Knowledge Check: Napoleon & France Flashcards
(116 cards)
1
Q
When did the ‘Infernal Machine’ take place? What was this?
A
- 24th December 1800
- Plot to assassinate Napoleon
- A barrel filled with gunpowder was exploded as his carriage passes when on his way to a gala performance.
2
Q
How many people were killed or wounded as part of the ‘Infernal Machine’?
A
52 people were killed or wounded as part of the ‘Infernal Machine’.
3
Q
What was the turnout of the 1800 plebiscite? What % of people voted in favour of this?
A
- The 1800 plebiscite had a turnout of 25%
- 99.94% of voters supporting the measures.
4
Q
What % did Lucien Bonaparte adjust 1800 plebiscite turnout to, and why?
A
46% to strengthen support and legitimacy for Napoleon’s Consulate.
5
Q
When did the ‘Dagger Conspiracy’ take place? What group was behind this?
A
- October 1800
- A group of Jacobins attempting to assassinate Napoleon.
6
Q
Who was Napoleon’s first Minister of Justice?
A
Cambaceres
7
Q
Who was his first Minister for Police?
A
Fouche
8
Q
Why were his first appointments of Minister of Justice & Police significant?
A
- Prominent supporters of Napoleon
- He was virtually guaranteed of loyalty from within his own government.
9
Q
How many Jacobins were deported to the Seychelles or Guiana in 1801? - Impacts of Napoleon’s Rule on France
A
129 Jacobins were deported to the Seychelles or Guiana in 1801.
10
Q
In 1800, how many rebels in Brittany were taken? How many were shot?
A
In 1800 in Brittany, 6000 Chouan rebels were taken, with 750 shot.
11
Q
How many assassination attempts did Pichegru coordinate against Napoleon between what years?
A
2 assassination attempts between 1800 and 1804.
12
Q
Why was the duc d’Enghien regarded with suspicion by Napoleon?
A
He was said to have been in contact with emigrees and royalists, in addition to recieving funds from England.
13
Q
What action was taken against the duc d’Enghien to end his threat?
A
He was kidnapped as part of a plot by Napoleon, with him eventually being executed as a result of his supposed crimes.
- Executed on 20th March 1804
14
Q
Why were Madame de Stael and Benjamin Constant a threat to Napoleon?
A
Their salon hosting gatherings which resembled a liberal resistance group.
15
Q
What action was take against Madame de Stael and Benjamin Constant?
A
They were banished to a distance of 64km from Paris.
16
Q
What was Amalgame?
A
Napoleon’s policy of attempting to end the Ancien Regime’s social divisions by reconciling the old nobility with new ruling elites.
17
Q
What was Ralliement?
A
Napoleon’s policy of uniting all factions within France around his new regime.
18
Q
When was Napoleon offered the position of ‘Consul for Life’? What benefits came from this position?
A
- 1802
- Granted him the right to name his heir and serve until his death (contrary to the previous limit of 10 years in a post).
19
Q
What did the Constitution of Year X change in terms of Napoleon’s position and elections?
A
- Approved in 1802
- Made Napoleon Consul for Life and altered electoral requirements so that only those from the leading 600 taxpayers in each département could be placed on the departmental list.
20
Q
What % of people voted in the plebiscite on the Constitution of Year X? What % of voters approved this?
A
- 50.5% of people voted in the plebiscite on the Constitution of Year X.
- 99.76% of voters approved the changes.
21
Q
When did Napoleon establish Emperor status for himself? What reasoning was there behind this (supposed/reality)?
A
- 1804
- Supposedly coming after advice from his counsellors and following the pressure of public opinion.
- Reality due to the resumption of the war and the threat of Royalist revolts to Napoleon’s power.
22
Q
When was the Constitution of Year XII passed? What changes did this approve?
A
-1804
- Approving Napoleon being designated as Emperor of the French, creating the French Empire.
23
Q
What % of voters voted on the Constitution of Year XII? What % approved the changes?
A
- 47.2% of voters voted on the Constitution of Year XII
- 99.93% of those voting approving this.
24
Q
When was the motion for Napoleon to be declared as Emperor of the French approved by Senate and when was it approved by plebiscite?
A
- Senate: 18th May 1804
- Plebiscite: November 1804
25
What was significant about the ceremony of Napoleon being consecrated as Emperor of the French?
