Why Did Napoleon Really Hate England?

Napoleon could not get all the pieces proper about historical past, however it makes one factor very clear: the French conqueror was one hell of a strategist and navy chief. All through the entire film, we see Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) bend Europe to his will utilizing battle and diplomacy and even plant the seeds of European integration whereas he is at it. However we’re speaking about continental Europe, in fact, as a result of there’s one nation he could not subdue: England. That was the largest thorn in Napoleon’s facet, the one he could not eliminate, and that finally sealed his destiny not solely on the Battle of Waterloo however in earlier battles as properly. What was behind this animosity between him and the English, although? And why could not Napoleon, one in all historical past’s best conquerors, by no means come near conquering England?

France’s Rivalry With England Started Centuries Earlier than Napoleon Confirmed Up

These days, England and France are each political allies and have been such for properly over a century, however this hasn’t all the time been the case, as they’ve a historical past of battle that goes many centuries again. In lots of international locations all over the world (particularly those who have been as soon as European colonies), the formation of these two nations is taught at college because the genesis of the idea of a nation-state, as a result of they’re two of the oldest of the kind in Europe. With solely the English Channel separating them, their ambitions finally turned too huge, resulting in centuries of clashes.

Within the second half of the 18th century, France did help the fledgling American Revolution, however, total, their relations with England might’ve been extra tense. They have been each monarchies who noticed the advantage of commerce, and wars weren’t good for enterprise, a minimum of not in the event that they occurred in Europe. That modified when the French Revolution started, resulting in nearly a decade of home turmoil in France, however, most significantly, it utterly modified the political and social buildings of the nation. They now claimed to be a Republic and have been beheading their royals and nobles, and altering the lifestyle with the liberal values of “liberty, equality, and fraternity” between folks. Residents who got here from the decrease lessons might now climb the social ladder – as Napoleon did himself.

For England and most of Europe, this could not be allowed to proceed, as it posed a risk to these international locations’ monarchies and stability. So England, Austria, and Russia – the three strongest international locations in Europe on the time – shaped a coalition towards France. Fueled by their very own liberal and revolutionary beliefs and the seeds of nationalism, France gained the Warfare of the First Coalition and the Second Coalition, which happened amid the continuing turmoil of their revolutionary course of. When Napoleon rose to energy, these European nations turned much more anxious, as a result of now France had correct navy management, one which was against all the pieces they stood for.

England’s Area of the Seas Was Napoleon’s Best Weak point

In Ridley Scott‘s film, Napoleon angrily confronts the English ambassador to France after his coronation and says: “You assume you are so nice as a result of you have got boats!” As infantile as this perspective could appear when put like that, it is nonetheless true about what made England his worst nightmare. The one factor England was unbeatable at was naval prowess. Additionally, the truth that the nation is an island prevented Napoleon from merely marching over it and seizing management – the French navy must cross the English Channel, closely monitored by the English navy.

In 1805, the Warfare of the Third Coalition broke out, and Napoleon had already consolidated his Grande Armée (the French military) as Europe’s best navy drive, however France’s naval capabilities have been nowhere close to England’s. His plan, then, was to try to safe the English Channel to permit for a floor invasion of Britain. By October, the French navy amassed a big fleet within the Mediterranean Sea with that objective in thoughts. On the English facet, Lord Horatio Nelson, who led the English fleet within the Mediterranean, discovered this French fleet (strengthened additionally by the Spanish fleet) near the Gibraltar Strait, in a area referred to as Cape Trafalgar, and battle instantly adopted. Even outnumbered, Nelson’s fleet gained the Battle of Trafalgar at the price of his life. It was a vital win for England, who even named one in all London’s most well-known and vital landmarks after it, and Nelson turned a nationwide hero.

The French defeat at Trafalgar lastly made Napoleon understand that France would by no means be capable to overcome England’s supremacy within the seas. They may struggle battles and invade different nations moderately simply on land, however by no means on the water. As a colonial empire, France did have a robust navy, however not highly effective sufficient. England, then again, had its standing as essentially the most highly effective navy on the planet confirmed as soon as once more, which they’d maintain till Germany launched submarines in World Warfare I. So Napoleon was proper: they did assume they have been nice due to their boats.

After Trafalgar, Napoleon Tried To Beat England By Financial Warfare

Learning Napoleon’s historical past, it is simple to conclude he will need to have been a extremely bold man. A lot so, that he did not let the defeat at Trafalgar convey him down and, a couple of years later, he devised one other plan to strike England. If their navy was the important thing to their international colonial empire, if nobody might commerce with them, this may result in the collapse of their economic system. That is the reasoning behind the Continental Blockade (or Continental System), a plan that sought to isolate England each politically and economically: France forbade any European nation to commerce and keep alliances with England beneath penalty of invasion. France could not have the world’s best navy, however it nonetheless had the Grande Armée and a genius tactician as its chief.

This type of plan is troublesome to implement, because it requires with the ability to struggle on a number of fronts directly in case a couple of nation defied the Blockade. In the long term, it was sure to wear down France’s navy would possibly. Most notably, three international locations defied Napoleon’s decree. First, within the Iberic Peninsula, each Portugal and Spain did it. Portugal had a treaty of mutual help with England and, to keep away from a French invasion and keep its sovereignty, transferred the court docket to Rio de Janeiro in 1808 with the assistance of Arthur Wellesley earlier than he turned Duke of Wellington (Rupert Everett) and defeated Napoleon on the Battle of Waterloo – these occasions would finally culminate with Brazilian independence from Portugal in 1822. Additionally in 1808, Napoleon deposed the king of Spain and changed him along with his brother Joseph for a similar purpose.

Ultimately, although, not having such a wealthy commerce associate as England began to economically choke most European international locations. In 1810, Russia withdrew from the Continental Blockade due to this. As promised, Napoleon invaded the nation in 1812 as depicted in Ridley Scott’s film, however, for all its would possibly, the Grande Armée wasn’t able to spend winter in Russia after being drawn inland by the Russians’ scorched earth ways.

England Weathered Out the Napoleonic Period and Ultimately Sealed Napoleon’s Destiny

Napoleon reigned for simply wanting a decade, and all of this time he had England in his sights. Being the strategic thinker he was, he knew that was his most harmful enemy, however the best way he handled this problem proved that, for all his navy genius, he was truly a moderately poor diplomat and political strategist. In navy phrases, isolating an enemy finally brings them to their knees due to a scarcity of provides, however, when coping with a world political system, this logic would not essentially apply.

In England’s case, the logic was the other, actually, as they supplied loads to their European companions due to their navy’s worldwide commerce. When England discovered itself forbidden to commerce with European international locations, it merely shifted its focus to the Americas, principally, and to Asia. It did really feel the consequences of the Continental Blockade, in fact, however it was a lot worse for the European international locations who could not commerce with England, moderately than the opposite method round. The nation additionally led a number of coalitions towards France and failed in each one in all them, and finally succeeded by defending itself when crucial and weathering out the Napoleonic storm moderately than dealing with it head-on. Napoleon, then again, burned out and ended up having to spend his last years beneath English surveillance in St. Helena.

Napoleon is now enjoying in theaters.

Purchase Tickets Right here