The First French Empire (I): The Beginning
The French Empire (French: Empirefran ais), known historically as the First French Empire (French: Premier Empire), was an imperial regime established by France on May 18, 1804. The period is divided into two periods: the first phase begins with the proclamation of Napoleon Bonaparte as "Emperor of the French" in the Constitution of the Republic (Constitution of 1804) to the first abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte on 14 April 1814, and the second from Napoleon Bonaparte's return to Paris on 20 March 1815 to the emergence of the "Provisional Government of France of 1815" on 7 July 1815. The First French Empire replaced the government of the First French Republic, interrupted by the First Bourbon Restoration, which Napoleon Bonaparte regained power in the Hundred Days, but was eventually replaced by the Second Bourbon Restoration.
The First French Empire was different from other forms of government in French history: first, in its originality, which created a novel political system for France, the Empire; and secondly, it was always at war, a series of wars known as the Napoleonic Wars, from 1805 to 1815, when it fought five consecutive battles against the French League. Through these wars, Napoleon conquered most of the European continent except Scandinavia and the Balkans, and reached its peak in 1812, when its territory stretched from Lisbon to Moscow. On the European continent, France's territory reached up to 860,000 square kilometers, including 135 provinces, such as Rome, Hamburg, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dubrovnik and other cities became the capital of France.
The achievements of the First French Empire on the European continent were reflected in a series of major military victories: the Battle of Austerlitz, the Battle of Jena, the Battle of Oelst, the Battle of Eylau, the Battle of Friedland, the Battle of Vagrland. The price was heavy casualties and the collapse of the colonial program: France lost 800,000 lives; the "First French Colonial Empire" ceased to exist; Louisiana was sold; Martinique, the most important colony in the Antilles, was occupied by the British (Britain had always been an enemy of the French Revolution and a major enemy of the French struggle for maritime supremacy). Repeated setbacks in the attack on the British Isles (Irish Landings, Battle of Trafalgar) enabled Britain to fund the coalition against France again and again. The Russo-French War became an important turning point, and after this strategic failure, France was no longer able to organize a large army, the "Grand Army".
The First French Empire was the first French Empire established by the Bonaparte family for their own interests. Later, in 1852, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte again established the French Empire, the Second French Empire.
The First French Empire began on 18 May 1804, the year in which the Constitution of the Twelfth Year of the Republic (Constitution of 1804) proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte "Emperor of the French". It was subsequently confirmed by referendum on 6 November 1804.
The First French Empire ended on 6 April 1814 (on 2 April, the Senate declared Napoleon deposed, on 6 April Napoleon abdicated at Fontainebleau, and on 20 April Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba). This was followed by the Bourbon Restoration, which lasted from March 20 to July 7, 1815, with a brief period of the Hundred Days Dynasty.
1. From executive government to empire
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte was appointed Chief Consul. The republic under Napoleon Bonaparte became prosperous again, and as head of state, he saw himself as a "genius from heaven" that the republic could trust. In February 1804 the royalist Caddúdal devised a conspiracy to avoid the restoration of the monarchy, and on 27 March 1804 the Senate did not hesitate to propose to Napoleon Bonaparte that the government be hereditary.
On May 18, 1804, a "Senate Decree" handed over the government of the Republic to the Chief Consul and conferred on him the title of "Emperor of the French". On November 6, 1804, the final result of the referendum was announced: 3,572,000 votes in favor and 2,572 against, and the Senate decree was passed. Thus the Constitution of the Twelfth Year of the Republic (1804) established the French Empire. This Senate decree entrusts the Government of the Republic to a hereditary Emperor, as well as his off-the-wed, unmarried, adopted offspring, but not extramarital offspring, and in the absence of offspring, the descendants of his brothers Joseph Bonaparte and Louis Bonaparte, but not lucien Bonaparte and Jérôme Bonaparte (because they married people of low social status).
