Timeline - Brief

1769 back to top

• 15 August. Birth of Napoleon Bonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica.

1779 back to top

• 15 May. Napoleon enters the military school in Brienne.

1792 back to top

• 20 April. France declares war on Austria and Prussia. Beginning of the war of the 1st Coalition.

1793 back to top

• June. Napoleon and his family flee Corsica after a quarrel with Paoli and the nationalists.
• December. Battle of Toulon. Important victory marking the end of the Siege of Toulon and the beginning Napoleon’s meteoric rise.

1795 back to top

• 5 October (13 vendémiaire, an IV). Suppresses the royalist insurrection on the steps of the Église Saint-Roch. Seen as saviour of the Convention, and nicknamed " Général Vendémiaire".

1796 back to top

• 2 March (21 ventôse, an IV). Napoleon is promoted commander in chief of the Army of Italy.
• 9 March (19 ventôse, an IV). Marriage of Napoleon and Joséphine.
• 11 March (21 ventôse, an IV). Napoleon leaves for Italy.
• 15-17 November (27 brumaire, an V). Battle of Arcola. Victory.

1797 back to top

• 17 October (26 vendémiaire, an V). Treaty of Campo-Formio.
• 25 December (5 nivôse, an VI). Napoleon elected to the Institute.

1798 back to top

• 21 July (3 thermidor, an VI). Battle of the Pyramids. Victory.

1799 back to top

• 9-10 November (18-19 brumaire, an VIII). Coup d’État. Napoleon becomes provisional consul (the other two are Sieyès and Ducos).

1800 back to top

• 20 May (30 floréal, an VIII).Napoleon crosses the Alps at Mont Saint-Bernard.

1801 back to top

• 9 February (20 pluviôse, an IX). Treaty of Lunéville with Austria, ending Austria ’s involvement in the war of the 2nd Coalition.
• 15 July (26 messidor, an IX). Signing of the Concordat.

1802 back to top

• 25 March (4 germinal, an X). Treaty of Amiens with England, ending the war of the 2nd Coalition. Beginning of over a year of peacetime in France.
• 4 August (16 thermidor, an X). Constitution de l’An X.

1804 back to top

• 21 March (30 ventôse, an XII). Execution of the duc d’Enghien.
• 21 March (30 ventôse, an XII). Publication of the Civil Code.
• 18 May (28 floréal, an XII). Napoleon is proclaimed emperor.
• 19 May (29 floréal, an XII). Napoleon names the 18 maréchaux d’Empire ( Augereau, Bernadotte, Berthier, Bessières, Brune, Davout, Jourdan, Kellerman, Lannes, Lefebvre, Masséna, Moncey, Mortier, Murat, Ney, Pérignon, Sérurier, Soult).
• 2 December (11 frimaire, an XIII). Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine at Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris.

1805 back to top

• 17 March (26 ventôse, an XIII). Napoleon is crowned King of Italy in Milan.
• 21 October (29 vendémiaire, an XIV). Battle of Trafalgar. Defeat.
• 2 December (11 frimaire, an XIV). Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors. Victory.

1806 back to top

• 30 March. Joseph is named King of Naples.
• 5 June. Louis is named King of Holland.
• 14 October. Battles of Iéna and Auerstädt. Victory.

1807 back to top

• 7-8 February. Battle of Eylau. Partial victory.
• 14 June. Battle of Friedland. Victory.

1808 back to top

• 2 May. Madrid uprising against the French.
• 3 May. Brutal repression of the uprising in Madrid.

1809 back to top

• 22 May. Battle of Essling. Victory. Death of Lannes.
• 6 July. Battle of Wagram. Victory. Pius VII is arrested.
• 15 December. Divorce of Napoleon and Josephine.

1810 back to top

• 2 April. Wedding of Napoleon and Marie-Louise.

1811 back to top

• 20 March. Birth of Napoleon and Marie-Louise’s son, the King of Rome.

1812 back to top

• 24 June. Napoleon and the Grande Armée cross the Niemen. Beginning of the Russian Campaign.
• 14 September. Entry of Napoleon into Moscow.
• 15-16 September. Burning of Moscow.
• 26-28 November. Battle of the Berezina. Defeat.

1813 back to top

• 21 June. Battle of Vittoria. Defeat. The Empire loses Spain.
• 16-19 October. Battle of Leipzig, also called ‘Battle of the Nations'. Defeat. The Empire loses Germany.

1814 back to top

• 6 April. Napoleon’s unconditional abdication.
• 4 May. Napoleon leaves for Elba.
• 30 May. Treaty of Paris.

1815 back to top

• 26 February. Napoleon escapes from Elba. Beginning of the Hundred Days.
• 18 June. Battle of Waterloo. Defeat.
• 18 June. Battle of Wavre. Victory.
• 22 June. Napoleon abdicates and leaves for Saint Helena.
• 20 November. Second Treaty of Paris.

1821 back to top

• 5 May. Death of Napoleon. His last words were: “À la tête de l’armée.”