The Napoleonic Wars - OverSimplified (Part 1)

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0:23 Okay, Mrs.

0:23 Bonaparte, this is it, one last push and we're done.

0:29 Congratulations!

0:29 It's a general.

0:31 Oh, and here comes the rest of the army now.

0:36 Did you just say the rest of the army?

0:39 (fanfare music) History is full of great

1:01 conquerors many with very impressive origin stories.

1:04 For example, Alexander The Great was the son of a king.

1:07 Julius Caesar came from an aristocratic family that descended from a goddess.

1:11 Great conquerors don't usually come from relatively

1:14 insignificant families living on impoverished islands,

1:16 but as it just so happens that is where our story begins.

1:21 In the early 18th century, The Island of Corsica was a part

1:24 of the Republic of Genoa until one day Corsica said,

1:27 Hey we're declaring independence and it's probably not

1:29 worth your time to try and stop us.

1:31 So Genoa said, you're right, it isn't worth our time.

1:33 Hey France, you want to buy this island?

1:35 And France said, sure thing.

1:37 And thus Corsica became France just in time for Napoleon to be born French.

1:41 Many Corsicans didn't appreciate their new conquers however.

1:45 And from an early age, Napoleon developed some fairly anti French sentiments.

1:48 Napoleon's dad, however, quickly embraced his new French overlords which

1:52 created some tension between dad and son.

1:54 Ooh.

1:55 Look at me.

1:56 I'm dad.

1:56 I wear powdered wigs and silver buckled shoes.

1:58 And I'm a trader to the Corsican people.

2:00 Go to your room Napoleon.

2:01 No, you go to your room, dad.

2:04 Okay.

2:05 On the other hand, Napoleon adored his mother

2:07 who was definitely the disciplinarian of the family.

2:09 And even though she would punish Napoleon severely, he kind of respected that.

2:12 But Napoleon's parents wanted the best for their family.

2:15 And since they were a very minor nobility they were able to have Napoleon

2:18 sent off to the shining lights and rat-infested sewage puddles of the big city.

2:22 Napoleon went to military school in France.

2:25 Okay.

2:25 Napoleon, why don't you introduce yourself to your new classmates?

2:28 Well, I'm Napoleon, and I hate all of you.

2:30 Your farts smell like cheese.

2:32 You can't pronounce the letter R.

2:33 All you do is go on strike.

2:34 And you call eggs "oeufs" like a bunch of big dumb idiot dingleberries.

2:39 Okay, thanks Napoleon.

2:42 I hope you like being bullied.

2:44 And bullied he was.

2:45 They picked on him for his Corsican accent, his family's lack of wealth,

2:49 and it probably didn't help that he also had a bit of a chip on his shoulder,

2:52 but he could hold his own.

2:53 And on an average day,

2:54 might be found dishing out ratatouille sandwiches for breakfast.

2:57 He spent much of his time alone,

2:59 and he loved reading about the great conquerors of history.

3:02 He learned about Julius Caesar,

3:03 and he wondered if one day he too might have a pizza franchise named after him,

3:08 (funky music) He excelled at math and geography,

3:12 and when he graduated at the age of 16,

3:14 he was made second Lieutenant in an artillery regiment.

3:17 Now, Second Lieutenant might sound pretty sweet to a screw up like you,

3:20 but Napoleon had a little something called ambition, stonks of it.

3:25 And he wasn't content being just some junior officer.

3:28 He wanted to rise the ranks.

3:30 Unfortunately for him, that would be a little difficult.

3:33 Well, Napoleon I've reviewed your application,

3:35 it's clear you're very skilled and would be a perfect fit for the promotion.

3:39 And Simeon, you're just about the biggest idiot I've ever seen.

3:42 Your test results suggest you have the mental aptitude of a senile earthworm.

3:45 And in the part of the form where you list your experience,

3:47 you seem to have drawn a picture of a gerbil giving birth to a shoe,

3:50 but your dad is the Marquis de la Foofayette, so, you get the job.

3:54 (Simeon screams) French society was just too closed off.

3:58 Positions were handed out based on nobility, not talent.

