Official Timeline
Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1813)
1803 - 1806
The War of the Third Coalition is fought, resulting in a decisive French victory in Austerlitz in 1805 which effectively crushed the coalition and won the war for France.
1806
August 1806
The War of the Fourth Coalition starts between France and Prussia.
14 October 1806
The battle of Jena-Auerstedt is fought between French and Prussian armies, resulting in a decisive French victory which breaks Prussia’s morale.
November 1806
By early November, most Prussian resistance had been either suffocated or isolated into small areas. Napoleon’s primary foe in the war is Russia, with France having conquered or allied most of Europe.
21 November 1806
Napoleon’s Continental System is inaugurated, aimed at Britain’s economic collapse by issuing a large-scale trade embargo.
1807
July 1807
The War of the Fourth Coalition ends in French victory. The Treaties of Tilsit are signed, after whose France attains firm control over continental Europe. Only Great Britain remains defiant, but Britain’s decisive victory at Trafalgar in 1805 ensured Britain’s dominance of the seas for the time being. Napoleon turns his eyes on British allies on Europe.
16 August – 5 September 1807
Britain sends the Royal Navy to Denmark in order to carry out a preemptive strike on the Danish port of Copenhagen. It succeeds in its goal of seizing the entire Danish-Norwegian fleet and preventing the French from using it, but turns Danish opinion against them. Portugal remains as the only ally of Britain in the mainland.
27 October 1807
Spain and France sign the Treaty of Fontainebleau, in which Spain promises support in the event of a war with Portugal in exchange of territorial concessions in the country.
November 1807
After Portugal’s refusal to embrace the Continental System against Britain, Napoleon sends his armies to Portugal to subdue the country. With help from the Spanish Army, the invasion begins.
29 November 1807
With the Portuguese army’s inability to hold off the French, Maria I of Portugal and Prince Regent John, together with the administration and the Court, flee the country to Brazil, where they continue to rule their overseas territories.
1 December 1807
Lisbon falls to the joint Franco-Spanish force. Portugal capitulates. However, the fleeing of the Portuguese Royal Court proves to be a major setback to Napoleon, in the sense that the overseas Portuguese Empire still retains the will to fight on. With Portugal subdued and Spain within the Continental System, Napoleon decides to leave the Peninsula alone.
1808
3 May 1808
The Treaty of Madrid is signed. Portugal is divided into three parts: the northernmost third was to be directly annexed to Spain, while the remaining territory would be organized in two different states; the new Kingdom of Southern Lusitania in the South and a rump state of Portugal around Lisbon. As for its colonial empire, Portugal was forced to cede control over Madeira and the Azores to Spain. The rest of the empire had defected to Brazil in the events following Portugal’s downfall. The Treaty of Madrid helps to reinforce the Franco-Spanish relationship.
5 May 1808
Upon learning the partition of Portugal, Prince Regent John establishes himself as King of Brazil and Portugal. Eventually, most insurrections against Franco-Spanish domination would be put down, and many Portuguese will leave their homes in Portugal to settle themselves in Brazil along with the cream of Portuguese society.
25 May 1808
Britain is permanently expelled from the continent as a result of Portugal’s defeat. Napoleon issues a deal to Britain, offering peace as long as defeat is admitted. The British refuse the deal, declaring to never stop fighting until get rid of the Bonaparte menace, and instead commit themselves to destroy the trade between Spain and her colonies and the blockading of French ports. Spain and France go about reorganizing their navies with plans to create a new fleet “from the ashes of Trafalgar”, in order to eventually fight the final battle against Britain.
1808 – 1809
A massive new fleet, backed by the millions of francs gained from recent wars, was put on order by Napoleon himself, to be completed by 1813. His plan was just to gain naval superiority in the channel for just a few days at most or at least keep the English out of their channel. Napoleon’s purpose was to end a war which has been raging on for around 18 years almost uninterruptedly.
1809
Early 1809
The British blockade of both France and Spain is kept although by this time the British are extremely overstretched. With just Britain left to fight Napoleon turns once again to his navy to vanquish his old foe. Headed by the capable Denis Decrès the French Navy starts to slowly and surely rebuild itself and with little British interference. The Royal Navy is overstretched as it is from blockading much of Europe. Admiral Decrès founds the Académie française impériale de la marine with the aim of turning out capable sailors. Previously the lack of capable sailors was what led to the defeat of the French but soon hundreds would begin applying from across France.
