Hi there.

I'm Mr. Roberts and thanks for joining me for today's history lesson, where my job will be to guide you through our history resources.

I'll be making sure that by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely meet our lesson objective.

In this lesson, we'll be delving into the rise of Napoleon and his fight to defend the new French republic from other European powers who wanted to restore France's monarchy after the French Revolution.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to securely explain how Napoleon rose to power at the end of the 18th century, by which we mean the 1700s.

There are four keywords for us today, and those keywords are emperor, Directory, consul, and dictatorship.

An emperor is the absolute ruler of an empire.

The Directory was a name given to the group who controlled France in the period following the French Revolution.

A consul is normally one of two or more leaders of a republic who share power between them, and a dictatorship is another name for a country that is ruled by just one person with absolute power and authority.

Today's lesson is split into three parts, and we'll begin by examining the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte during the chaotic period following the French Revolution in the late 18th century.

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the French island of Corsica in 1769 to a family that was noble, but would not have counted amongst the richest in French society at the time.

He moved to France to gain a military education at the age of 10, and by the age of 16, he had joined the French army as an officer.

Now let's just quickly check that we have a secure understanding of Napoleon's early life before moving on.

Which of the below is the correct description of Napoleon Bonaparte's early life? A, he was born in Corsica, moved to mainland France when he was 10, and joined the Army aged 15, or B, he was born in Corsica, moved to mainland France when he was 10 and joined the Army at 16, or C, he was born in Corsica, moved to mainland France when he was 12, and joined the army at 16? Pause the video while you think about the possible answer and come back to the video and press play when you are ready to continue.

Welcome back and well done if you said correct answer was B.

It is true to say that Napoleon was born in Corsica, moved to mainland France when he was 10, and joined the army aged 16.

The story of his rise to emperor of France is one of the most remarkable stories in history.

He came to importance in the 1790s during the chaotic period immediately following the French Revolution where the new Republic was forced to defend itself against both French and foreign forces who wanted to restore France's monarchy.

During this time, Napoleon was able to rise quickly through the ranks of the French revolutionary Army with his exceptional strategic talents earning him promotions and opportunities to command large numbers of soldiers until he was eventually made a brigadier general in 1793 at the age of just 24.

Before we move on to our written task, let's answer the following true or false question.

Is it true or false that Napoleon was able to rise through the ranks in the French military quickly? Pause the video while you ever think about the answer based on what we've just been talking about, and press play when you are ready for me to reveal the correct answer.

Welcome back and well done if you said it's true that Napoleon was able to rise up through the ranks of the French army very quickly.

Now let's have a think about justifying our answer here.

Which of the following justifications is correct? A, is it true because his exceptional strategic talents earned him promotions and opportunities to command large numbers of soldiers, or is it true because B, the fact that he was born from a noble French family in Corsica meant that his rise to the top in the military was very easy? Pause the video and have a good think about which of these justifications is correct based on your learning so far, and press play when you are ready for an answer.

Welcome back and congratulations if you identified A as the correct answer.

Combined with the chaos of society after the French Revolution, Napoleon's exceptional strategic talents earned him promotions and opportunities to command large numbers of soldiers.

Now let's move on to a slightly more demanding task, but nothing too difficult.

Aisha has come to a judgement about Napoleon's rise to power.

She says, "The reason why Napoleon quickly became very important in the French revolutionary Army was because of his own exceptional talents as a military leader and strategist." Her judgement is a good one, but were any other factors involved? If so, what were they? Pause this video and make a note of your thoughts, or discuss them with a partner.

Press play when you are ready for some feedback.

Hello again.

Everyone will have likely written or discussed different things, but something you might have written or discussed may have included the following.

I think the French Revolution was also important because France faced military challenges from other countries.

That meant it needed exceptional military leaders.

If times had been peaceful, Napoleon might not have had the same opportunities to show his skills and talents.

So, to clarify, yes, Napoleon's talents played a part in his meteoric rise up through the ranks of the French army, but it is also true to say that there were plenty of command opportunities for him thanks to all the attacks that France was facing from other countries looking to restore France's monarchy.

We can therefore say that it was a combination of factors that propelled Napoleon to the top of the French military.

So now that we've gone into detail about the rise of Napoleon from his relatively humble beginnings in Corsica to how through a combination of his own military prowess and the chaotic circumstances following the French Revolution, propelling him through the ranks of the French military, we can now move on to the second part of today's lesson where we will be looking at what Napoleon was tasked with doing in order to fight for the French Republic and its revolutionary ideas during the 1790s.

One of Napoleon's most important achievements as general of the French Revolutionary Army were his Northern Italian campaigns in 1796 and 1797, battling against Austrian and Sardinian forces.