4:02 And the young Napoleon probably felt stuck.

4:04 Wouldn't it be nice if, say, a revolution came along, and changed all of that?

4:09 Well, what are the chances?

4:11 The French revolution is here.

4:13 Bastille toppling, head chopping, king popping,

4:16 the revolution promised to do away with the old

4:19 social hierarchy and make everyone a little more equal.

4:21 Napoleon may not have cared much for the violent mobs,

4:24 but if it meant he could rise the ranks, he was in.

4:28 He began fighting to defend the revolution.

4:30 He put down a British sponsored counter-revolution into Toulon and got promoted.

4:34 He put down a royalist uprising in Paris and got promoted.

4:37 And as his military prowess became more recognized

4:40 he was even given his very own army.

4:42 It was astonishing progress for such a young man

4:45 of humble origins and Napoleon's wildest dreams were coming true.

4:49 But Napoleon also believed he could increase his social

4:51 status if he married an older rich lady.

4:53 And so around this time, Napoleon went on the prowl.

4:57 However, if some sources are to be believed, he was a verified creep.

5:01 He reportedly had terrible luck with woman

5:03 and most wanted nothing to do with him.

5:05 Fortunately, he eventually met Josephine an aging

5:07 single mother who was deeply in debt, and needed stability.

5:11 So she agreed to marry him, despite finding him intensely disgusting.

5:14 Napoleon you dirty dog, you've done it.

5:17 Unbeknownst to Napoleon however,

5:19 Josephine had a bit of a promiscuous reputation.

5:22 Hey Napoleon, I hear you're marrying Josephine.

5:24 Boy, she sure is a great kisser.

5:26 That's right.

5:27 Hey, wait, what do you mean she's a great kisser?

5:29 Hey Hugo!

5:29 You hear Napoleon's marrying Josephine?

5:31 Wow.

5:31 She sure is a great kisser.

5:33 Now hang on just a minute.

5:34 Hey everyone!

5:36 Napoleon's marrying Josephine!

5:37 (crowd talks over each other) Oh for goodness sake,

5:43 is there anyone here who hasn't kissed my wife?

5:45 Yeah, you.

5:47 (crowd laughs) As Napoleon fell madly in love with his new wife.

5:51 She fell madly in love with a man named Hippolyte.

5:54 It wouldn't be long however, before Napoleon would leave home and go

5:58 to war because while France was having its revolution,

6:00 tensions in Europe were rising.

6:03 Hey Austria, you'll never guess what we just did.

6:05 What's that France?

6:06 I got two words for you, Revo, Lution.

6:09 We totally just socked it to our monarchy!

6:12 What, dude, the rest of us are monarchies.

6:15 You've just totally threatened the balance of power in Europe.

6:18 Now we have to worry about our stinky peasants rising up against us.

6:22 I mean, holy hell your Queen is Okay, France.

6:26 This is pretty awkward.

6:27 And the rest of Europe is probably itching to give you a wedgie,

6:30 but you're not ready for a war yet.

6:32 So you gotta be cool man.

6:34 It's absolutely crucial that you say

6:36 something to diffuse the situation, right now.

6:39 Preposterous!

6:42 I declare war.

6:44 Sacrébleu!

6:46 So France ended up at war with basically the rest of Europe,

6:49 and the war of the first coalition began.

6:52 At first France struggled, but then they started to do surprisingly well.

6:56 And in many conquered territories they began to establish sister republics,

7:00 exporting their revolutionary ideas across Europe.

7:03 In 1796, they planned a three-pronged attack to take Vienna and knock Austria

7:07 out of the war with two magnificent armies in the north to kick ass,

7:10 and Napoleon in the south, as a bit of a diversion.

7:13 For the first time, Napoleon would lead a military campaign.

7:16 This was his chance to prove himself, to be somebody,

7:20 and what a general, he proved to be.

7:22 The army he was given were demoralized, lacking equipment,

7:25 and underpaid, but Napoleon galvanized them with inspirational speeches.

7:29 And he took them into Italy.

7:31 He was outnumbered and his campaign was partially meant to be a sideshow,

7:35 but he made it the main show.