The First Republic did not disappear immediately: it continued for some time on the number of the official documents of the new regime; it also appeared in the oath of the emperor's coronation (December 2, 1804); it also existed in the official expression of the law (until July 1807); and on various civil documents of ordinary people (until the end of 1805); and on coins (golden francs, until 1808). A Senate decree of 19 August 1807 abolished the Bills Council and amended the Constitution of the Republic for the Twelfth Year of the Republic, which established the form of government. Previously, the opening paragraphs of the various laws promulgated were: "Napoleon, by the grace of God and the Constitution of the Republic, the Emperor of the French, from this world to eternity, is blessed forever.". After 1807, it became: "Napoleon, by the grace of God and the Constitution, emperor of the French, king of Italy and protector of the Confederacy of the Rhine, from this world to eternity, blessed forever". The French Empire became the center of the political system of the European continent, which included many vassal states, and, under the rule of only one man, he had supreme power, Napoleon.
2. The Beginning of the Empire (1804)
On 25 May 1804, Napoleon signed a decree establishing the Vendée Provincial Government in la Roche-sur-Yon, also based on a grand urban planning project. The bill aims to eliminate instability in the province of Vendée.
On 15 July, the French Legion of Honor was awarded for the first time.
3. Coronation on 2 December 1804
Napoleon I was crowned emperor at Notre Dame by Pope Pius VII. Napoleon was actually coronated by the Pope, because the coronation was to apply holy oil, and the Pope did, putting holy oil on the traditional places of Napoleon's body, as other rulers did. Therefore, Napoleon himself put the crown on his head and had nothing to do with the coronation, because the crown was only an object symbolizing imperial power, no different from the cross orb or sword.
The Emperor was not a religious believer, and he did not receive Eucharist at coronation Mass. We may remember the coronation of Charlemagne, as Napoleon himself put on the crown on his head, as was long ago. He then put a crown on his wife Josephine. Thus, Josephine became empress. This scene was recorded by the painter Jacques-Louis David's famous oil painting "The Coronation of Napoleon".
The coronation of the Empire is full of symbols. The transition from republic to empire required the creation of imperial coats of arms, as well as some new symbolic symbols, in order to establish an unprecedented tradition. Napoleon saw himself as the one who had achieved unity, and he decided to combine the symbols that represented france before him and the symbols that represented the current European power.
The bee is thought to reflect the Merovingian dynasty, and its layout on coats of arms and imperial cloaks is reminiscent of the lilies of the Capetian dynasty. The Hand of Justice was used in the coronation of the Capetian dynasty, this time, to show that the empire had inherited the power of the Capetian dynasty. After the Merovingian, Carolingian, and Capetian dynasties, Napoleon wanted to prove himself the founder of the "Fourth Dynasty", the Bonaparte Dynasty. Other symbols used in coronations have spiritual implications. Therefore, Napoleon held Charlemagne's cross orb in his hand and wore Charlemagne's crown. His swords and scepters are also said to have come "from Charlemagne": in fact, they have been used for centuries in the coronations of the Valois and Bourbon dynasties.
The coat of arms also contains the image of the eagle, which is a reference to the eagle of the Roman legions, and the eagle is also the symbol of Charlemagne. The red color of the Imperial Cloak directly refers to the purple color of the Roman Empire. In this way, Napoleon dressed himself as the successor of the Roman Empire and Charlemagne.
Napoleon I's oath at the coronation:
"I swear to preserve the integrity of the territory of the Republic; to observe and ensure the agreements of the Church and freedom of belief; to observe and ensure equal rights, political freedom and civil liberties, to maintain the status quo of the property of the Church that has been sold; not to raise any taxes, but only to increase taxes in accordance with the law; to preserve the Legion of Honor; to regard the interests, happiness and honour of the French people as the sole norm governing France."
In the eyes of the people, Napoleon became the head of state who represented the political consensus of a people and a monarch who was chosen and sheltered by the grace of God. Abroad, however, he was seen as the successor to the revolution, essentially anti-monarchy. This ambiguity has clearly become a weakness for the new regime.