Both Austria and Sardinia feared the revolutionary ideas coming out of France and wanted to assert their own authority on the territories of northern Italy.

Napoleon, however, using his renowned military tactical genius, achieved comprehensive victories at Lodi, Arcole, and Rivoli.

These victories solidified the new French Republic's control over the region and prevented Austria and Sardinia from taking control of northern Italian territories that were close to France.

Napoleon's victories here also allowed French sister states, such as the Cisalpine Republic and the Ligurian Republic to be set up.

These new French sister states were based on the same revolutionary principles of freedom, equality, and togetherness that the new French Republic itself embodied.

Napoleon set up new governments and laws that aim to give people in these sister states more freedom and to treat them more fairly.

This demonstrates how Napoleon was able to defend the new French Republic at the same time as establishing new republics based on similar revolutionary ideals.

Now, let's make sure we secure our understanding of what we've just been discussing.

Out of the three opinions on the screen, which do you think is the most accurate based on your learning so far? Andeep says, "Austria and Sardinia's victories stopped Napoleon from gaining territory and stopped French sister states being set up." Jacob says, "Napoleon's victories stopped Austria and Sardinia from gaining territory close to France and allowed French sister states to be set up, and Sam says, "Napoleon's victories stopped Austria from ever attacking France again.

By securing territory in Italy, France was now safe." Pause the video while you have a think about whose opinion is the most accurate, and when you've reached a decision that you are happy with, return to the video and press play.

Welcome back and well done if you correctly identified Jacob's opinion as the most accurate.

Napoleon's victories did stop Austria and Sardinia from gaining territory close to France, and they also allowed French sister states to be set up along the lines of French revolutionary values.

Now let's do a written task.

I would like you to explain why setting up the Cisalpine and Ligurian Republics in northern Italy is a good example of Napoleon spreading revolutionary ideas.

Pause the video while you complete this task based on what we've just been talking about and press play when you are ready for a model answer.

Hello again.

I asked you to explain why setting up the Cisalpine and Ligurian Republics in northern Italy is a good example of Napoleon spreading revolutionary ideas.

Well done if your answer looked anything like the following.

Napoleon believed in liberty, equality, and fraternity, ideas from the French Revolution.

In northern Italy, he set up governments that aim to give people more freedom and treat everyone fairly.

This meant getting rid of old rulers and creating new laws that respected everyone's rights in these new sister states.

By spreading these ideas, Napoleon hoped to inspire a sense of shared identity and promote revolution in other European countries.

Well done for your efforts on that particular task.

Following his success in northern Italy in 1797, Napoleon's influence and fame was at an all time high.

The following year in 1798, he launched an ambitious expedition to Egypt, which was a key part of the vast British trade network at the time.

Napoleon wanted to continue to expand the influence of the New French Republic, increase his own reputation, and spread anti-monarchy revolutionary ideas all at the same time.

Napoleon was initially successful and swiftly achieved a decisive victory in the so-called Battle of the Pyramids.

The expedition to Egypt also had scientific and academic aims, with French scholars accompanying the military expedition in order to conduct important research into Egyptology, archaeology, and natural history.

Based on all this information, I'd now like you to decide which three of the options on the screen was Napoleon trying to achieve by his expedition to Egypt.

A, was he trying to increase his own reputation at home and abroad? B, was he trying to spread anti-monarchist and revolutionary ideas? C, was he trying to prevent Egypt from challenging France's authority, or D, was he trying to conduct important research into Egypt's history? Pause the video and select three answers, pressing play when you are ready to check them.

Welcome back and well done if you identified Napoleon's aims as A, B and D.

He was trying to increase his own reputation at home and abroad.

He was trying to spread anti-monarchy and revolutionary ideas, and he was trying to conduct important research into Egypt's history.

The expedition was not without its challenges, though.

Napoleon faced logistical difficulties in supplying his army and there were outbreaks of disease amongst his troops.

These challenges were in turn exacerbated by naval defeats to Britain, for example, at the Battle of the Nile, which led to Napoleon having to return to France in order to help stabilise a worsening political situation and secure his own position.

Now it's time for the second and third short writing tasks in this section of the lesson.

We've just heard how Napoleon had been successful in northern Italy and had managed to set up French sister states.

He then set his sights on Egypt.

I would like you to now explain the aims of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt and then describe the difficult circumstances towards the end of the Egypt campaign.

Pause the video while you complete these tasks, and then press play when you are ready for some model answers against which you can compare your answers.

Welcome back.

Firstly, I asked you to explain the aims of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt.

Well done if you included any of the following.

In 1798, Napoleon launched an ambitious expedition to Egypt to expand the influence of the new French Republic, increase his own reputation, and spread anti-monarchy revolutionary ideas.

The expedition to Egypt also had scientific and academic aims, with French scholars accompanying the military expedition so they could conduct important research into Egyptology, archaeology, and natural history.