7:36 While the two Northern armies were being held back,

7:39 Napoleon made staggering progress.

7:41 In a signature Napoleon move,

7:43 he masterfully split his enemies into two and took them on separately,

7:46 knocking Sardinia out of the war, and putting the Austrians on the run.

7:50 At the famous Battle of Lodi, he was in the fray, aiming the canons himself,

7:54 getting covered in mud, and earning the total respect of his men.

7:57 They respected him so much,

7:59 that when he ordered an almost suicidal assault on the only bridge in town,

8:02 his men threw themselves at it and took it despite fierce Austrian resistance.

8:06 For Napoleon, it was all he needed to confirm

8:09 that he was the greatest human who had ever existed.

8:12 Wow Napoleon, you're pretty great at this military stuff.

8:14 Just be careful, your head doesn't get too big.

8:16 What did you just say to me you little prick?

8:18 And as Napoleon swept through Northern Italy, the Italians cheered his arrival.

8:23 Yes!

8:23 I'm here to liberate you from your cruel Austrian oppressors.

8:31 And replace them with French ones.

8:34 Napoleon plundered as he went,

8:35 sending riches back to France to help its economy,

8:38 but also paying his men the first real money that's seen in years.

8:41 The Pope had been supporting the Austrians,

8:43 so Napoleon briefly went to go give him a slap.

8:45 And as he began to approach Vienna,

8:47 the exhausted Austrians were forced to make peace,

8:49 with Napoleon overseeing negotiations himself.

8:52 He had just single-handedly knocked Austria out of the war.

8:55 And by the way, he was only 28.

8:58 So maybe it's about time you moved out of your dad's attic.

9:00 In the Italian territories he had conquered,

9:02 Napoleon established new French sister republics,

9:05 even writing constitutions and organizing governments himself.

9:08 Not something a general generally does.

9:10 When he got back to France, he was hailed as a hero and the extremely unpopular

9:15 government were concerned he might get some power hungry ideas.

9:18 So they agreed he should go far away from France,

9:20 to Egypt, where he could maybe undermine British access to India.

9:23 Napoleon was eager to win more glory.

9:26 So he brought with him a team of scholars,

9:28 and he was like, whoa it's a freaky man cat.

9:30 Whoa, it's a big stick.

9:32 Whoa, It's an ugly horse.

9:33 Whoa, it's a stumpy little manlet.

9:35 Hey, I'm actually average height for the time.

9:40 But then British Admiral Nelson came down and wrecked his fleet.

9:42 And an Anglo-Ottoman force defeated him at Acre.

9:45 So Napoleon abandoned his men and went back to France.

9:48 His campaign in Egypt hadn't gone quite as planned.

9:51 But one thing you should know about

9:53 Napoleon was that he was a skilled propagandist.

9:55 He published his own newspapers that sometimes exaggerated his achievements

9:59 and even commissioned paintings that generally made him look cool.

10:02 So when he returned to Paris, he was yet again,

10:04 hailed as a hero, and he began to get some power hungry ideas.

10:08 First however, he had a bit of a problem to deal with.

10:11 See, he had learned something shocking about his dear wife.

10:14 Really Josephine, this guy?

10:16 I'm just as tall as him.

10:18 I'm sorry.

10:19 I swear, now that you're becoming famous, I'll never do it again.

10:23 Make sure you don't.

10:24 I've never stooped so low as to cheat on you.

10:27 Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in this room,

10:30 consulting my generals for the next 30 minutes.

10:32 And by consulting, I mean boinking, by my generals,

10:36 I mean this woman and by 30 minutes, well I mean two seconds.

10:41 Having dealt with his wife,

10:43 Napoleon was then approached by a very influential politician,

10:45 who said he had an idea.

10:46 He wanted to stage a coup against the deeply

10:49 unpopular government and needed the extremely popular Napoleon's help.

10:52 And Napoleon thought that was just the darn tootin'est idea.

10:55 The plan was to trap the government

10:57 and convince them to voluntarily give up their power.

10:59 And here's how they did it.

11:01 Hey guys, oh my gosh, quick!

