Well, I finally decided to make my first timeline. I hope I won't make many mistakes and make a coherent one. I can't guarantee it will be updated often, but I will try as many times as I can.
[FONT="]Napoleon Bonaparte, the man who shaped History[/FONT]
[FONT="]To this day, there is no such figure like that of Napoleon Bonaparte. Starting as an artillery captain born on August 15, 1769 in a Corsican family of low nobility, the French Revolution allowed him to rose through the ranks and become the Master of Europe and the greatest general of his time. Nowadays, what the man accomplished remains crazy and unbelievable to some: after all, who could have thought that Napoleon Bonaparte would get this far?[/FONT]
[FONT="]Being a simple artillery captain at the start of his career, Napoleon distinguished himself at Toulon in 1793. His effective command of the artillery allowed the French Republic to take back the city from French Royalists supported by the British fleet. This made him a General, although his pro-Jacobin tendencies would later lead him to prison, and his refusal to take part in the Wars of Vendee would lead him to be stripped of his command.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
But fate would allow him to distinguish himself when Barras turned to him in 1795, to crush a royalist uprising on 13 Vendemiaire. The same Barras would later give Bonaparte the command of the Armée d’Italie, where the young General (he was 27) would prove himself in his first glorious campaign. Fearing the rise of popularity of Napoleon, the French Government of the Directoire sent him on the Egyptian Expedition in 1799: though a failure in the end, this expedition would mark the Napoleonic legend and allow Egyptology to make tremendous progress.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Upon his return, ambition pushed Bonaparte to overthrow the Directoire in the Coup d’Etat du 18 Brumaire on November 9, 1799. After this, he became First Consul of the French Republic, and started his rule in France. After he became Consul for life in 1802 by plebiscite, another plebiscite would make him Emperor of the French. On December 2nd, 1804, Napoleon I’s coronation took place.[/FONT]
[FONT="]From that point on, the French Emperor would dominate European politics for the years to come.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A French-dominated Europe[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shortly after his coronation, Napoleon submitted Europe to his rule: the French Empire defeated his opponents. Battle after battle, the other European powers were bowing down to Napoleon I. This allowed the French Empire to expand: the Rhine, the Netherlands, North German cost up to the Danish frontier, Piedmont, Tuscany, Liguria, Illyria and even Catalonia became part of the French Empire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Italy and Germany, though still divided into many states (four for Italy, thirty for Germany) gradually fell into the French sphere of influence as Napoleon defeated the main Eastern powers. Austria was crushed many times by the might of the French armies, most notably at Marengo (1800), Ulm, Austerlitz (1805) and Wagram (1809). To secure peace, Francis I had no choice but to marry his eldest daughter, Marie Louise, to Napoleon I. She would give birth to Napoleon’s son on March 20, 1811.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Prussia was crushed and humiliated in the 1806 campaign. In the double battle of Iena-Auerstedt, Napoleon reduced Prussia to a second-rate power, even among the German states. Along with lands confiscated to Austria, Napoleon would use part of Prussia’s eastern lands to resurrect Poland in the form of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, ruled by King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Nordic countries, Denmark-Norway and Sweden, choose tended to align themselves with Napoleon. After the desperate efforts made by the British to secure an alliance with Denmark, the destruction of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen pushed the Danish into an Alliance with France. The Swedes, while hostile to the French at first, eventually accepted Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s Marshall, as crown prince of Sweden (under the name Charles John) and heir to King Charles XIII. The North Sea was secured, despite Napoleon’s tensed relationship with Bernadotte.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Despite domination, all was not well for the French Empire. One country would remain constantly defiant to French Hegemony until the end of the Napoleonic Wars: Great Britain. The British, despite several attempts of the Empereur, would never accept peace with him and his rule in France. As such, they constantly opposed him and financed every Coalition against France. This angered Napoleon very much as he could not threaten the Islands with an invasion: the British had destroyed his fleet at Trafalgar in 1805. Being unable to neutralize Britain by the strength of his army, Napoleon I resorted to Economic Warfare: the Continental Blockade was imposed to all of Europe in 1807.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But this year would also see Napoleon’s greatest mistake: by putting his older brother Joseph on the Spanish throne, he caused the Iberian Peninsula to explode in open rebellion against French domination. For years to come, the “Spanish Ulcer” would be a thorn in the side of Napoleon, not to mention Spanish Rebels received Support from Britain, who sent Sir Arthur Wellesley, “Iron” Duke of Wellington, and his army corps to expel the French out of Iberia.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But Napoleon I’s greatest foe was not in London, but sitting on his throne in Saint Petersburg. Despite having crushed the Russians along the Austrians at Austerlitz (1805), then at Friedland (1807) before the signature of the Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon would never be able to get along with Czar Alexander I. The Romanov Czar never agreed to his part of the Tilsit bargain, and still welcomed British Ships in Russian ports despite the Continental Blockade. Plus, Alexander always reproached Napoleon what he had did to the Duchy of Oldenburg, ruled by relatives of the Tsar. This situation could not hold…[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Russian Campaign of 1812: The Decisive War[/FONT]
