his new allies levies of men, and by his conduct in respect to Hanover, and his military movements, once more goaded. Prussia into the resistance of despair. A powerful Prussian army was again got together, and that wretched campaign ensued which ended in the decisive battle of Jena, fought on the 14th October 1806, the consequence of which defeat was more fatal than the defeat itself. A sort of moral consternation for mental paralysis followed; strong plates opened their gates while occupied by numerous forces, at the first summons, and entire armies submitted without a blow. In short, all the Prussian states were occupied in less than a month, and the Prussian family, especially the king and queen, were doomed to entertain a personal enemy, conqueror, and absolute dictator, very much like the most common of his courtiers At this time France might be said to be mistress of civilized Europe, with the exception of Great Britain, the result of which domination was the famous Berlin decree, in which all commercial intercourse with England was strictly forbidden; a vain but harrassing expedient, which was doomed in the end to lead to the demolition of the factitious power, which attempted it. The severe campaign against Russia succeeded, in which were fought the battles of Pultusk, and Friedland, and which ended in the treaty of Tilsit. This celebrated