11:03 There's a dangerous Jacobin plot to overthrow

11:04 you which we definitely aren't just making up.

11:06 Better get inside this cage so we can protect you.

11:10 Okay.

11:13 Gentlemen, we got them.

11:15 (cheers) In this case, the cage was an isolated palace outside of Paris,

11:20 with no one around but Napoleon and his army.

11:22 With the government inside,

11:24 Napoleon then entered and a pretty chaotic event ensued.

11:27 During which, the government didn't seem entirely sure

11:28 what was going on, Napoleon's men didn't seem

11:31 entirely sure what was going on, and Napoleon

11:33 himself didn't seem entirely sure what was going on.

11:35 But thankfully Napoleon's brother Lucien, President of the Lower House,

11:39 managed to regain control and the remaining

11:41 councilmen were intimidated into creating a new constitution.

11:44 And thus, a new government was formed.

11:45 This time with three Consuls in charge.

11:48 But after Napoleon did some rewriting,

11:49 in the end there was really only one man in charge, the first Consul, him.

11:54 And over the next few years,

11:55 he worked to consolidate even more power and essentially

11:58 became a dictator in total control of France, who, by the way, he was only 30.

12:03 So maybe it's about time you washed your disgusting bedsheets.

12:06 France was now ruled by possibly the greatest military leader of the time.

12:10 Possibly the greatest?

12:11 Or definitely?

12:12 Well now is his chance to prove it.

12:15 See, back when Napoleon was still in Egypt,

12:17 being Indiana Jones, back home France was in France, being France.

12:22 They had conquered even more territory and they were like hey Piedmont,

12:26 you get revolutionary ideals.

12:27 Hey Switzerland, you get revolutionary ideals.

12:30 And Rome, you get revolutionary ideals.

12:33 Everybody gets revolutionary.

12:34 Oh, Hey guys, nice sledgehammers, and Naples, very cool nail gun.

12:39 You guys here to get some revolutionary ideals?

12:41 (screams) Sacre bleu!

12:45 As France was still spreading the revolution, And with Napoleon busy in Egypt,

12:48 the European powers felt the time was right for round two.

12:51 And the War of the Second Coalition, began.

12:54 And this time they're big,

12:56 bad boy buddy Russia was here to bang some French boys back to Bordeaux.

12:59 And bang them, they did.

13:01 France, got blasted.

13:03 But then Russia pulled out after stalling in Switzerland.

13:05 And now that Napoleon was in charge of the country

13:08 he was ready to start blasting right back.

13:10 He took command of The Army of the Reserve

13:12 and he brought the fight to the Austrians.

13:15 Now, there are many traits that made Napoleon a great military leader.

13:19 I already mentioned one of them, how he was one of the boys,

13:21 and commanded the total loyalty of his men.

13:23 But now we see a second reason, the element of surprise.

13:27 In 1800, Napoleon moved to Geneva and it looked like he

13:30 was probably going to take on the Austrian forces in Germany.

13:33 There's no way he'd be crazy enough to move his entire army

13:35 south through the Alps as a surprise attack on the Austrians besieging Genoa.

13:39 Oh, Napoleon's moving his entire army south through the Alps

13:41 as a surprise attack on the Austrians besieging Genoa.

13:44 Napoleon's crossing of the Alps, is legendary.

13:46 And you may have seen one of the most famous paintings

13:48 of the general popping a sick wheelie on his majestic stallion,

13:51 surrounded by dangerous mountain terrain.

13:53 Of course, in real life,

13:54 he made the crossing on a depressed mule, but that's not as cool.

13:58 When he emerged in Italy, the Austrians expected him to come break their siege.

14:01 But Napoleon went for their supply line near Milan,

14:04 forcing the Austrians to meet Napoleon head-on at the famous battle of Marengo.

14:08 The Austrians initially clobbered the out-numbered French.

14:10 And they were like, hooray, we won.

14:12 But then a few hours later, Napoleon showed up again with an even

14:15 bigger army and he clobbered them right back.

14:17 Holy cow this tiny little fun sized French guy is running rings around us.

14:21 Hey!

