Napoleonic Wars
Photo: Jacques-Louis David, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Napoleonic Wars started as a preemptive war by Revolutionary France to forestall the attempt of the ancien régimes of Europe to suppress the French Revolution, but soon became a war of conquest with the intention of "revolution export" by France. Although Napoleon was ultimately defeated, arguably his greatest legacy was secularism (the separation of church and state), which forms the basis of governance in most European countries to this day. The French flavour of secularism, laïcité, remains an integral part of French national identity today. The Napoleonic Wars mark the end of Early Modern Europe and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution on continental Europe.
UnderstandDeath is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily. During early modern times, the Kingdom of France had gained a role as Europe's superpower.
SitesNapoleon himself is buried in Paris/7th arrondissement in the Dôme des Invalides.
United StatesThe Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail commemorates the Chesapeake Campaign.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Napoleonic Wars" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Jacques-Louis David, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons