Conquests

The second coalition

Napoleon's victory in the campaign against the Austrians in northern Italy, ending the First Coalition. However, during his stay in Egypt formed the Second Coalition (December 24, 1798) composed of Russia, Britain, Austria, the kingdom of Naples, Portugal and the Ottoman Empire. The main battles of the war of the Second Coalition that began in late 1798, took place in northern Italy and Switzerland next year. The Austrians and the Russians, led by General Alexander Suvorov, defeated the French in northern Italy in the battles of Magnano (April 5, 1799), Cassano (April 27), the Trebbia (17-19 June ) and Novi (August 15). The Coalition also took Milan abolished the Cisalpine Republic, which had been formed under the auspices of the French government in 1797, occupied Turin and deprived France of its previous conquests in Italy.

The result of the fight in Switzerland was more favorable for the French. After being defeated in Zurich (June 7) by Charles of Habsburg, Archduke of Austria, French forces led by General Andre Massena defeated the Russian troops of General Alexander Korsakov on 26 September. Suvorov and his forces left northern Italy across the Alps to join Korsakov in Switzerland, where his troops had scattered after being defeated. Suvorov's army had to take refuge in the mountains of Graubünden, which was decimated in the cold and hunger. The Russians withdrew from the Second Coalition on October 22, citing as reason the lack of cooperation by the Austrians.

When Napoleon returned to France from Egypt in October 1799 became the leader of the Consulate and offered peace to the Allies. The Coalition rejected the proposal and Napoleon planned a series of attacks against Austria in the spring of 1800.Bonaparte walked into Italy across the Alps with a new army of 40,000 men and defeated the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo on 14 June. Meanwhile, French troops of General Jean Victor Moreau had penetrated the south of Germany, crossing the Rhine and taking Munich. Moreau also had defeated the Austrian forces of the Archduke of Austria John of Habsburg Hohenlinden battle that took place in Bavaria on 3 December and had approached the city of Linz (Austria).

French victories forced Austria to sign the Treaty of Luneville February 9, 1801, by which Austria and its German allies ceded the left bank of the Rhine to France and recognized the republics Batavian, Helvetic, Cisalpine and Ligurian also to make other concessions. Moreover, this treaty marked the dissolution of the Second Coalition. The only ally who continued the struggle against France was Britain. British troops had fought unsuccessfully against the French on Dutch territory in 1799, but had gained some French possessions in Asia and elsewhere. Britain signed the March 27, 1802 Peace of Amiens with France.

However, this peace was a mere suspension of hostilities. In 1803 there was a dispute between two countries with regard to the clause in the agreement providing for the return of the island of Malta to the Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Britain refused to surrender the island, so that a new war broke out against the French. An important consequence of this conflict was that Napoleon abandoned his plan to establish a large French colonial empire in North America, forced to concentrate their resources in Europe. So, he sold Louisiana to the United States. In 1805, Austria, Russia and Sweden joined the conflict in support of the British side, and Spain allied with France, this was the beginning of the war of the Third Coalition.

The Third Coalition

Napoleon was quick to take action against the new alliance. There was great pressure on Britain since 1798 to maintain an army concentrated at Boulogne, on the shores of the Channel, "which suggested to the British who was preparing an invasion of England. Bonaparte greatly increased the number of forces stationed in Boulogne when they began the strife that made the outbreak of war in 1803. Following the formation of the Third Coalition against France, his troops left Boulogne to meet the Austrians, who had invaded Bavaria with an army led by Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and General Karl von Mack Leiberich. Several German states, among whom were Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden, allied themselves with France.Napoleon defeated the Austrian forces at Ulm, captured 23,000 prisoners and then marched his troops along the Danube and conquered Vienna.

The Russian armies, led by General Mikhail Kutuzov and Alexander I, Emperor of Russia, supported the Austrians, but Napoleon defeated the Austro-Russian forces in the battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Three Emperors. Austria again surrendered and signed the Treaty of Pressburg on December 26, 1805. One of the clauses of the agreement stipulated that Austria would give France a zone of northern Italy and Bavaria part of Austrian territory, also, Austria recognized the duchies of Württemberg and Baden as kingdoms.

The Confederation of the Rhine

As the troops of General Massena had defeated the Austrian army commanded by Charles of Habsburg in Italy, Napoleon took the position to appoint his brother, Joseph I, King of Naples in 1806, also appointed another brother, Louis I Bonaparte, King of Holland (the former Batavian Republic), on 12 July established the Confederation of the Rhine, eventually formed by all German states except Austria, Prussia, Brunswick and Hesse.

The formation of this political entity ended the Holy Roman Empire and most of Germany was under the control of Bonaparte. However, the successes on the continent were largely offset by the defeat that the British Admiral Horatio Nelson inflicted on the combined force of French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar on October 21, 1805. Napoleon in 1806 introduced the so-called Continental System which ports across Europe were closed to British trade. The British naval superiority made it difficult to implement the scheme scuppered Continental and European economic policy of Bonaparte.

The Fourth Coalition

Prussia, to the increase of French power in Germany, he joined the Fourth Coalition consists of Great Britain, Russia and Sweden in 1806. Napoleon crushed the Prussians at the Battle of Jena on October 14 that year and took Berlin. He then defeated the Russians at the Battle of Friedland and forced to sign peace with Alexander I.

According to the principal terms of the Treaty of Tilsit, Russia had to surrender his possessions in Poland and an alliance with France, while Prussia lost almost half its territory, had to face a substantial compensation and imposed severe restrictions on the size its standing army. Russia and Denmark launched a military action against Sweden which led to his king, Gustav IV Adolf, to abdicate in favor of his uncle, Charles XIII, on condition that he appoint as his heir to General Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, one of the marshals Napoleon. Bernadotte was crowned in 1818 with the name Charles XIV Jean-Baptiste

- Bernadotte and was the founder of the Swedish current dynasty.