14:21 I'm average height for the time, you jerk!

14:24 Then, after General Moreau's victory at Hohenlinden,

14:27 Vienna was exposed and the Austrians again, sued for peace.

14:31 Just like the war of The First Coalition,

14:33 the Second Coalition ended in another French victory.

14:35 But in many ways they both felt more like Napoleon victories.

14:39 Only the UK remained at war with Napoleon and they were using their powerful

14:43 Navy to blockade French ports and were

14:45 even seizing the cargoes of neutral ships.

14:47 Obviously everyone else got pretty pissed off

14:50 that the British were interfering with their trade.

14:51 So in response, they formed a league and they embargoed the UK right back.

14:56 Neutral countries protecting their own interests?

14:59 That's offensive.

15:00 So Britain went to Copenhagen and blew a bunch of stuff up.

15:02 And the league disbanded.

15:04 But because UK's economy was pretty bust they

15:06 decided to sign a treaty with France in 1802.

15:09 For the first time in a long time, Europe was at peace.

15:13 Congratulations, Sire, you've achieved peace.

15:16 Yes, Pierre, but not for long.

15:18 I still don't trust those dirty Brits.

15:20 Did you hear they've been calling me the Boneyman?

15:23 What does that even mean?

15:24 Keep an eye on them, would you?

15:25 I can't, Sire.

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16:30 Now, where were we?

16:32 Oh yeah.

16:33 Crossing the Alps, defeating the Austrians, and Europe at peace.

16:38 What a meteoric rise it had been for the young Corsican.

16:42 He had just taken charge of a nation that appeared

16:44 to be losing a war and turned it all around, securing French gains in Europe.

16:49 But there was now a big question, you see,

16:52 throughout the chaotic French revolution,

16:53 French governments had struggled to keep the economy afloat.

16:56 They often didn't have a whole lot of support and they frequently came and went.

17:00 Would Napoleon finally be the man who could stick around?

17:03 Military victories were one thing, but could the general also govern?

17:07 Spoiler alert, yes.

17:09 The economy's crumbling?

17:11 Well then why don't you have yourself a new national bank,

17:13 currency reform, and improve taxation and welfare systems.

17:16 The legal system is an incoherent mess?

17:18 Well then why don't we nicely wrap all

17:19 those civil laws up into one new centralized legal code?

17:23 Corrupt government officials?

17:23 throw them in the trash.

17:25 Bad infrastructure?

17:26 Throw it in the trash.

17:27 Women's rights?

17:28 Throw them in the trash.

17:29 Wait, really?

17:30 Well, Yeah.

17:31 Unfortunately, while Napoleon was building on the equality of the revolution,

17:35 he also largely scaled back rights for certain groups

17:37 and husbands had full legal control over their wives.

17:40 But come on ladies, maybe let men have a slice of the pie for once, okay?

17:45 Napoleon further reformed education,

17:47 ensuring a system based on individual ability.

17:49 Meaning now, Simeon had to compete with everyone else and Napoleon could

17:52 get the cream of the crop to help him run the Republic.

17:55 But he wasn't just building on the ideas of the revolution.

17:58 The revolution had led to a lot of chaos and Napoleon needed stability.

18:02 So he rolled back a couple of things.

18:04 Most notably with religion,

18:06 the revolution had pretty much kicked the Catholic church to the curb,

18:09 but Napoleon understood that since many

18:11 French citizens still considered themselves Catholic, that could be a problem.

18:14 So he came to an agreement with the Pope and brought back the church.

18:17 Only this time with some pretty hefty power limitations.

18:20 He also ensured freedom for other religions and is often noted

18:23 for his positive treatment of Jewish

18:25 people at a time of widespread antisemitism.

18:27 But while all of this may make Napoleon sound like a pretty standup dude,

18:30 it's good to note that he believed in religious freedom because he thought

18:33 it was a powerful tool to keep the poor from eating the rich,

18:36 or something like that.

18:37 Overall, Napoleon's aim was to end the chaos of the revolution

18:41 and finally create a stable and prospering French Republic.

18:44 And in that aim, he seemed to be largely

18:46 successful and generally popular with the people of France.

