2. The First Empire (1804-1815)
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon crowns himself emperor and launches additional expansion campaigns for his growing Empire. After occupying Vienna, Napoleon wins his most renowned victory over the Russians and Austrians in 1805. As the Empire and the Napoleonic Wars expand, more and more forces begin to establish themselves against the French Empire. In 1808, in an attempt to invade Spain, France is defeated for the first time in a country battle. Nonetheless, by 1810, Napoleon has control of nearly all of continental Europe. In June of 1812, Napoleon and his Grande Armée of 500,000 men enter Russia, destroying the land and forcing the Russians to retreat. However, after experiencing a massive famine and a disastrous defeat in Leipzig in 1813 that leaves 400,000 French troops dead and 100,000 imprisoned, Napoleon and his army are forced to retreat in October.
In 1814, various united European troops close in on Paris in an attempt to stop the expanding French Empire. Known as the "War of Liberation," Napoleon loses Paris and rejects any agreements to restore old boundaries. Napoleon is then exiled to Elba and Louis XVIII (Louis XVI's brother) takes the throne of France.
On March 20, 1815, Napoleon reenters Paris, forcing Louis XVIII to flee. Known as the "100 days" (March 20- June 28), Napoleon relaunches wars in an attempt to restore his own power and the prestige of the Empire. However, the Waterloo campaign of June 12-18 marks the last of the Napoleonic Wars. After 32,000 French casualties in Waterloo, Napoleon is forced back into exile on the island of Saint Helena until his death in 1821.
In comparison to the Restoration period that is to follow, the Empire is remembered for its overall economic expansion that particularly benefited the bourgeois, as well as its agricultural advancements for potato farmers, both of which were catalyzed by the Napoleonic Wars.