10 April 1809
Austria sparks the War of the Fifth Coalition alongside Britain, but the lack of strong allies doom the Austrian war effort from the beginning.
5 – 6 July 1809
The battle of Wagram is fought, in which the Austrians suffer a severe defeat. Austria’s will to fight gone, the Central European state decides to seek peace terms.
4 October 1809
Spencer Perceval becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Under his government, the British begins to strengthen their shore defenses which have been built and rebuilt time and again with each invasion threat. Perceval’s anti-Catholic bigotry strengthened feelings of Anglophobia across Catholic Europe, most notably in France. His administration saw the Orders of Council drafted to counter the Continental System, which were, however, generally unpopular.
14 October 1809
The Treaty of Schönbrunn is signed between France and Austria. The harshest treaty imposed on Austria in recent memory, Austria is forced to pay France a large indemnity, as well as to cede Salzburg to Bavaria; West Galicia to the Duchy of Warsaw; Tarnopol to Russia and Trieste and Croatia south of the Sava river to France, which Napoleon would reorganize into the new Illyrian Provinces. The War of the Fifth Coalition ends.
1810
11 March 1810
Napoleon marries Marie-Louise of Austria. The marriage would result in a period of peace and friendship between Austria and Imperial France.
1 July 1810
Louis I of Holland is forced to abdicate by Napoleon.
9 July 1810
French troops invade Holland. This action came as a consequence of Napoleon’s displeasure at the way his brother Louis was handling business of state. In the aftermath of the invasion, the Kingdom of Holland would be formally annexed into the ever-growing French Empire.
21 August 1810
Charles Bernadotte is chosen to be crown prince of Sweden, a position he graciously accepts.
1811
5 February 1811
George, Prince of Wales, becomes Prince Regent because of the perceived insanity of his father, George III of the United Kingdom.
20 March 1811
Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte is born. As Napoleon’s only son, he is named as the heir apparent of the young French Empire; an empire which is already an important player in the world stage.
1812
4 April 1812
US President James Madison enacts a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
11 May 1812
Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham. He is succeeded as Prime Minister by Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool. He would mediate the opposing sides and create a coalition government, the first of any kind in Britain, against the new French threat which was quite evident by June 1812.
28 May 1812
Russian Field Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War, 1806-1812 and making Bessarabia a part of Imperial Russia.
1 June 1812
US President James Madison asks the US Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
18 June 1812
After months of disputes and tensions, the United States declare war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The War of 1812 starts. Napoleon quickly sees the benefits of such a war, and sends Talleyrand to Portugal to negotiate an alliance with the American ambassador there.
16 July 1812
The Agreement of Lisbon is signed, in which the US and France join together in their fight against Britain.
1812 – 1813
The French fleet will grow tremendously with the help of patriotic funds across France. By the end of 1812 a staggering 70 new French warships would be in commission - yet all would remain in French harbors due to a much strengthened British blockade.
1813
January 1813
Plans for the invasion of Britain and the naval engagement against the Royal Navy are drawn up. Spanish and Portuguese ships (some newly-built) will also intervene in the action.
21 February 1813
The French Mediterranean Fleet sails towards Brest. However, they met into elements of the British Mediterranean Fleet by the Balearics. The Battle of Minorca ensues, which results in a surprising French victory (the first of such kind in a long time) with the capture of one ship and the remaining British ships fleeing eastwards.
15 March 1813
The French Mediterranean Fleet reaches El Ferrol in Spain and catches up with the entire Iberian Fleet. A bad storm blows the British blockade away from French ships, which gives the French Navy time to reorganize. The joint Franco-Iberian force sails out to rendezvous with the French Atlantic Fleet based out in Brest.
1 April 1813
The British spot the massive fleet being gathered around Brest. They send the British Channel Fleet in an effort to disable the French Atlantic Fleet before the incoming Franco-Iberian fleet meets up with them in Brest, but the attack is delayed when a particularly bad storm lightly damages several ships.
3 April 1813
The French Mediterranean Fleet meets with the Atlantic Fleet in Brest. At roughly the same time, the British send the Channel Fleet to the area, along with elements from the British Mediterranean and Atlantic Fleets, which had been in pursuit of the French units for weeks.