Napoleon had requested the Pope’s attendance at this ceremony, yet did not allow the Pope to crown him, doing this himself. He then later crowned Josephine.
26
When did Napoleon begin to block the wishes of the Tribunate and Legislative bodies? What measure was used for this?
-1801
- This was done through the use of senatus consultum, which allows him to override the wishes of these 2 bodies.
27
Between which dates did Napoleon purge the Senate, Tribunate and Legislative Body?
Between January and March 1802
28
How many people did Napoleon remove from the Tribunate and the Legislative Body?
- Removed 20 from the Tribunate
- Removed 60 from the Legislative Body
29
What did he split the Tribunate into?
He split the Tribunate into 3 to diminish its influence.
30
When did Napoleon abolish the Tribunate?
1810
31
When did the Legislative Body cease to meet?
1813
32
What example is there of an individual advancing their social status under Napoleon?
- General Augerau
- Born the son of a Parisian fruit seller.
- Became a member of the imperial nobility, inducted into the Legion of Honour and a Marshal of France.
33
When did Napoleon establish the Legion of Honour?
1802
34
What was the Legion of Honour?
- Intending to utilise this to reward those who had been loyal to him and his regime.
- A system of titles and social privileges afforded to individuals
35
What did people recieve as part of the Legion of Honour?
- A salary
- A ‘star of the order’ bearing Napoleon’s head
- A sash
- A star adorned with an eagle.
36
How many Legion of Honour awards were given, how many to civilians, and which group got the most?
- 32,000 total
- 1,500 to civilians
- Most went to the military.
37
When did Napoleon begin to grant titles as part of the Imperial Nobility? Who were these titles granted to?
- 1804
-Initially granted to family members with his brothers granted princely titles
- Senior figures in the state, church, local administration and military later recieved these titles.
38
What % of Imperial Nobility titles went to military men?
59%
39
What % of Imperial Nobility titles went to Ancien Regime nobility?
22.5%
40
What was the size of the Imperial Nobility in relation to the Ancien Regime nobility?
1/7 of the size of the Ancien Regime nobilty
41
How was the awarding of titles different from the Anicen Regime?
Awarded as a result of service and value to Napoleon’s regime rather than due to birth or social status as took place under the Ancien Regime.
42
What reforms did Napoleon introduce to primary education?
- Introduced a state primary school in each commune, run by the local municipality.
- He was also willing to allow church and other private educational offerings on top of this.
43
What % of lycee places went to soldiers’ and civil servants’ sons, and what does this show?
- 40%
- Shows lycees were elitist and served Napoleon’s loyalists.
44
When was the Imperial University established?
1808
45
What were the role of the Imperial Univeristy?
Responsible for teacher training, the setting up of new schools, controlling the curriculum and inspecting schools.
46
Name 2 positive impacts did the Civil Code have for Women
- Marginally improved rights over property
- Granted increased access to divorce through divorce by mutual consent.
47
Name 3 negative impacts did the Civil Code have for Women
- Married women were unable to accept inheritance without permission of husband
- Women had to share profits from sold property with husband
- Women could not own land.
48
How many Parisian newspapers were cut from and to by Jan 1800 and 1801?
- 73 to 13 by January 1800
- Only 4 by 1801.
49
When did censors begin to be appointed to individual newspapers under Napoleon?
1809
50
What topics could/could not be discussed as part of censorship in newspapers?
No papers were allowed to discuss controversial topics
- Only allowed to publish official news sanstioned by ministers and military bulletins written by Napoleon himself.
51
When was a censorship board set up under Napoleon to reject or approve books for publication?
1810
52
What propaganda did Napoleon commission to glorify himself?
- Used art, sculptures and writing to honour his achievements and represent his glory.
- Included David’s painting of Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor, as well as ‘The Distribution of the Eagle Standards.’
53
How did Napoleon use architecture and rebuilding to glorify his regime?
-Built practical works: roads, markets, water systems
- Commissioned grand monuments: Arc de Triomphe, Arc du Carrousel, Temple of Glory
- Aimed to showcase the greatness of his regime
54
When did Napoleon decree that Sunday should become a day of rest respectively?
July 1800
55
When did Napoleon decree that churches could open on any day? - Impacts of Napoleon’s Rule on France
December 1799
56
When was Napoleon’s Concordat signed with the Pope?