18:49 He officially declared that the revolution is over, adding I am the revolution.

18:54 Napoleon's head could be seen for miles.

18:57 Of course, not everyone was happy with Napoleon's reforms.

19:00 Conservatives felt he was too radical.

19:02 Radicals felt he was too conservative.

19:04 But since Napoleon was a dictator, opposition could usually be stamped out

19:08 with some good old fashioned iron fisting.

19:10 In 1804, Napoleon took one last major step.

19:13 After some failed attempts were made to assassinate him.

19:16 He wanted to strengthen his position and ensure

19:18 his dynasty could live on after him.

19:20 And so he decided being First Consul for Life simply wasn't quite enough.

19:24 He decided he should become Emperor.

19:27 He held a vote asking the French people if they were cool

19:30 with the idea and they returned to definitely not rigged, 99.9% in favor.

19:35 The balls on this man.

19:37 And so in the 2nd of December, 1804,

19:39 in an elaborate ceremony at Notre-dame, Napoleon was made Emperor.

19:44 The Pope was even invited to attend and normally he would crown an Emperor,

19:47 but to make sure everyone knew

19:49 this wasn't some Charlemagne style circular power division,

19:51 Napoleon lifted the crown and placed it on his own head.

19:55 Like I said, the balls on this man.

19:58 He was now Emperor of the French.

20:00 Well Napoleon, you were a General,

20:02 then you became First Consul for Life, And now you're an Emperor.

20:06 Is it enough yet?

20:07 Is your ambition finally satisfied?

20:09 I don't know Pierre, what comes after Emperor?

20:13 I would say, God sire.

20:15 You want to be a God?

20:20 Yes.

20:22 I'll put it down under maybe.

20:23 Okay everyone.

20:24 What the hell is going on?

20:26 This Corsican guy showed up out of nowhere and he's kicking our ass!

20:30 He's exporting the ideas of the French revolution wherever he goes.

20:33 And he just declared himself King of Italy and Emperor.

20:36 He can't do that, I'm the emperor!

20:38 Oh, hey fellow monarchs.

20:40 I see you're having a monarch party.

20:41 My invite must've got lost in the mail.

20:43 I'll just set up a spot right here.

20:47 Wow.

20:48 You don't belong here, Napoleon.

20:50 We're coming to take you down.

20:52 I'd like to see you try.

20:53 I'm so scared, I just pooed my pants.

20:56 Hey everyone, I just pooed my pants!

20:58 (crowd laughing) No, but I did just poo my pants.

21:07 Before Napoleon had even declared himself Emperor,

21:10 the British had already re-declared war on France,

21:12 because both sides had been violating their previous treaty.

21:15 Napoleon immediately occupied Hanover and then began

21:18 making plans for a great British invasion.

21:20 Partially paid for by selling a huge chunk of land to the United States.

21:24 Napoleon gathered his army along the English channel.

21:27 But here was the problem, while Napoleon's powerful army would almost

21:30 certainly obliterate the British on land,

21:32 there was very little chance he'd actually make

21:34 it across the channel because Britannia ruled the waves.

21:38 This power dynamic would keep the two traditional enemies

21:40 from engaging in much real direct combat throughout the Napoleonic wars.

21:44 However, the British had something else up their sleeves,

21:47 copious amounts of money.

21:49 They were willing to throw cash at anyone who would go to war against Napoleon.

21:53 And there were plenty of takers, Austria, Russia, Naples and Sweden,

21:57 hoping to put Napoleon's France back in its place,

22:00 formed The Third Coalition against France.

22:02 The coalition forces probably thought that this time they stood a chance.

22:06 They weren't prepared for the total humiliation they were about to suffer.

22:11 The War of the Third Coalition was Napoleon at his best.

22:14 We've already learned two ways in which Napoleon was a great

22:17 military commander but here comes one of the biggest reasons, speed.

22:20 He had reorganized his army into corps,

22:22 which were themselves, basically small armies.

22:25 Each had their own infantry, cavalry and artillery.

22:28 And as a result was able to act more independently.

