Napoleon Bonaparte: Emperor of France
My husband and I spent a blissful week in Paris in 2015 celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary. One of my favorite excursions while there was a trip to the Hôtel National des Invalides, home to Napoleon’s final resting place.
See photo below of me in front of his sarcophagus. I was sad to confirm that he was, in fact, dead.
I recently came across an article that talked about Napoleon and how on May 18, 1804 the French Senate proclaimed him Emperor of France, which ultimately led to his being crowned Emperor Napoleon I in Notre Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804. I was reminded of our day at Les Invalides, and immediately began searching for Napoleon resources on SAFARI Montage. You, too, can familiarize yourself (and your students!) with the rise and fall of this ambitious military genius with noteworthy Napoleon-related SAFARI Montage resources. Hero or villain, you decide!!!
Napoleon: The True Story (BBC) - Using recently uncovered historical evidence and based upon almost a decade of research, the 3-part ''Napoleon: The True Story'' series sheds new light on an extraordinarily gifted military commander, providing a comprehensive portrait of Napoleon and the achievements of the benevolent dictator.
Napoleon: Steel Monster (A&E) - ''Engineering an Empire'' breathes life into the past, reanimates the achievements of history's greatest civilizations, and illuminates the ingenuity and boldness of our forebears. Host Peter Weller travels around the world to chronicle the innovation and architectural brilliance that gave birth to modern civilization. In this episode, learn how Napoleon arose to become one of the most legendary military strategists in history when France stood on the precipice of disaster.
The French Revolution (Schlessinger Media) - Ruled by an absolute monarchy and trapped in a system of feudal relationships, nearly all segments of French society were unhappy in the late 18th century. Despite widespread hardships, ongoing financial problems and challenges by enlightenment thinkers, King Louis XVI was more concerned with his own personal affairs than matters of state. The French Revolution examines how all classes of French society revolted against the King's regime and rejected a society based on heredity and privilege, resulting in an often-violent struggle to determine the future of France. Expert commentary, primary documents and archival images bring the themes of the revolution to life, and students learn that while the revolution failed to permanently overturn the old order, the ideals and reforms of the revolution spread throughout the world.
Napoleon (A&E) - This video from Mini BIO presents a brief biography of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), is remembered as a great military genius, as a war criminal, and as First Council and then Emperor for Life of France. Napoleon was the sponsor of the progressive Napoleonic Code, which confirmed the great changes brought by the French Revolution.
History vs. Napoleon Bonaparte (TED-Ed) - This TED-Ed lesson by Alex Gendler discusses the reasons why Napoleon Bonaparte emerged to rule France with absolute power after the French Revolution, which put a bloody end to the rule of the tyrannical French monarchy.
Jacques-Louis David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries (Khan Academy) - This Smarthistory video from Khan Academy examines Jacques-Louis David's ''The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries'' (1812). This portrait, painted at a time when Napoleon was in full glory of his busy military and civic responsibilities, was meant to show the emperor in the most favorable way possible.
Napoleon and the War of the Third Coalition (Khan Academy) – A web link to a Khan Academy video which discusses Napoleon Bonaparte's role in the War of the Third Coalition, including the Constitution of the Year X, First Consul of France for Life, the Haitian Revolution, the Louisiana Territory, Great Britain, Austria, Russia, Horatio Nelson, the Battle of Trafalgar, Trafalgar Square, the Holy Roman Empire and Emperor, the Confederation of the Rhine, the Battle of Ulm, the Battle of Austerlitz and the crowning of Napoleon I, Emperor of France.
The Peasant Story of Napoleon (Lit2Go) - This web link from Lit2Go presents a full audio reading and complete transcript of Honore de Balzac's ''The Peasant Story of Napoleon,'' in which Goguelet, an old soldier who fought for Napoleon, recounts the life of the French leader. This translation is from the 1905 book ''Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know'' by Hamilton Wright Mabie.