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Close-ups

Want to get detail on a specific Napoleonic event? Napoleon I's 'divorce' or Napoleon III's Mexican Campaign, for example? The sections here - comprising a timeline, an article or two, some biographies, a few images, and a bibliography - are individual close-ups on topics related to the First and Second French Empires. You can search for other close-ups either by keyword or by theme.

Militaria

Close-ups : 22

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A close-up on: the Treaty of Vienna, 14 October, 1809

Following the armistice declared at Znaïm in July, 1809, the Treaty of Vienna (also known as the Treaty of Schönbrunn) formally brought to a close the Franco-Austrian war of 1809, and with it the War of the Fifth Coalition. Signed on 14 October, 1809, and ratified…
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210 years ago… the Battle of Wagram

After the setback at Aspern-Essling, Napoleon took six weeks to regroup and to plan how to bring the campaign of 1809 to an end. The ensuing battle of Wagram, with its emphasis on heavy firepower and massive bludgeoning troop movements, was to last two and…
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A close up on: the battles of Magenta and Solferino, 1859, towards Italian Unity

Magenta and Solferino (June 1859), for their results, are probably Napoleon III’s most successful military campaigns. Not only did they allow France to be the patron of Italian independence and unity and to establish the natural frontiers to the south (through the accession of Savoy…
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A close-up on: the Battle of Aspern-Essling

On 21 and 22 May, 1809, a furiously fought struggle took place between France and Austria on the banks of the Danube around two small towns, Aspern and Essling.
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A close-up on: Andreas Hofer and the insurrection in the Tyrol, 1809-1810

The insurrection of 1809 in the Tyrol is a fascinating episode in the history of Napoleon and the French Empire. A microcosm of what was taking place across Europe during the period, distilled into a very distinct geographical area at a very particular time, the…
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A close-up on: the Polish campaign, Friedland (14 June, 1807)

14 June, 1807, was the day on which Napoleon got his decisive battle in which he drove Alexander to defeat and to the negotiating table.
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A close-up on: Tilsit (July 1807)

The Grande Armée’s perfect victory over the Russian Army at Friedland had brought the Polish Campaign to an end. After an armistice signed on 20 June, the Czar Alexander I and the Emperor Napoleon I signed a peace treaty on 7 July, 1807, in the…
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A close-up on: the epoch-making Battle of Austerlitz

On 2 December 1805, north of Vienna in the present-day Czech Republic, the Austro-Russian army was completely destroyed and the Russians were made to retreat to the East. This great victory closed the German campaign.
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A close-up on: the Prussian Campaign

The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt, 14 October, 1806.
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A close-up on: Napoleon’s entry into Berlin, 27 October, 1806

On 27 October, 1806, after the victories at Iéna and Auerstädt two weeks earlier, Napoleon rode in triumph into Berlin passing under the Brandenburg Gate.