15th July 1801
57
What did Napoleon’s Concordat signed with the Pope agree? (5 things)
- Ensured that the Pope was recognised as the head of the church
- The Pope recognised the new French regime
- Assurances offered over ex-church lands
- Napoleon continued to nominate clergy
- Catholic worship became freely available.
58
When were the Organic Articles published by Napoleon?
April 1802
59
What did the Organic Articles agree?
Government approval was needed before any Papal legate entered France or any document was published there
60
What impact did the Organic Articles have on religious minorities?
Ensured that religious toleration would be granted to France’s 700,000 Protestants and 40,000 Jews.
61
How did the official catechism damage Napoleon’s relationship with the Pope?
Stated that Napoleon was the agent of God’s power and suggested that the population should have feelings of duty, love, respect, obedience and loyalty towards him.
62
When was the official catechism?
1806
63
When was the Concordat of Fontainebleau signed?
January 1813
64
What did the Concordat of Fontainebleau agree?
- Agreed that the Emperor would control appointments of archbishops across the Empire and in the Kingdom of Italy.
- It also proposed the Pope resided in Paris.
65
Why was the Concordat of Fontainebleau limited in impact?
Never enforced
66
When was Napoleon’s Civil Code issued?
21st March 1804
67
What were terms of Napoleon’s Civil Code that reflected revolutionary changes?
- Abolished feudalism
- Removed church and noble privileges
- Created equality before the law.
- Confirmed the rights of biens nationaux owners.
68
What controversial gender aspects were in Napoleon’s Civil Code? (4 points)
-Fathers had full authority over children including imprisonment
- Women had restricted inheritance rights
- Divorce rights favored men
- Confirmed fathers as heads of families
69
When did Napoleon introduce a commercial code and what did this provide?
- 1807
- Guidelines for trade and business
70
When did Napoleon introduce a code for criminal procedure?
1808
71
What practices did the Code for Criminal Procedure permit?
- Maintained the use of trial by jury and the double jury system (until 1811).
- Permitted arrest without trial in certain circumstances.
72
When did Napoleon create a new penal code for punishments?
1810
73
What were the terms of Napoleon's 1810 Penal Code for Punishment?
- This determined that the death penalty was applicable for murder, arson and forgery.
- Maximum and minimum penalties could be created for crimes, rather than operating through the Ancien Regime’s fixed penalty system.
74
How did the Constitution of Year VIII affect appointment and terms of judges?
- Only local magistrates were elected by citizens
- All other judges appointed by Napoleon
- Most served for life; local magistrates had max 10-year terms
75
What were Napoleon’s prefects and their roles?
- The chief administrator of each département.
- Oversaw tax collection, conscription, agriculture, industry, commerce, public work and welfare/education.
76
What % of 257 prefects from 1800 to 1812 were previously involved with revolutionary governments?
68%
77
What were the gendarmerie and their tasks?
- Napoleon’s elite and professional police force made up of former army veterans with exemplary service records.
- They were tasked with everyday law enforcement, focussing on dealing with bandits, thieves, rebellions and violent crime.
78
What were the administrative police and what were its roles?
- Responsible for general surveillance on suspect individuals.
- They gathered information on troublemakers, rounded these individuals up and called up the gendarmerie to arrest these individuals.
79
How did the Administrative Police expand after 1810, and what did they do?
- Increased surveillance of political opponents
- Interrogated suspects
- Intercepted letters
- Exiled troublemakers
- Destroyed critical literature
80
How many people were detained in Paris’ prisons between 1810 and 1814?
4,500
81
Why did Napoleon need to maintain high taxes?
To finance the costs of the war.
82
What taxes did Napoleon maintain?
This maintained the land tax from the Directory and the tax on personal property.
83
When did Napoleon begin to draw up a new cadastre?
1807
84
What was the intention of Napoleon drawing up a new cadastre?
Intended to reassess the value of land in order to recalculate taxes that should be levied on an individual and an area more fairly and accurately to improve tax yields.
85
What fraction of the country had had their tax reassessed by the cadastre by 1815?
- 1/5 by 1815,
- Meant tax estimates were still wildly inaccurate at this point.
86
What tax was introduced on trade from September 1803 and what was the impact of this?
