Conflict with Britain

UK naval war resumed with France in April 1803. Until 1805 only Napoleon had to battle against the British. This year, Russia, Sweden, Austria and Naples joined Britain in the third anti-French coalition. To attack England, the problem was the same in 1798: to cross the Channel, the French had to take control of the sea. Napoleon dismissed his plan to invade England in an attack consisting of 2,000 ships between Brest and Antwerp and the concentration of the Grande Armée in the field of Boulogne (1803). Well below the British Navy, the French fleet needed the help of the Spanish, and even the two fleets together could not hope to defeat more than one of the British squad. Spain was induced to declare war on England in December 1804 and decided that the Spanish and French squadrons concentrated in the West Indies put a trap as a decoy, attracting a British squadron to the waters in order to balance the forces between Franco-Spanish vessel and the British. A battle at the entrance to the Canal could then fight with chances of success. The plan failed after the dramatic naval defeat of Trafalgar, where the British fleet commanded by Admiral Nelson destroyed much of the fleets of France and Spain and led his armies against the Austro-Russian forces, which defeated at the Battle of Austerlitz December 2, 1805. Conquered the kingdom of Naples in 1806 and appointed King to his brother, Joseph, was proclaimed King of Italy (1805), broke the United Provinces, which in 1795 was incorporated as Batavian Republic, and founded the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to face which stood to his brother Louis, and established the Confederation of the Rhine, which brought most of the German states which remained under his protection. Prussia and Russia forged a new alliance (Fourth Coalition) and attacked the confederation. Napoleon defeated the Prussian army at Jena and Auerstädt (1806) and the Russian Friedland. In July of 1807 established the Treaty of Tilsit with Tsar Alexander I fell on the territory of Prussia. In addition, Westphalia, ruled by his brother Jerome, and the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and other states became part of the Empire. Having failed to defeat the British militarily, Napoleon imposed the embargo on British goods in order to ruin their trade. Portugal was one of the nations that has refrained from blocking, which is why Napoleon sought an alliance with Spain to invade Portugal. Due to the Spanish military weakness at the moment and after the loss of his fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, was signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau, where Napoleon was allowed to enter Spain with his army to defeat Portugal and close routes English trade. After crossing the Spanish border, Napoleon decided to include Spain in their empire. Napoleon himself commanded the forces that invaded Spain and defeated the army of this country. He also defeated the British army who came to the aid of Spain. Finally conquered Portugal in 1807 and in 1808 placed his brother Joseph on the throne of Spain, left Naples as a monarchy run by his brother, Joachim Murat. Following the departure of Napoleon, the Spanish people revolted, beginning the war between the French and Spanish troops (supported by Britain), taking a key role guerrilla struggle. This conflict was a major human wear (it is estimated 300,000 casualties) and cost for France. It is estimated that 10% of the casualties of both the Spanish and French side during the two sites to the city of Zaragoza, between June 15, 1808 and February 21, 1809. Moreover, Austria broke the pact with France and Napoleon was forced to command their forces on the Danube and German fronts. At the Battle of Aspern-Essling (21 and May 22, 1809) near Vienna, Napoleon was about to lose his army, without the enemy does not achieve a victory. After a lull of nearly two months, the two armies clashed again, but this time the French defeated the Austrian army at the Battle of Wagram, the July 6, 1809. After this victory, France became the territories conquered in the Illyrian Provinces (now part of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro) and conquered the Papal States. After allying again with Austria, Napoleon married Marie Louise, daughter of the Austrian monarch, Francis I of Austria, which belongs to the house of Habsburg, once divorced Josephine because they can not give him an heir.With this link linking his dynasty with the oldest of the royal houses of Europe with the hope that his son, born in 1811 and who was awarded the title of King of Rome as the heir of the Empire, was better accepted by the ruling monarchies . The Empire reached its greatest extent in 1810 with the addition of Bremen, Lübeck and other parts of northern Germany and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, after forcing the abdication of his brother who had adopted the title of Louis Bonaparte.