[FONT="]By 1812, Franco-Russian relationships were so low that War became inevitable. This war would decide the fate of the world, as the Two Giants that were the Russian and French Empire would clash one against the other in the greatest conflict of the Napoleonic Wars.[/FONT]
[FONT="]In preparation of the invasion of Russia, Napoleon I of France assembled the greatest army he would ever lead in Battle: 690,000 men and over 1,000 guns coming from every French ally or satellite. All of these came to fight under the Red-White-Blue Tricolor, for the Glory of the French Emperor. It would remain the greatest army ever assembled for generations.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But the Russians didn’t fear numbers. Czar Alexander I of Russia was confident he could defeat Napoleon and put him in his place. He held most of his confidence from Prince Piotr Bagration, commander-in-chief of the Russian Army. [1] The latter was wishing for the Russians to go on the offensive [2], and Alexander tended to agree. The Russians choose Vilnius as their headquarters [3], and the Russian Army started to assemble there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Napoleon I tried one last time to offer peace to the Russians [3]. Having received no response, French troops crossed the Niemen on June 24th. The Russian Campaign had begun…[/FONT]
[FONT="][1] This is the POD. OTL, the Commander was Michael Barclay de Tolly, who was of Baltic German origins. The decision to have him as Commander-in-chief of the Russian army was heavily criticized as he wasn’t of Russian origin. Plus, he was against direct confrontation with Napoleon, leading to heaven more criticism. Rumors even circulated he was an agent of Napoleon.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Despite all these rumors, Barclay remained commander-in-chief of the Russian Army until the fall of Smolensk, where Kutuzov replaced him. Barclay however had begun the Scorched Earth tactic that would doom Napoleon’s campaign in Russia.[/FONT]
[FONT="]ITTL, Alexander I paid more attention to rumors and criticism, leading Bagration to be appointed commander in place of Barclay. This of course, will have consequences of the campaign.[/FONT]
[FONT="][2] Even OTL, while not being Commander in chief of the Russian Army, Bagration voiced a more aggressive tactic against Napoleon. Of course, here, he is the Russian Commander…[/FONT]
[FONT="][3] Both of these happened as per OTL.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A Bonaparte Europe
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]To this day, there is no such figure like that of Napoleon Bonaparte. Starting as an artillery captain born on August 15, 1769 in a Corsican family of low nobility, the French Revolution allowed him to rose through the ranks and become the Master of Europe and the greatest general of his time. Nowadays, what the man accomplished remains crazy and unbelievable to some: after all, who could have thought that Napoleon Bonaparte would get this far?[/FONT]
[FONT="]Being a simple artillery captain at the start of his career, Napoleon distinguished himself at Toulon in 1793. His effective command of the artillery allowed the French Republic to take back the city from French Royalists supported by the British fleet. This made him a General, although his pro-Jacobin tendencies would later lead him to prison, and his refusal to take part in the Wars of Vendee would lead him to be stripped of his command.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
But fate would allow him to distinguish himself when Barras turned to him in 1795, to crush a royalist uprising on 13 Vendemiaire. The same Barras would later give Bonaparte the command of the Armée d’Italie, where the young General (he was 27) would prove himself in his first glorious campaign. Fearing the rise of popularity of Napoleon, the French Government of the Directoire sent him on the Egyptian Expedition in 1799: though a failure in the end, this expedition would mark the Napoleonic legend and allow Egyptology to make tremendous progress.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Upon his return, ambition pushed Bonaparte to overthrow the Directoire in the Coup d’Etat du 18 Brumaire on November 9, 1799. After this, he became First Consul of the French Republic, and started his rule in France. After he became Consul for life in 1802 by plebiscite, another plebiscite would make him Emperor of the French. On December 2nd, 1804, Napoleon I’s coronation took place.[/FONT]