22:31 They spread out through the countryside and by living off the land,

22:34 rather than relying on heavy supply trains

22:36 they were able to move extremely quickly.

22:38 Napoleon would traverse massive distances, outmaneuver his enemies,

22:42 isolate them and then move in for the kill

22:45 before they even knew what was going on.

22:47 Lightening warfare, leading to total destruction.

22:50 Would you like to see him do it?

22:51 Here we go.

22:52 Part of the Coalition's plan was for the Russians

22:54 to meet up with the Austrians and take on Napoleon together.

22:57 Combined, they could turn the tide against him.

22:59 So Napoleon needed to stop them from ever meeting,

23:02 but he's all the way over in Bouillon.

23:04 No problem.

23:04 In a matter of weeks, Napoleon marched 200,000 men,

23:08 in secret, encircling Austrian general Mack, and capturing his entire army.

23:13 A devastating blow.

23:14 Napoleon later remarked, I have destroyed the Austrian army by simply marching.

23:19 Next, he turned to face the approaching Russians.

23:21 Okay.

23:21 It looks like the French are coming for us, but check this out.

23:24 I've got an amazing idea.

23:26 When they approach, We run away, Sir, you're a genius.

23:32 The Russians began to retreat with Napoleon giving chase.

23:35 And since his tactics relied on quick victories, this could be a problem.

23:39 Especially because the longer the war went on, the more

23:41 likely it looked other countries may join the coalition against him.

23:44 But Napoleon knew the Russians are Alexander The First,

23:47 who was young and seeking glory.

23:49 So he came up with an idea to lure him in.

23:52 He sent him a message.

23:54 What does it say?

23:55 It says, hello.

23:56 I'm just a little baby boy, and I'm very scared.

24:00 Are you talking like that, or is he?

24:02 He is, sir.

24:03 Why's he doing that?

24:04 I don't know, but it's very cute, helpless, and vulnerable.

24:08 A little baby boy.

24:10 Very scared.

24:12 Cute?

24:14 Boris, get my crossbow, we're going hunting.

24:17 The Allied forces turned to face Napoleon,

24:19 who they now believed was in a vulnerable position.

24:21 He was set up at Austerlitz and to make it look like he was retreating,

24:25 he had even evacuated the high ground.

24:27 A thick fog set in, obscuring Napoleon's center,

24:30 as the Allies took the bait and set up on the heights.

24:32 From there, they spotted Napoleon's very weak looking right flank.

24:36 And they descended the Heights to go get it.

24:38 Little did they know, it was exactly what Napoleon was hoping they'd do.

24:42 The next thing they knew, a large French force was emerging from the fog,

24:46 launching a huge central assault up the hill.

24:48 They swung around crushing the allies.

24:50 And as men attempted to flee across the frozen lakes,

24:53 Napoleon ordered his artillery to fire on the ice,

24:56 causing an unknown number to drown.

24:59 But he told me he was just a little baby boy, what happened?

25:02 He tricked you, sir.

25:03 You mean I was the little baby boy all along?

25:08 It was Napoleon's masterpiece.

25:10 And Austria were once again forced to make peace with France.

25:13 Then, with the French conquest of Naples in 1806,

25:16 The War of the Third Coalition ended as yet another Napoleon victory.

25:21 This was the third time Napoleon had had

25:23 to give Austrian Emperor Francis a good spanking.

25:26 And so with the peace treaty in 1805, Napoleon was determined to punish him.

25:31 He was forced to give up territory,

25:33 hand over significant compensation, and promised never to fight Napoleon again.

25:37 For now Russia, Sweden, and the UK remained at war with France

25:41 but none were able to offer much of a threat.

25:43 And so Napoleon got to work strengthening his grip over Europe.

25:47 He gave out rule of captured territories to his family and friends.

25:50 And most notably, he established a new

25:52 Confederation in Germany with himself as its protector.

25:56 Seeing his influence in Germany being wiped away,

25:58 Emperor Francis acknowledged reality,

26:01 and officially dissolved the holy Roman empire.

26:03 An entity that had existed for over a thousand years.

26:06 But it wasn't all good news for Napoleon.

