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Napoleonic Wars: Quick Facts

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Facts

Date c. 1801 - 1815
Location Europe
Participants Austria • France • Ottoman Empire • Portugal • Prussia • Russia • Spain • United Kingdom
Context British Empire

Did You Know?

  • The wars initially raised enlistment rates in Britain because of both increased patriotism in the face of Napoleons possible invasion and increased poverty due to higher taxation and food costs.
  • Napoleon watched the Battle of Waterloo from an armchair on the sidelines, unable to sit in a saddle because of his hemorrhoids.
  • During his reign, Napoleon reinstated the French aristocracy, which had been eradicated during the French Revolution.

Photos and Videos

Napoleonic Wars
Map of Europe in 1812 showing the greatest territorial extent of the Napoleonic Empire. The French Empire is highlighted in brown, surrounded by green areas representing states under Napoleon's control, purple for states allied with Napoleon, and orange for states opposed to Napoleon. Major countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Russian Empire, Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Prussia, and Spain, are labeled with color coding to indicate their alignment or control.
Napoleon and his generals
Painting by Antoine-Jean Gros of Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul, wearing a red and gold uniform, standing beside a table with documents and a quill.
André Masséna, duc de Rivoli
Marshal Suchet
Victor Moreau
Lithograph portrait of Joachim Murat in an elaborate military uniform with epaulettes and medals, facing forward with a neutral expression.
Paul, emperor of Russia
Horatio Nelson
The True Story of Napoleon Bonaparte
See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

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Timeline

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Battle of Lodi
May 10, 1796
The Battle of the Pyramids
Battle of the Pyramids
July 21, 1798
Nile, Battle of the
Battle of the Nile
August 1, 1798
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War of the Oranges
April 1801 - June 1801
Battle of Copenhagen (1801)
Battle of Copenhagen
April 2, 1801
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Treaty of Amiens
March 27, 1802
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Battle of Ulm
September 25, 1805 - October 20, 1805
John Christian Schetky: The Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
October 21, 1805
Painting by Antoine-Jean Gros showing Napoleon I and Francis II meeting after the Battle of Austerlitz, with both figures in military dress and soldiers, horses, and smoke in the background.
Battle of Austerlitz
December 2, 1805
Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth
Battle of Santo Domingo
February 6, 1806
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Battle of Jena
October 14, 1806
Napoleon on the Battlefield at Eylau, February 1807
Battle of Eylau
February 7, 1807 - February 8, 1807
Ernest Meissonier: 1807, Friedland
Battle of Friedland
June 14, 1807
The Battle of Copenhagen
Battle of Copenhagen
August 15, 1807 - September 7, 1807
On May 2, 1808, by Francisco de Goya
Dos de Mayo Uprising
May 2, 1808
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, stands among British soldiers as the French flag is lowered and the Union Jack is raised at Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War.
Peninsular War
May 5, 1808 - March 1814
The Battle of Wagram, 7 July 1809
Battle of Wagram
July 5, 1809 - July 6, 1809
The Battle of Grand Port
Battle of Grand Port
August 22, 1810 - August 29, 1810
Peninsular War
Siege of Badajoz
March 16, 1812 - April 6, 1812
The Battle of Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk
August 16, 1812 - August 18, 1812
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Battle of Dresden
August 26, 1813 - August 27, 1813
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Battle of Leipzig
October 16, 1813 - October 19, 1813
Arthur Wellesley, The 1st Duke of Wellington
Battle of Toulouse
April 10, 1814
Historical battle map showing troop positions at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, near Brussels, Belgium. Red lines represent Anglo-Dutch infantry and cavalry under Wellington, positioned north of French forces. Blue lines show French infantry and cavalry under Napoleon, with both armies facing each other across a central road. Key locations like Chateau de Goumont (Hougoumont) and Plancenoit are labeled, and an inset map highlights the location within present-day Belgium and Europe.
Battle of Waterloo
June 18, 1815

Key People

Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Napoleon I
emperor of France
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt, the Younger
prime minister of United Kingdom
Lord Nelson, detail of an oil painting by J.F. Rigaud; in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Eng.
Horatio Nelson
British naval commander
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington
prime minister of Great Britain
Klemens von Metternich
Klemens von Metternich
Austrian statesman
Alexander I
Alexander I
emperor of Russia
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Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh
Irish statesman
Fredric Westin: portrait of Charles XIV John
Charles XIV John
king of Sweden and Norway
Karl August, Fürst von Hardenberg
Karl August von Hardenberg
Prussian statesman
José de San Martín
José de San Martín
Argentine revolutionary
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Prussian general
George Canning, painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence and Richard Evans; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
George Canning
British statesman
Sir John Franklin
Sir John Franklin
English explorer
Lithograph portrait of Joachim Murat in an elaborate military uniform with epaulettes and medals, facing forward with a neutral expression.
Joachim Murat
king of Naples
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Manuel de Godoy
prime minister of Spain
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
French general [1762–1806]
Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme Bonaparte
king of Westphalia
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Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve
French admiral
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Dominique-René Vandamme, count of Unebourg
French general
Henri, baron de Jomini
Henri, baron de Jomini
French general and historian

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