An octroi on goods entering and leaving an administrative area was introduced, causing the price of goods to rise.
87
What tax did Napoleon’s government rely on to fund war, and examples?
- Indirect taxes
- Applied to goods like alcohol, salt, tobacco, and playing cards
- Fell heavily on the working classes
88
When did Napoleon introduce a metallic currency?
1803 in order to replace previous volatile currencies.
89
What was the impact of this money’s weight in the new metallic currency?
The weight of this money directly corresponded to the value of the currency, meaning that this was much more stable than previous paper currency.
90
What action did Napoleon take with regards to paper money?
- Made paper money illegal tender
- Refused to honor inflated paper currency
- Only metallic currency remained legal
91
When was the Bank of France set up?
January 1800
92
What was the role of the Bank of France?
- Intended to provide credit for both government and entrepreneurs.
- It also produced a currency of gold and silver coins
- Allowed Napoleon to raise loans at a reasonable rate of interest.
93
What actions did Chaptal take as Minister of the Interior in order to improve France’s economic state?
- Established a Bureau of Statistics to gather data on industry, agriculture and the population
- Set up the Society to Encourage National Industry which held exhibitions on French industry and promoted this
- Established Councils of Agriculture, Arts and Commerce in every départements.
94
How many Chambers of Commerce did Chaptal set up across France?
23
95
By what % did France’s wool industry yield increase by from 1811 to 1812?
400%
96
How did the value of France’s exported silks increase from 1790 to 1812?
Rose in value from 26 million francs to 64 million.
97
How did Napoleon’s Civil Code disadvantage agricultural production in France?
Encouraged farms to be split up as a result of dividing property between heirs, with this resulting in French farms being split beyond the level at which they could be self-sufficient.
98
How did the war affect the types of crops farmers were encouraged to grow?
- Government encouraged replacement crops to cut reliance on imports
- Encouraged domestic production of cotton, coffee, dyes, tobacco, and sugar
99
When did Napoleon sell Louisiana to the USA? Why? For how much?
- 1803
- 50 million francs
- In order to finance the war effort and a proposed invasion of Britain.
100
When did Napoleon launch his ‘Continental System’?
1806
101
What was the aim of the Continental System?
- Act as a continental blockade of British trade by restricting Britain’s access to European markets.
- Subscribed to by both France and (supposedly) France’s allies too, or else they would risk being treated as enemies of France.
102
When was France forced to allow some unlicensed trade with Britain? What does this indicate?
- In 1810
- To raise funds and offset a decline in customs receipts
- Any attempt to isolate and restrict British trade with the continent was wholly ineffective.
103
When did expenditure begin to exceed income in France under Napoleon?
1806
104
When was the Constitution of Year X?
4th August 1802
105
Why were the soldiers not polled in the November 1804 plebiscite to make Napoleon Emperor of the French and what did the government do?
- 40% of the army rejected this proposal in 1802
- The government instead added in approximately half a million 'yes' votes on their behalf
106
Who was Empress Joséphine?
- The Empress of France from 1805 - 1810
- Her first husband was guillotined during the Terror
- Napoleon divorced her when she was unable to provide him with an heir
107
When and where was Napoleon's coronation as Emperor of the French?
- 2nd December 1804
- Notre Fame Cathedral
108
Who was Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria and why we she central to Napoleon's consolidation of power?
- Niece of Marie Antoinette
- Married Napoleon in 1810
- In 1811 they had the heir Napoleon II which secured the dynasty
109
Who was Charles Gaudin?
- Appointed by Napoleon as Minister of Finances 1799-1814
- He introduced new taxes and founded the Bank of France
110
Who was Barbé-Marbois?
Appointed by Napoleon to oversee the Treasury 1801-1806
111
Until what year, how much tax was raised?
250 million francs a year until 1813
112
What % of government revenue was raised from tax?
29%
113
By 1813 revenue from indirect tax accounted for what % of government revenue?
25%
114
When was the Franc de germinal first issued and each franc coin would weigh how much silver?
April 1803
- Each franc coin would weigh 5g of silver
114
What did the Franc de germinal give France?
The soundest currency in Europe at the time and was the basis of currency for the next 120 years
115
State expenditure rose as a result of increased military expenditure. How much did it rise from 1806 to 1813?
- 1806: 700 million francs
- 1813: 1000 million francs
