KEY PERSONALITIES
1. Alexander I- Czar of Russia from 1801-1825. He led Russians to defeat Napoleon when they were invaded in 1812. Russian troops and their allies were also victorious in Paris in 1814. He was the Russian representative at the Congress of Vienna in 1815, where Russia gained control of Bessarabia, Finland, and most of Poland.
2. Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte- (1763-1844) Born in Paul, France, he was a French soldier who became one of Napoleon's marshals. He was the founder of the present Swedish royal line. After being elected crown prince of Sweden in 1810, he commanded an allied army that defeated Napoleon at Leipzig in 1813. He ruled Norway and Sweden from 1818-1844 as Charles XIV.
3. Gebhard Leberacht von Blucher- He was born in Rostock, Germany in 1742. Besides helping to defeat Napoleon at Leipzig and capturing Paris, he is better remembered as the Prussian Marshal whose arrival with reinforcements helped the British defeat Napoleon's army at Waterloo. After that, he became a General Field Marshal and Prince of Wahlstatt. People called him "Marshal Forward."
4. Elisa (Bonaparte)- Napoleon's sister. He gave her the Grand Duchy of Warsaw in 1809.
5. Jerome Bonaparte- Napoleon's brother, who he made King of Westphalia in 1807.
6. Joseph Bonaparte- Napoleon's brother, who he made King of Naples in 1806.
7. Louis Bonaparte- Napoleon's brother, who he made King of Holland 1806.
8. Josephine- Napoleon's first wife: they were married in 1796. She was of French descent from Martinique in the West Indies and this was her second marriage. Her first husband, Vicomte Alexandre Beauharnais, had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror. (She also came close to being guillotined.) She had two children from this marriage. The position of Empress was perfect for her: she was graceful, stately, and intelligent. There was rumor questioning her fidelity while Napoleon was away. In December of 1809, Napoleon divorced her because she had given him no children; no heirs. She retired to Malmaison, a small estate Napoleon had bought for her.
9. Louis XVIII- known as the "Restoration King". He lived in exile in Germany and England until 1814, when Napoleon was defeated. He restored the Bourbon dynasty to the French throne and ruled as a constitutional monarch. In 1815, during Napoleon's "Hundred Days", he was driven from his throne, but returned after the loss at Waterloo. He proclaimed a liberal constitution and tried to follow a middle course to please both the liberals and the reactionaries.
10. Marie Louise- Napoleon's second wife. They were married in April of 1810, when she was only 18 years old. She was the daughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria; Metternich arranged the marriage. She had a son in 1811 and he was also named Napoleon. After Napoleon I was captured in 1814, she returned to her father.
11. Klemens von Metternich- Austria's minister of Foreign affairs (1809-1848). Being a conservative, he tried to suppress liberalism and nationalism. At the Congress of Vienna he created the Concert of Europe to maintain a balance of power and wanted to restore the original monarchs to power to achieve peace. He received the title of Chancellor in 1821.
12. Joachim Murat- He was a famous French calvary commander under Napoleon. In 1799, Napoleon made him general for defeating the Turks in Egypt. His troops won the Battles of Austerlitz, Jena, and Friedland. Between 1808-1814, he ruled the Kngdom of Naples as King Joachim I. Although he abandoned Napoleon at Leipzig, he attempted to gain all of Italy for him when he returned from Elba. The Austrians defeated him and he was executed.
13. Napoleon I- [1769-1821] He was a short man with a big ego. He crowned himself Emperor and created an Empire that covered most of western and central Europe. He also introduced many reforms including a centralized government and the Code Napoleon, that can still be seen in France's government today.
14. Napoleon II- the son of Napoleon I and Marie Louis. Born in 1811, he was given the title "King of Rome." After his father was overthrown in 1814, his mother took him to live with his grandfather, Francis I of Austria. Although his father did name him as his successor the French people ignored this. He remained in Austria and his mother's family gave him the title of Duke of Reichstadt in 1818. He was a very weak man and died of tuberculosis at the age of 21.
15. Horatio Nelson- Great Britain's greatest admiral and navy hero. In 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, he defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets, marking the greatest naval victory in British history. His victory completely destroyed French's naval power and established Britain's rule of the seas for the next century.
16. Michel Ney- His courage and military skill made him one of Napoleon's greatest soldiers. He was made a Marshal in 1804 by Napoleon. He fought at Jena and commanded an army at Friedland. He took charge of the Russian invasion and became Prince of Moscow. He abandoned Napoleon in 1814, but they met up after Napoleon escaped Elba. They marche into Paris together. Ney led the last French charge at Waterloo. He was tried for treason and shot December 7, 1815.
16. Talleyrand- He became France's minister of foreign affairs in 1796. He helped Napoleon establish the Consulate in 1799 and the Empire in 1804, yet Napoleon did not trust him. In 1807, he resigned from office. Later on, he became very involved in the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty and his diplomatic skill at the Congress of Vienna gave France an unexpectedly powerful voice.
18. Duke of Wellington- He was appointed ambassador to France in July of 1814 by Britian. Once he learned that Napoleon had a new army, he declared he "an enemy" and completely destroyed Napoleon's troops at Waterloo. His troops occupied France for a short time after that. Wellington also represented Britain at the Congress of Vienna.