I then asked you to describe the difficult circumstances around the end of the Egypt campaign.

Your answer could have included, Napoleon faced logistical difficulties in supplying his army and there were various outbreaks of disease amongst his troops.

These challenges were, in turn, exacerbated by naval defeats to Britain, for example, at the Battle of the Nile, which led to Napoleon having to return to France in order to help stabilise a worsening political situation and secure his own position.

Well done for all your hard work on all three tasks in this section of our lesson, as now we are in a great position to move on to the third and final phase of our lesson, where we look in detail at how Napoleon managed to seize power over France from the Directory, the group of people tasked with the running of the French state in the aftermath of the French Revolution.

The worsening political situation was to do with the political body in charge of governing the new French Republic after the French Revolution and the execution of King Louis XVI in 1793.

The Directory was the name given to this group due to the fact that it was their job to direct the governance, economy, and general goings on within France.

News of Napoleon's setbacks reached the people of France, who blamed the Directory and the freedom they gave Napoleon to wage war as he wished.

His military campaigns had also been expensive, leading to French economic instability and high levels of debt.

As a result, the Directory was struggling to provide for the basic needs of Francis population, leading to widespread poverty and anger aimed at the Directory.

Many of the French people believed that the members of the Directory were using their positions of power to enrich themselves while their people suffered starvation and hardship.

Strikes, protests, and riots became commonplace in Paris and other cities in France at this time.

It was a growing feeling that the Directory was betraying the original revolutionary ideals of freedom, equality, and togetherness, and that they were no better than the king had been under the Ancien Regime prior to the Revolution in 1789.

As a result, Parisians began to agitate for change in the French Republic's leadership.

Now, just to make sure we definitely understand what's going on here, I'd like you to complete the two sentences on the screen using the same word for both sentences.

Pause the video while you figure out which word would complete both sentences and press play when you are ready for the answer.

Welcome back.

Well done if you correctly identified that the word Directory would complete both sentences.

The Directory was struggling to provide for the basic needs of France's population, leading to widespread poverty and anger amongst the French people, and many of the French people believed that the members of the Directory were using their positions of power to enrich themselves while the people suffered starvation and hardship.

After Napoleon's return from Egypt in 1799, he plotted with army officers, politicians, and other key figures to take power himself.

In November of that year, he seized control of key government institutions in Paris relatively easily and dissolved the Directory.

He created a new form of government loosely based on the Rome Republic, where a group of politicians, known as a consulate, would govern under the command of three consuls, with Napoleon holding the most power as first consul.

This was initially presented as a power sharing arrangement.

However, Napoleon rapidly asserted his dominance and began to concentrate power into his own hands.

Napoleon had successfully created a military dictatorship where he now had absolute power, a position very similar to the one king Louis XVI had held prior to the French Revolution a decade earlier.

On the screen, you'll see a political cartoon from the time depicting the six stages of Napoleon's career in chronological order.

I have already labelled stage two and stage four.

Take your time now to see if you can work out which pictures represent stages one, three, five, and six, and return to this video when you're ready.

Hello again and well done if you correctly identified that picture one depicts Napoleon studying at the French Military Academy, and that number three depicts Napoleon becoming a general, and that number five depicts Napoleon abandoning his army in Egypt, and that number six depicts Napoleon becoming emperor.

Now, I'd like you to take some time to write a list in chronological order of the key events of Napoleon seizure of power after his Egyptian expedition.

The first one is done for you.

Pause the video and press play when you are ready for my list of events to compare yours to.

Welcome back.

It's worth saying here that everyone's list will probably look slightly different, but here are the main events in Napoleon's seizure of power after his Egypt expedition.

First, Napoleon returned from Egypt in 1799, then plotted with army officer, politicians, and other key figures to seize power for himself.

Then Napoleon seized control of key government institutions and buildings in Paris.

He then dissolved the Directory and finally created a new form of government, known as a consulate, eventually naming himself First Consul.

Well done if you manage to get any of these events.

And with that, we have come to the end of our lesson today.

All that's left for us to do is a summary of the key learning points.

We began by learning how Napoleon managed to become the most powerful general in the French Army, conquering northern Italy and establishing new states based on revolutionary principles.

We then learned that Napoleon had initial success in Egypt, but was forced to return to France due to naval defeats to Britain and Parisians being unhappy with the Directory.

Finally, we saw how Napoleon seized power in 1799, declaring himself First Consul and establishing a military dictatorship.

Thank you so much for joining me for our lesson today.

It's been a pleasure to guide you through our learning resources and well done for all your hard work.

I look forward to guiding you through future history lessons where we will be examining what Napoleon did as leader of the French Republic and how other countries responded to his expansionist ambitions.