26:09 For one thing, Spain had earlier allied with France in 1804,

26:12 because the British just couldn't help themselves from blowing up Spanish ships.

26:15 And Napoleon hoped the combined French-Spanish fleet

26:18 would eventually be able to invade England.

26:20 Unfortunately, he received word that British Admiral

26:22 Nelson had engaged his fleet at Trafalgar.

26:25 Normally Naval battles looked like this, but in this case, Nelson did this?

26:29 Was it because he was an idiot?

26:31 No, it's because he was a genius.

26:34 He successfully punched through the Franco-Spanish line, and unleashed hell.

26:38 His victory ensured British control of the sea

26:40 and his death during the battle made him a legend.

26:44 Napoleon's hopes for a future British invasion, were gone.

26:47 But not just that, Napoleon was also hoping to secure peace on the continent,

26:51 but that wasn't looking likely because the Prussian

26:53 king was under pressure from his wife.

26:56 Frederick, he's established a Confederation in our turf,

26:59 and he told us he'd give us Hanover but then offered it to the British.

27:02 You have to declare war on him.

27:04 What is it with you and war?

27:05 What is it with you and being a cupcake?

27:07 Go to war.

27:08 Okay.

27:09 In October 1806, Prussia,

27:11 with its famed military tradition joined the Coalition,

27:14 and declared war beginning the War of the Fourth Coalition.

27:17 Unfortunately, Prussian King Frederick William the Third,

27:20 Wasn't the smartest tool in the shed.

27:22 Look at him over there.

27:23 Being all French, makes me sick!

27:25 Boys, will get him this time.

27:27 But here's the thing, this time we have to stick together.

27:31 Do not, under any circumstances, face Napoleon by yourself.

27:34 You all saw what happened to Austria.

27:37 Hey, where'd Fred go?

27:38 Hey you jerk, think you're some kind of big shot, huh?

27:41 Want to tango with Fred?

27:42 You don't got the cajones.

27:43 We're screwed.

27:44 Without consulting its allies,

27:45 Prussia had gone ahead and sent Napoleon an ultimatum,

27:48 Demanding he move all his forces out of Germany.

27:50 Now some of you watching this video,

27:52 probably can't even wipe your own bum bum yet,

27:54 but even you know, you don't just send Napoleon an ultimatum.

27:58 Obviously, Napoleon went in for the kill.

28:00 Prussia's army was quite outdated.

28:02 So when they met Napoleon at the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt,

28:06 it wasn't even close.

28:07 Even Marshall Davout's heavily outnumbered corp

28:09 at Auerstedt sent the Prussians running

28:11 and Napoleon carried out a ruthless pursuit of his fleeing enemy, taking Berlin.

28:15 And within a single month, decimating the Prussian forces.

28:18 Frederick William, and the remnants of his army, moved to the east.

28:22 At this point, Napoleon's forces were pretty tired.

28:24 Winter had come and conditions were miserable.

28:27 He anticipated both sides would settle into winter quarters,

28:30 but Russia decided to try their hand at an unexpected winter attack.

28:34 A series of brutal battles followed that took a heavy toll on both sides,

28:38 including the vicious Battle of Eylau, fought in blizzard conditions.

28:42 Men froze to death, and many deserted.

28:45 The Russian artillery tore the French to shreds,

28:47 and Napoleon himself was momentarily under risk of being captured.

28:51 In the end, the French army was saved, thanks to a legendary cavalry charge

28:54 by Napoleon's flamboyant cavalry commander, Murat.

28:57 After the horror inflicted on both sides, they decided it might be a good idea

29:01 not to do any more fighting until after winter.

29:03 Then after winter came and the fighting

29:06 continued the Russians were pushed back to Friedland,

29:08 where Russian general Bennigsen made a bit of a blunder

29:11 by positioning himself with the aloe river to his back.

29:14 The French artillery were able to pin

29:15 the Russians between the river and their concentrated gunfire.

29:18 A major element in Napoleon's fighting style

29:21 and many Russians drowned as they tried to escape.

29:24 War of the Fourth Coalition, victory, Napoleon.

29:29 (dramatic music)