258 



FRANCE. (HISTORY.) 



government, the two other consuls (Cambace'rds and 

 Le Brun) having only a deliberative voice. The legis- 

 lative power was in the hands of a tribunate of 100, 

 and a corps legislatif of 300 members, a fifth of 

 whom were to be renewed annually. The former 

 discussed the laws proposed by the consuls ; the lat- 

 ter decided upon them by a silent vote : neither of 

 these bodies could propose any law. The consuls, 

 legislators, and tribunes were chosen, not by the 

 jieople, but by a senat conservateur, which consisted 

 of eighty members, at least forty years old, and sup- 

 plied its own vacancies on the nomination of the 

 first consul, the tribunate, and the legislative body. 

 None of these bodies were responsible. This con- 

 stitution underwent some modifications in August, 

 1802, when Bonaparte was declared consul for life : 

 the government now appointed the presidents of the 

 departmental assemblies and the electoral colleges, 

 and the first consul appointed his successor and the 

 senators, &c. ; the government convoked, adjourned, 

 and prorogued the legislative bodies at pleasure. 

 Bonaparte had scarcely seized the reins of govern- 

 ment, when every thing received a new form. He 

 levied an army, and, after ineffectual offers of peace 

 to Britain and Austria, passed the great St Ber- 

 nard, restored the Cisalpine republic, and conquered 

 at Marengo (June 14, 1800) ; after which Moreau 

 decided the war with Austria by the battle of Ho- 

 henlinden (Dec. 3. 1800). La Vendee was appeased, 

 and a treaty of peace concluded with the United 

 States of North America. Austria was compelled 

 to abandon Britain, and to sign the peace of Lune- 

 ville in the name of the German empire (Feb. 9, 

 1801). The left bank of the Rhine was ceded to 

 the republic, and this river became the boundary be- 

 tween France and Germany. This treaty was fol- 

 lowed by those with Naples, Russia, the Ottoman 

 Porte, that of Amiens with Britain (March 27, 1802), 

 and the concordate, concluded with Pius VII., which 

 made the Catholic religion once more the established 

 religion of France. From that period, the diplo- 

 macy of Napoleon governed the continent of Europe 

 for thirteen years. The kingdom 'of Etruria was 

 created, and given to the duke of Parma ; the great 

 plan of indemnification was dictated to the German 

 empire by France ; Switzerland received an act of 

 mediation, and united itself with France ; Holland 

 was treated almost as a part of France, and received 

 a constitution from Paris ; Piedmont, Parma, and 

 Piacenza were incorporated with France, and the first 

 consul was appointed president of the Italian repub- 

 lic. In France, order, security, and tranquillity suc- 

 ceeded to the tumult of a revolution. Many deported 

 individuals obtained permission to return home ; the 

 severe measures against the emigrants were softened ; 

 free exercise of religion restored ; and the establish- 

 ment of the legion of honour (May 19, 1802) united 

 the nation and the army with the head of the govern- 

 ment. When the war with Britain was renewed 

 (May 18, 1803), and conspiracies spread terror in 

 France, the victories of Napoleon won him the favour 

 of the nation, and enabled him to convert the repub- 

 lic into a hereditary monarchy. For further infor- 

 mation, see the article Bonaparte. 



3. History of the Empire of France to the Restora- 

 tion of the Bourbons and Royalty (May 18, 1804 

 May 3, 1814). May 18, 1804, appeared thesenattts 

 cowulte organique, which declared Napoleon emperor 

 of the French, and the imperial dignity hereditary in 

 his family. This decree of the senate, and the im- 

 perial decree of March 30, 1806, regulated the pri- 

 vileges of the imperial family, the inheritance, the 

 titles, and appanages of its members, and their par- 

 ticular relations to the person of the emperor. The 

 civil list remained as it had been fixed by the consti- 



tution of 179125,000,000 livres annually. At the 

 same time were established the great officers of the 

 empire, to whom the marshals and court officers be- 

 longed ; and the supreme imperial tribunal, which 

 was to judge oflences of members of the imperial 

 family and of the high officers of state, high treason, 

 and all crimes against the state or the emperor. The 

 electoral colleges also received a precise organization. 

 The senate remained ; but the appointment of the 

 senators, and the right of fixing their number, were 

 given to the emperor. The legislative body was also 

 preserved ; but the tribunate, which alone ventured 

 on opposition, was suppressed August 19, 1807. The 

 new emperor crowned himself and his wife, in pre- 

 sence of Pius VII., in the church of Notre Dame, 

 December 2, 1804. Three months later (March 18, 

 1805), the emperor of the French was made king of 

 Italy, and solemnly crowned (May 26) in Milan, and 

 the order of the iron crown was established. Genoa 

 (the Ligurian republic), and the principality of Guas- 

 talla, were soon after incorporated with France. 

 Lucca and Piombino were erected into a duchy, and 

 conferred on one of the emperor's sisters, and Parma 

 and Piacenza were placed under the French govern- 

 ment. The emperor of Austria and many German 

 princes acknowledged Napoleon as emperor. The 

 Russian and Swedish charges d'affaires left Paris, 

 and the French ambassadors, Petersburg and Stock- 

 holm. Sweden concluded a subsidy treaty with Bri- 

 tain, and Russia entered into a third coalition 

 with Britain (April, 1805) against France. The 

 French had already (June 3, 1803) taken possession 

 of Hanover. The emperor of France rigorously 

 prohibited the introduction of British manufactures, 

 wherever his power extended, and threatened Bri- 

 tain with a descent. Pitt therefore drew Austria 

 (August, 1805) into the coalition, and the French 

 army marched from their encampment at Boulogne 

 to Germany. The war was of short duration. The 

 surrender of an Austrian army, under Mack, at Ulm 

 (October 17), and the battle of Austerlitz (December 

 2), produced the peace of Presburg (December 26, 

 1805), in which Austria was compelled to sacrifice 

 about 21,190 square miles, and 3,000,000 of inhabi 

 tants (among them the Tyrolese) . Napoleon gave to 

 his allies, the rulers of Bavaria and Wurtember.g, 

 royal crowns and full sovereignty, which they did not 

 enjoy under the German empire. The latter was also 

 granted to Baden. Each of these three states 

 likewise received a considerable increase of territory 

 and inhabitants. The kingdom of Italy was enlarged 

 by the addition of 10,600 square miles, and France 

 obtained a decided predominance over the German 

 princes. The victory of the British at Trafalgar 

 (October 21, 1805) over the united fleets of France 

 and Spain, destroyed an armament which had cost 

 six years of preparation, and 60,000,000 francs. 

 1654 cannon and 15,000 men fell into the hands 

 of the victors. Napoleon at this time changed 

 his system of operations against Britain. In- 

 structed by repeated experience, that he never 

 could meet the British successfully by sea, he re- 

 solved to conquer them by land, and attempted, by 

 the continental system (q. v.), to suppress all inter- 

 course with Britain. With this view, he abandoned 

 Hanover to Prussia, which involved that power in a 

 war with Britain. The dynasty of Naples was de- 

 clared to have forfeited the throne, on account of the 

 breach of its engagements with France. Joseph 

 Bonaparte was made king of Naples and Sicily 

 (March 30, 1806) ; Louis, the second brother of Na- 

 poleon, king of Holland; Napoleon's son-in-law, 

 Eugene Beauharnais, whom he had adopted, was 

 created viceroy of Italy, and married to the daughter 

 of the king of Bavaria ; Alexander Berthier, the 



