Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/282

* NAPOLEON I. 240 NAPOLEON I. a French army uuder Junot occupied the coun- try with little trouble, the 2oyal family having already started for the New World to establish a temporary capital at Rio de Janeiro. The year ISOS witnessed the unfolding of Napoleon's designs against Spain. Gradually, in spite of all treaties, French troops were sent across the Pyrenees, where they quietly took possession of various fortresses. Spain was sutl'ering from the family troubles of the Bourbon monarch, and it suited Napoleon's purpose to make use of them and to order the advance of a French army under Murat toward lladrid. This move- ment precipitated the fall of the Bourbons. Charles IV. was compelled by a popular uprising to abdicate in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII. (Jlarch), and a little later father and son, at a meeting with Napoleon at Bayonne, were forced to renounce the Spanish throne. On June 6, 1808, Joseph Bonaparte was proclaimed King (if Spain. For an account of the struggle in Spain and Portugal, see Pemnsilar ar. In Austria Francis I. had called to ollice as his chief minister Count Philip Stadion. who, with the aid of Archduke Charles, devoted himself to the task of preparing Austria for another strug- gle with Napoleon. The misfortimes of Najioleon in Spain and the urgency of England, which offered liberal subsidies and active coiiperatiun, <ietermined the Austrians to try their fortunes once more in the spring of 180t). In .Xpril Ardi- <luke Charles opened the war liv invading Bavaria, "while another force under Archdid<e Jolm invaded Italy. Napoleon reached the scene ])rom])tly and in the five days' fighting (A])ril 10th-'23d) around Ratisbon completely defeated the Austrian jilan of campaign and forced Archduke Charles to retreat toward Vienna, which the victorious Emperor entered on May 1.3tli. He then crossed the Danube and attacked the .Vrchduke. who had taken up strong positions in the villages of Aspern and Essling. Two days of hard light- ing (Slay 21st-22d) failed to give Napoleon any decided advantage, and he found himself and his army practically prisoners on the island of Lobau in the Danube. With his accustomed vigor he ordered up reenforcements and reorganized the troops under him. On July 5th Napoleon left the island of Lobau and on the tith defeated the Archduke Charles in a great battle at Wagram. On October 14th was signed the Treaty of Schiln- brunn (q.v. ), by which Austria was forced to make large cessions of territory to the overhear- ing conqueror. From 1800 to 1812 the main strength of the French Empire was devoted to continiing the struggle in the Peninsula. A niimber of isolated events in other parts of Eu- ro]ie. however, made the period important. In pursuance of the Treaty of Tilsit, the Czar robbed Sweden of Finland (1808). and in the same year the French seized Swedish Pomerania. The next year the Swedish Kingdom was the scene of a revolution. Oustavus IV. was deposed and his tincle plaeerl on the throne as Charles XIII. Marshal liernadotte. the. brother-in-law of .Joseph Bonaparte, was elected heir to the childless mon- archy and intnisted with the govermnent of the kingdom. (See Ciiari.f.s XTV.) Denmark bad likewise heen rriarked to sufTer on behalf of Napo- leon's Continental System: but in this instance he was forestalled by Englaml, which seized the Dan- ish fleet in Seiitember, 1807. After the Treaty of Tilsit a kingtiom of Westphalia was carved out for Jerome Bonaparte in Germany, and numerous changes made in the Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon enlarged his own empire by the an- nexation of Tuscany (1807). the Papal States (180SI), Holland (1810), alais, and the German coastline to Liibeck (1810). He also kept the Illyrian provinces, which had been wrested from Austria, for himself. Naples was transferred to ilurat after the choice of Joseph as King of S])ain. Pojie Pius VII., the same pontilT who had conscerated Napoleon as lMii|ieriir in 1804, was carried away as a prisoner and kcjit in confine- ment. The new Cajsar nuist have an heir to his empire, and accordingly Josci)hine, to whom the Emperor was greatly attached, was divorced and a marriage arranged in 1810 with the Arch- duchess Maria Louisa of Austria, daughter of the Emperor Francis, who bore Napoleon one son. the King of Rome (1811). From Napoleon's policy England profited as much as did France, for the whole connncrce of the seas was under her con- trol and she had seized the colonies of France and all those of the countries under French con- trol or influence that she saw fit. During the years from 1809 to 1815 England furnished the inspiration and the sinews of war for every campaign against Napoleon, but it was only in the Peninsula that she was directly responsible for the conduct of the campaign, which was car- ried on with desperation on both sides till the French were driven beyond the Pyrenees in 1814. For three years after Wagram Napoleon did not in person conduct a single military operation. Family affairs and the administration of his great empire occupied all his attention. During these years many changes were taking place which presaged the downfall of the great con- queror. Austria was very cautiously strengthen- ing her position under the skillful direction of iletternich. The regeneration of Prussia mder Stein, Scharnhorst, and llardenberg is <me of the most notable events of the nineteenth cen- tury. Russia was never content with the French alliance, and the enforcement of the Continental System was causing great suffering and discon- tent, and the Czar Alexander was beginning to lose his enthusiastic admiration for Napoleon, who had ofTended him by concluding a matri- monial alliance with Austria without waiting for an answer to his ri'ijuest for the hand of a grand duchess in iiiarrinL'c. anil, most of all. by the annexation of Oldenburg to France. The es- trangement was increased by the Cirsarism of Na- poleon, who could no liHiger endure the existence of even a friendly rival. .Mexander, duly warned of Napoleon's intentions, turned to England and in 1812 entered into a close alliance with her. With Turkey be negotiated the Peace of Bucharest ( May 28th). and with Sweden not only |)eace. but alli- ance (.pril 5tli). Najiolcon left Paris early in >Iay, and went direct to Dresden, where he took care to bind Prussia, .ustria. and the other Ger- man States more closely to his cause. Then he entered Poland, where lie regulated the internal affairs and supervised the mobilization of his army. On June 22d he issiied a declaration of war against Russia. The passage of the Niemen was begim on .Tunc 24th, and by the end of the month Napoleon had 400,000 men across the Rus- sian frontier. The Czar had between 250.000 and .'iOO.dOO men under arms, but only about oTiehalf of this number ready to face Na))oleon under Bar- clay de Tolly and Bagration. who conducted a F.i-