[FONT="]From that point on, the French Emperor would dominate European politics for the years to come.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A French-dominated Europe[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shortly after his coronation, Napoleon submitted Europe to his rule: the French Empire defeated his opponents. Battle after battle, the other European powers were bowing down to Napoleon I. This allowed the French Empire to expand: the Rhine, the Netherlands, North German cost up to the Danish frontier, Piedmont, Tuscany, Liguria, Illyria and even Catalonia became part of the French Empire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Italy and Germany, though still divided into many states (four for Italy, thirty for Germany) gradually fell into the French sphere of influence as Napoleon defeated the main Eastern powers. Austria was crushed many times by the might of the French armies, most notably at Marengo (1800), Ulm, Austerlitz (1805) and Wagram (1809). To secure peace, Francis I had no choice but to marry his eldest daughter, Marie Louise, to Napoleon I. She would give birth to Napoleon’s son on March 20, 1811.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Prussia was crushed and humiliated in the 1806 campaign. In the double battle of Iena-Auerstedt, Napoleon reduced Prussia to a second-rate power, even among the German states. Along with lands confiscated to Austria, Napoleon would use part of Prussia’s eastern lands to resurrect Poland in the form of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw, ruled by King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Nordic countries, Denmark-Norway and Sweden, choose tended to align themselves with Napoleon. After the desperate efforts made by the British to secure an alliance with Denmark, the destruction of the Danish fleet at Copenhagen pushed the Danish into an Alliance with France. The Swedes, while hostile to the French at first, eventually accepted Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, one of Napoleon’s Marshall, as crown prince of Sweden (under the name Charles John) and heir to King Charles XIII. The North Sea was secured, despite Napoleon’s tensed relationship with Bernadotte.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Despite domination, all was not well for the French Empire. One country would remain constantly defiant to French Hegemony until the end of the Napoleonic Wars: Great Britain. The British, despite several attempts of the Empereur, would never accept peace with him and his rule in France. As such, they constantly opposed him and financed every Coalition against France. This angered Napoleon very much as he could not threaten the Islands with an invasion: the British had destroyed his fleet at Trafalgar in 1805. Being unable to neutralize Britain by the strength of his army, Napoleon I resorted to Economic Warfare: the Continental Blockade was imposed to all of Europe in 1807.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But this year would also see Napoleon’s greatest mistake: by putting his older brother Joseph on the Spanish throne, he caused the Iberian Peninsula to explode in open rebellion against French domination. For years to come, the “Spanish Ulcer” would be a thorn in the side of Napoleon, not to mention Spanish Rebels received Support from Britain, who sent Sir Arthur Wellesley, “Iron” Duke of Wellington, and his army corps to expel the French out of Iberia.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But Napoleon I’s greatest foe was not in London, but sitting on his throne in Saint Petersburg. Despite having crushed the Russians along the Austrians at Austerlitz (1805), then at Friedland (1807) before the signature of the Treaty of Tilsit, Napoleon would never be able to get along with Czar Alexander I. The Romanov Czar never agreed to his part of the Tilsit bargain, and still welcomed British Ships in Russian ports despite the Continental Blockade. Plus, Alexander always reproached Napoleon what he had did to the Duchy of Oldenburg, ruled by relatives of the Tsar. This situation could not hold…[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Russian Campaign of 1812: The Decisive War[/FONT]
[FONT="]By 1812, Franco-Russian relationships were so low that War became inevitable. This war would decide the fate of the world, as the Two Giants that were the Russian and French Empire would clash one against the other in the greatest conflict of the Napoleonic Wars.[/FONT]
[FONT="]In preparation of the invasion of Russia, Napoleon I of France assembled the greatest army he would ever lead in Battle: 690,000 men and over 1,000 guns coming from every French ally or satellite. All of these came to fight under the Red-White-Blue Tricolor, for the Glory of the French Emperor. It would remain the greatest army ever assembled for generations.[/FONT]
[FONT="]But the Russians didn’t fear numbers. Czar Alexander I of Russia was confident he could defeat Napoleon and put him in his place. He held most of his confidence from Prince Piotr Bagration, commander-in-chief of the Russian Army. [1] The latter was wishing for the Russians to go on the offensive [2], and Alexander tended to agree. The Russians choose Vilnius as their headquarters [3], and the Russian Army started to assemble there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Napoleon I tried one last time to offer peace to the Russians [3]. Having received no response, French troops crossed the Niemen on June 24th. The Russian Campaign had begun…[/FONT]
[FONT="][1] This is the POD. OTL, the Commander was Michael Barclay de Tolly, who was of Baltic German origins. The decision to have him as Commander-in-chief of the Russian army was heavily criticized as he wasn’t of Russian origin. Plus, he was against direct confrontation with Napoleon, leading to heaven more criticism. Rumors even circulated he was an agent of Napoleon.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Despite all these rumors, Barclay remained commander-in-chief of the Russian Army until the fall of Smolensk, where Kutuzov replaced him. Barclay however had begun the Scorched Earth tactic that would doom Napoleon’s campaign in Russia.[/FONT]
[FONT="]ITTL, Alexander I paid more attention to rumors and criticism, leading Bagration to be appointed commander in place of Barclay. This of course, will have consequences of the campaign.[/FONT]
[FONT="][2] Even OTL, while not being Commander in chief of the Russian Army, Bagration voiced a more aggressive tactic against Napoleon. Of course, here, he is the Russian Commander…[/FONT]
[FONT="][3] Both of these happened as per OTL.[/FONT]
