Consul Bonaparte In 1789, the famous revolution that would shape the normal course of the whole world took place in France, and the absolute monarchy was destroyed in the post-revolutionary country. The desire of the French to spread many ideas arising from the revolution to Europe and the expansion policy immediately mobilized the great monarchies of the continent. This mobilization caused a coalition led by Britain, Austria and Prussia to start the Revolutionary Wars in 1792. 1800 Battle of Marengo
Coalition forces in this war, which lasted for about 5 years, They bowed to the French armies, which rose with the energy of the revolutionary enthusiasm, and talented commanders such as Napoleon Bonaparte. In the end, France had achieved great gains with the Campo Formio Treaty signed with Austria in 1797 and managed to dissolve the coalition and end the war with victory. The coalition had dissolved, but the war was still going on between France and England.
Although the Directory Government first wanted to land troops on the British Isles and attack their enemies, they were afraid of the cost and carried the war to the Mediterranean. In line with this decision, Napoleon Bonaparte, whom the people saw as the hero of the revolution, set off for Egypt in May 1798 with great hopes. While Napoleon was dealing with the invasion of Egypt, the air was starting to get hazy again in Europe, which had just entered an atmosphere of peace.
The French were not idle, they are strengthening their presence in the Italian peninsula, they were trying to export the new regime to neighboring countries and increase the number of satellite states affiliated to them. The British, on the other hand, are trying to gather the coalition that broke up after the defeat. States like Austria and Naples wanted back everything they had lost to the French. This tense environment in 1798 was conducive to the formation of a new alliance against France.
This time the alliance had two new members. What happened in Egypt and the Mediterranean naturally made the Ottomans a natural member of the coalition, and Russia, which was interested in warm seas, took its place against France. Like this; Along with Great Britain, German principalities, states such as Austria, Naples, Ottoman, Russia and Portugal established the 2nd Coalition. France, on the other hand, took its satellite states and Spain, though not de facto. Denmark, which appeared to be neutral, also hung on the French government. The war began with the actions of the King of Naples in November 1798. Let's see if France, who sows the wind, will reap its oven..
War; It witnessed battles on 5 main fronts, namely the Netherlands, Southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Egypt. In Egypt, the struggle of Napoleon against the Ottomans and the British was still going on. You can find out all the details of this expedition by clicking the card in the upper right. Situations on other fronts were as follows: The Netherlands, the Batavian Republic, was occupied by an army of British and Russian forces led by the Duke of York. In Italy, the French easily equaled the Kingdom of Naples and established their own satellite government in the country. But from April 1799 the defeats came one after another. The French were first defeated by the Austrians around Verona.
Then, the Russian army, which arrived in the region, inflicted heavy defeats on the French under the command of General Suvarov. At the end of the year, the French were thrown beyond the Alps. The French did not get what they wanted in Southern Germany. The allied armies under the command of Archduke Charles defeated the French repeatedly, forcing them to retreat with heavy losses. In Switzerland, too, control was lost and defeats followed. The results were the footsteps of disaster for the French government, which plunged the country into war and caused economic collapse.
The directorate administration was cornered, and the people's love and tolerance for the administration gradually decreased. The events led many opposition circles, especially the Jacobins and royalists, to heavily criticize and press the Power. Everyone thought that there had to be a change in order for the situation on the fronts to improve!! Although he was thousands of kilometers away from the capital, Napoleon, who followed the developments from Egypt, knew that he could benefit from the environment. Until now, thanks to his skill, he had always risen one step above the chaos.
Again, he made up his mind to take advantage of the chaos. In any case, things were not going the way he wanted in Egypt. He had captured Egypt, but while trying to advance, he was defeated by the Ottomans in Akka and was stuck with his army in Egypt. He left Egypt in August 1799 to pursue greater opportunities in his country, as there was no possibility of success here. When everything went bad, it was the allied powers that gave the French a respite.
When the disagreements between Britain, Austria and Russia were reflected on the front, French General Messena won the 2nd Battle of Zurich and captured the Swiss lands. In the north, too, Guillaume Brune forced the British and Russians to withdraw from the Netherlands. Napoleon, who came to Paris at that time, explained his departure from Egypt as "I came running to help my homeland", but he was saddened by the victories. Because he wanted to set foot in Paris as a “savior”.
Although the opportunity seemed to have been missed, the general situation was bad for France and this time Bonaparte started to chase opportunities by playing the "peaceful" role. It was certain that there would be change in Paris, but it was unclear who would do it and what would happen next.
0 Comments