The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe Napoleon's impact on France and the wider world after 1799.
Key learning points
- Napoleon seized power in 1799, failed to recapture Saint-Domingue and completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
- Napoleon made himself 'Emperor of the French' in 1804 and took on absolute power.
- Napoleon introduced the Code Napoleon in 1804 which replaced feudalism with a modern legal framework.
- Britain, France and Russia entered a military coalition against France in 1805 known as the Third Coalition.
- Napoleon conquered much of Europe and exported French laws and ideals to those territories.
Keywords
Consulate - a Consulate is a government normally ruled by more than one ‘Consul’ in a power-sharing arrangement
Emperor - an emperor is a ruler with absolute power, with control over an empire, which is usually a group of countries taken by conquest
Feudal - feudal describes the old French social hierarchy where the king owned all land and distributed it to those below him, who did the same for those below them, in exchange for work, money or service
Coalition - a coalition is an alliance between countries against a common enemy
Common misconception
Napoleon became Emperor of France after he seized power from the Directory in 1799.
Napoleon became First Consul after seizing power from the Directory, but did not crown himself Emperor of France until 1804.
Teacher tip
Emphasise that Napoleon's military confidence both propelled him towards becoming ruler of France, but also helped to cause his demise.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What word is given to a leader of a republic who is often part of a power-sharing arrangement?
Q2.Complete the following sentence: "Napoleon was able to rise through the ranks of the French Army ."
Q3.Put the following events into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
Q4.Match the terms with their correct definitions.
leader of a Republic, usually as part of a power-sharing arrangement
leader of the army
a ruler with absolute power, with control over an Empire
Q5.Put the events below into chronological order, starting with the earliest.
Q6.Which two of the countries below did Napoleon win victory over in Northern Italy?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Napoleon sold French land in America to the USA in 1803 for how much money?
Q2.Put the following events in chronological order, starting with the earliest.
Q3.Complete this sentence: The Code Napoleon replaced France's medieval laws with a modern legal framework.
Q4.The Third Coalition was an alliance of which three countries against Napoleon?
Q5.Match the events in Napoleon's life with the years in which they occurred.
1799
1803
1801-1803
1804
Q6.What were the ideals of the French Revolution that Napoleon was trying to spread?
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 history lesson on: The reign of Napoleon: war and legal reforms, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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