Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of major conflicts fought between Napoleonic France and shifting coalitions of European powers from about 1800 to 1815.

The Napoleonic Wars were a series of major conflicts fought between Napoleonic France and shifting coalitions of European powers from about 1800 to 1815. They grew out of the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars, and they ended with Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo and the diplomatic settlement of Europe at the Congress of Vienna.

Origins

The wars emerged from the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars, as European powers sought to contain revolutionary and then Napoleonic France. Napoleon’s rise to power and France’s expansion in Europe intensified the conflict.

Course of the wars

The fighting involved a changing series of coalitions against France, with campaigns across continental Europe, the Iberian Peninsula, and Russia. Common subdivisions include the Wars of the Third through Seventh Coalitions, the Peninsular War, and the invasion of Russia.

End of the wars

The final phase followed Napoleon’s initial abdication in 1814, his return during the Hundred Days in 1815, and his defeat at Waterloo. His second abdication marked the effective end of the wars.

Aftermath

The Congress of Vienna reorganized Europe after Napoleon’s defeat and helped establish a new balance of power. The wars also influenced later developments in European state formation and international relations.

Impact on British North America

The Napoleonic Wars shaped the wider Atlantic world that included British North America, especially through the War of 1812, which was influenced by the conflict between Britain and France.