Napoleon, French Revolution & Spanish War of Independence

Napoleon's Rise and Fall (1804-1815)

Domestic Policy

Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France in 1804. He established the Civil Code, a set of laws that applied equally to all citizens. It introduced new legal concepts such as:

• Civil marriage
• Divorce
• Adoption
• State education

International Policy

Napoleon expanded his empire through numerous military victories over other European powers. He defeated all the countries allied against France except Great Britain. His power began to decline because he had to divide his forces between two distant fronts: Spain and the Russian Empire. Napoleon was finally defeated in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.

Consequences of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire

The main consequence of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire was the crisis and ultimate disintegration of the Ancien Régime.

Political Changes

• New forms of government, such as constitutional monarchies and republics, were established.
• New constitutions were based on popular sovereignty and the separation of powers.
• New constitutions established limited male suffrage and civil rights.
• Elections led to the emergence of political groups.

Economic Changes

• All citizens, including the nobility and clergy, had to pay taxes and contribute to the state's expenses.
• New laws guaranteed private property rights.
• Free trade was guaranteed, benefiting middle-class merchants.

Social Changes

Once the clergy and nobility lost the privileges they enjoyed under the Ancien Régime, the Estates System ceased to exist.

The Spanish War of Independence (1808-1813)

The Spanish War of Independence began on May 2, 1808, when the people of Madrid rose up against the French occupation. During this war, two important processes were taking place simultaneously: the war itself and a political revolution.

The War

• The Spanish won some battles, such as the Battle of Bailén.
• Cádiz was the only city that did not fall to the French.
• The French were defeated in 1813 thanks to the support of the British, led by the Duke of Wellington, and to groups of Spanish citizens who carried out guerrilla attacks.

Political Revolution

• Joseph Bonaparte, head of the French government in Spain, imposed the Bayonne Constitution. He had some Spanish supporters called afrancesados.
• The Central Council represented Fernando VII and coordinated local and provincial councils. For the first time, Spanish people had their own representatives.

The Cortes of Cádiz and the Constitution of 1812

The Cortes of Cádiz (March 19, 1812) produced the first Spanish Constitution, a victory of Enlightenment ideas over the Ancien Régime.

Constitution of 1812

• Established a constitutional monarchy as the form of government.
• Recognized popular sovereignty with limited male suffrage.
• Declared Catholicism as the state religion.
• Established the separation of powers into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.
• Guaranteed rights and freedoms, including equality under the law, the right to privacy, freedom of the press, and the prohibition of torture.