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Year 9

The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms

I can describe Napoleon's impact on France and the wider world after 1799.

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New
New
Year 9

The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms

I can describe Napoleon's impact on France and the wider world after 1799.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Napoleon seized power in 1799, failed to recapture Saint-Domingue and completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
  2. Napoleon made himself 'Emperor of the French' in 1804 and took on absolute power.
  3. Napoleon introduced the Code Napoleon in 1804 which replaced feudalism with a modern legal framework.
  4. Britain, France and Russia entered a military coalition against France in 1805 known as the Third Coalition.
  5. Napoleon conquered much of Europe and exported French laws and ideals to those territories.

Common misconception

Napoleon became Emperor of France after he seized power from the Directory in 1799.

Napoleon became First Consul after seizing power from the Directory, but did not crown himself Emperor of France until 1804.

Keywords

  • Consulate - a Consulate is a government normally ruled by more than one ‘Consul’ in a power-sharing arrangement

  • Emperor - an emperor is a ruler with absolute power, with control over an empire, which is usually a group of countries taken by conquest

  • Feudal - feudal describes the old French social hierarchy where the king owned all land and distributed it to those below him, who did the same for those below them, in exchange for work, money or service

  • Coalition - a coalition is an alliance between countries against a common enemy

Emphasise that Napoleon's military confidence both propelled him towards becoming ruler of France, but also helped to cause his demise.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What word is given to a leader of a republic who is often part of a power-sharing arrangement?
dictator
Correct answer: consul
king
emperor
Q2.
Complete the following sentence: "Napoleon was able to rise through the ranks of the French Army ."
slowly
Correct answer: quickly
eventually
immediately
Q3.
Put the following events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Napoleon joined the French Army.
2 - Napoleon became general of the French Revolutionary Army.
3 - Napoleon launched his Egypt expedition.
4 - Napoleon seized power from the Directory in Paris in 1799.
Q4.
Match the terms with their correct definitions.
Correct Answer:consul,leader of a Republic, usually as part of a power-sharing arrangement

leader of a Republic, usually as part of a power-sharing arrangement

Correct Answer:general,leader of the army

leader of the army

Correct Answer:emperor,a ruler with absolute power, with control over an Empire

a ruler with absolute power, with control over an Empire

Q5.
Put the events below into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Napoleon launched his Egypt expedition.
2 - Napoleon won a victory at the Battle of the Pyramids.
3 - Napoleon was forced to return to France because of French anger at the Directory
4 - Napoleon seized power from the Directory and made himself Consul.
Q6.
Which two of the countries below did Napoleon win victory over in Northern Italy?
Correct answer: Austria
United States
Correct answer: Sardinia
Scotland
Ireland

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Napoleon sold French land in America to the USA in 1803 for how much money?
$1.5 million
$5 million
Correct answer: $15 million
$150 million
$15 billion
Q2.
Put the following events in chronological order, starting with the earliest.
1 - Napoleon seized power from the Directory.
2 - Napoleon created a Consulate and makes himself First Consul.
3 - Napoleon failed to reassert French control over Saint-Domingue.
4 - Napoleon sold French territory in America to the USA (the Louisiana Purchase).
5 - Napoleon crowned himself Emperor.
Q3.
Complete this sentence: The Code Napoleon replaced France's medieval laws with a modern legal framework.
Correct Answer: feudal, Feudal
Q4.
The Third Coalition was an alliance of which three countries against Napoleon?
Correct answer: Austria
Correct answer: Russia
Correct answer: Britain
France
USA
Q5.
Match the events in Napoleon's life with the years in which they occurred.
Correct Answer:He seized power from the Directory.,1799

1799

Correct Answer:He sold land via the Louisiana Purchase.,1803

1803

Correct Answer:He attempted to control Saint-Domingue.,1801-1803

1801-1803

Correct Answer:He crowned himself Emperor.,1804

1804

Q6.
What were the ideals of the French Revolution that Napoleon was trying to spread?
Correct answer: liberty
Correct answer: equality
Correct answer: fraternity
conformity

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