29 April 1813
With all squadrons in place and ready to strike, the British engage the combined Franco-Spanish-Portuguese fleet, starting the Battle of Brest. The battle was the largest naval engagement of the war, with more than 150 warships involved and resulting in thousands of deaths in both sides. In the end, however, the French high superiority in numbers results in a decisive French victory which paves the way for a ground invasion of England. The Battle of Brest effectively marks the end of Britain’s supremacy in the seas, which lost many ships to the enemy as a result of French numerical superiority and, more importantly, to the courage of French sailors who, after years of training, were awaiting for this moment to come.
1 May 1813
200,000 French troops land north of Dover as the Royal Navy finds itself unable to intervene. They’re met by a strong defense, but eventually, the French manage to push win an early victory against British ground forces.
2 – 4 May 1813
A French attempt to land south of Dover is repulsed by the British. Nevertheless, the French success in the north spelled the doom of Dover, which fell in the 4th.
25 May 1813
As the French secure landing areas through the coast for more troops to land, they are met by the bulk of the British Army near Hastings. After initial British successes, a French cavalry push into a weakly defended British flank resulted in the encirclement of nearly all of the British troops. France wins the battle, albeit at a heavy cost, losing 10,000 soldiers to the British 15,000 in a single day. However, the French army recovered as reserves arrived from the mainland. However, for the British, the tremendous manpower losses combined with the symbolic meaning of the battle itself broke down their morale.
June 1813
The French Armée de l'Angleterre wins a set of victories through England in their way to London. However, dissent in conquered areas is high and the French are forced to keep large number of troops to put down likely uprisings.
1 July 1813
The first French troops arrives to the outskirts of London. A pitched battle for the city would begin; but even as the entire population was ready to rise to arms, Napoleon instead asked for an “honorable peace”. He knew that, while temporarily victorious, his army in England wouldn’t be able to fight for every street of London while at the same time dealing with local dissent in occupied areas. Moreover, the Royal Navy was recovering at an alarming rate, with British ships arriving from all over the world to stop the seemingly endless flow of supplies that kept his army in Britain alive.
3 July 1813
Being alone in the world, with their homeland invaded and with the Americans threatening Canada the British were in a poor position. Although the British were mobilizing across the island, the recent defeats had turned the tide. Prime Minister Liverpool, despite his earlier anti-peace attitude, showed his mediating side and accepted Napoleon’s offer for an honorable peace.
July 1813
Delegates travel to Paris to draw up the terms of peace. Meanwhile, sporadic fighting in Britain still occurs, but at a small scale. With the British distracted in Europe, US General Andrew Jackson launches an invasion into the Maritime Provinces of Canada without War Department’s approval. Nevertheless, Napoleon’s invasion of Britain had forced the British to withdraw some troops from America to defend the homeland, so when the invasion came, the British were for the most part either unable or reluctant to resist.
1 August 1813
The Treaty of Paris is signed between France and Britain. It was a harsh treaty for the British but the desperate situation in which they were in allowed the French to squeeze out as much as they could from the beleaguered nation. The terms included the following:
- The immediate end to all hostilities and the disallowing of a British declaration of war on France for the following 35 years.
- A reduction of the British navy and army. The navy would have all ships over 80 guns given to France and Spain as payment (except for the HMS Victory, which is allowed to remain in British hands in memory of Admiral Nelson), while the army was not allowed to ever surpass 85,000 internationally.
- A monthly report to be sent to the Emperor showing the size, strength and location of all regiments and ships.
- 20,000 French troops would be stationed in major cities to keep “seditious activities to an extreme minimum”.
- Land exchange: every British holding in the Caribbean is to be given to the French except for Jamaica and Anguilla. India and Ireland are allowed to stay under British dominion. British Guinea in South America was to be given to France, as well as some minor posts in Africa and Malta. Gibraltar was to be returned to Spain.
- A payment of 100 million francs.
24 October 1813
A separate peace (Peace of Toronto) is signed with the US in October 1813. Britain is forced to cede the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to the Americans and pay a small indemnity.
The Napoleonic Wars end after 20 years of continued warfare.
TO BE CONTINUED
