head of Napoleon Bonaparte with a crown. The First French Republic imperceptibly betrays itself and becomes an Empire.
Bonaparte defeats the troops of the Third Monarchist Coalition at Austerlitz and distributes the kingdoms of Europe to his close and distant relatives. The battle of Preussisch-Eylau (near Konigsberg) with the combined German and Russian troops of the Fourth Coalition terrifies even seasoned military personnel. Losses of twenty-five thousand killed, a fighting draw and a temporary lull.
Portugal flatly refuses to take part in the blockade of England. Napoleon discusses with the Spanish king the transfer of his troops to the rebellious country. During the negotiation process, he unexpectedly declares the monarch and his son prisoners. An attempt to send young Spanish princes to France leads to a large-scale uprising and guerrilla war. The throne of the King of Spain is occupied by Napoleon’s brother Joseph.
Napoleon is also seriously quarreling with the Vatican. Bonaparte’s troops annex the papal possessions. The Pope, ousted from power, in turn excommunicates Bonaparte from the church (1809), which in no way contributes to the popularity of the emperor among Catholics.
The Russian campaign of Napoleon, in addition to the desire for fame, booty and new territories, is a reaction to the participation of Alexander the First in all monarchist coalitions against France. The exodus from Moscow along the already devastated path was marked by cases of cannibalism.
Battle of Borodino («Battle of Moscow»), 1812
Of the six hundred thousandth army, twenty-three thousand survive (excluding the prisoners, many of whom preferred the position of tutor). They take refuge in the allied Poland. The Emperor is gathering a new army. He manages to win a series of victories over the troops, which includes ex-allies from the German principalities of the Sixth Coalition. But, French soldiers, officers, even marshals get tired of fighting. After the unexpected surrender of Paris to the Russian troops, in the face of a full-fledged opposition, Napoleon signed an act of abdication. A moment later, he is again called «General Bonaparte.»
All the surviving royal men, led by Louis the Eighteenth, return to France. The place of the revolutionary officers is taken by the nobles who have come from nowhere. And, the coat of arms of the Bourbons – a red lion surrounded by blue shells, flaunts on official documents for a short time. Against the background of general discontent, Napoleon returned from the island of Elba, where he had an artillery battery, a battalion of guardsmen and ships for walks at his disposal. The emperor gathers an army from the royal military units sent to capture him.
After the disaster at Waterloo (it is wrong to sleep during a general battle and send the infantry to march on the cannons) there is still hope for the continuation of this whole story. With the remnants of the army and young recruits numbering one hundred thousand fighters, Bonaparte wins a series of minor victories and arrives in Paris. The workers support Napoleon, the bourgeoisie no longer. The Emperor never sought to rely on the French working class or the Russian peasantry in order to consolidate the gains, revolutionary in a good sense at first. In addition, having lost 1.2 million of its soldiers, 28 million France is simply bled out of blood. More and more allied troops are striving for Paris. Their number reaches one million. With two frigates, the emperor is trying to leave for America, towards new adventures. At sea, his ship is blocked by an English squadron. Napoleon surrenders to the British at the Bellerophon and, according to official history, ends his days on the island of St. Helena in 1821
…Napoleon François (1811 – 1832), aka «Eaglet», Napoleon’s son, the unloved child of Mary of Austria de jure rules 14 days, therefore it is officially considered Napoleon II. Presumably, the boy was poisoned by those monarchical circles to whom he caused a lot of trouble just by his existence.
Napoleon III, Charles-Louis (1808 – 1873) ends a short dynasty on a fairly high note. Son of the brother of Napoleon the First and stepdaughter of Bonaparte. The first president of the Second French Republic, then like his uncle – again, the Emperor of France. The nominal idea is «one rules at the will of the people.» In 1859, in a bloc with Sardinia and the Garibaldians, Charles-Louis took away the territorial Italian provinces of Nice and Savoy from Austria. With allied England, he made two unsuccessful attempts to capture Mexico. The monarch provokes a war with a united Germany in 1870, which entails the creation of the Paris Commune and the occupation of the country by foreign troops. Napoleon III dies in England, after a long stay in German captivity.
Dynasties of England and Great Britain
…After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Germanic tribes of the Angles and Saxons, under the leadership of the chiefs – kings, landed in England. The base of the conquerors is the southwestern part of England, almost the Wessex Peninsula. Local Britons, who had forgotten how to fight during the Roman rule, moved to the north of France. Or, having received the derogatory name «Curls», they remain in order to faithfully serve the foreign lords – the «bread lords».
…The Wessex dynasty ruled the kingdoms of foggy Albion from the eighth to the middle of the tenth centuries. The ceremonial alternation of local kings is interrupted by William the Conqueror, a native of continental Normandy. He breathes new life into the Norman dynasty. It was founded in 911 by the Norwegian Viking Rollon.
After a century, the Saxons lose their original extensive liberties and turn into villans performing unlimited duties. However, thanks to military service, some of them become free people, «Freemen» and «freeholders» – «free farmers».
In 1100, elected king with violations of the right of inheritance, to attract the sympathies of the feudal lords, the church and all how much influential free people, Henry the First presents the first edition of the Charter of Liberties. The obligations of the state and the individual, legal proceedings, taxes are streamlined. This proclamation is successful, overgrown with additions, up to the appearance on the throne of John Lackland (1199). The reforms of this monarch boil down to the establishment of royal tyranny, extortion for wars, sometimes not even begun, mind-boggling fines, and restricting the movement of the country’s inhabitants. In 1207, the monarch expelled the head of the Church of England, appointed by the Pope, and received personal excommunication. Unbaptized children, illegitimate marriages, have the right effect on the British. The top authorities are losing the fight against the Roman Church and the people. Thanks to this confrontation, by 1215, England becomes the first country of law and law on the planet.
The basis of English legislation to this day is the principle of the subordination of power to law under the threat of a legitimate armed rebuff from the people.
…Plantagenets. They have ruled since 1154. The most famous representative of the dynasty is Richard the Lionheart. In the third crusade, King Richard approaches Jerusalem, already determined to surrender. But, concerned about the internal political problems of his country, the king misses his chance.
About the Crusades themselves, we can say that for many reasons, their meaning and significance are denigrated. Before Catholic Europe reacts, the Arabs take over the originally Christian, Syria, Palestine and Egypt. Asia Minor and Spain fall into the shadow of the Islamic conquest. Units of knights and people’s militia stop this pressure.
Tombstone of Richard the Lionheart (1157—1119). «There are no knights. There is a trace of rust on the weapon. The souls of these warriors left the light»
The dynasties
