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31:12
Transcript
0:00
- [Narrator] This video
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0:07
(dramatic thud)
0:10
After the third and fourth Coalition wars,
0:12
Napoleon had decisively defeated all three
0:15
of his main rivals on the continent,
0:17
and he was now undoubtedly
the master of Europe.
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0:21
After the Battle of Friedland,
his enemy sued for peace
0:23
and they all met on a raft
on a river for negotiations.
0:27
They had been fighting
for the past four years,
0:29
but now, Napoleon and
Alexander surprisingly got
0:32
along like a house on fire.
0:33
They laughed together.
0:34
They chatted long into the night.
0:36
They kissed.
0:37
The two had a lot of mutual respect,
0:39
and Napoleon even told his wife
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0:41
that "if Alexander were a woman,
0:42
I would make him my mistress."
0:44
(air whooshes)
0:45
Kind of a weird thing to
say to your wife, Napoleon.
0:47
In the end, they came to
an amicable agreement.
0:49
Russia would lose barely any land.
0:51
And in return, they'd joined France
0:53
against the UK and invade Sweden.
0:55
Win-win.
0:56
On the other hand, Frederick
William III was sidelined
0:59
and Prussia lost an enormous amount
1:01
of territory to French client states.
1:03
Only the UK remained as the
last major threat to Napoleon.
1:06
And they continued to be
a big thorn in his side,
1:09
constantly funding his enemies
1:10
and using their powerful
navy to wreak havoc
1:12
on French trade and overseas colonies.
1:15
But what could Napoleon do?
1:16
The British were safe across the channel.
1:19
Well, he said, "If I
can't fight you with guns,
1:21
I'll fight you with money."
1:23
Earlier in 1806,
1:24
Napoleon had announced
the Continental System,
1:27
a total shut off of the
UK from continental trade.
1:30
No one in Europe was
to trade with Britain,
1:33
and Napoleon hoped that
by hitting their economy
1:35
he could force them to negotiate.
1:36
The British economy did take a hit,
1:38
and they responded in
their typical fashion
1:40
by going to Copenhagen and
blowing a bunch of stuff up.
1:43
But in general, the British
managed to stay afloat
1:45
by simply increasing their trade
1:47
with other parts of the world.
1:48
Many neutral countries
found themselves stuck
1:50
between a rock and a hard place
1:52
as the two European superpowers demanded
1:54
they ceased trade with the enemy.
1:56
Hey America, you better
not trade with the French
1:58
or else I'll come burn
down the White House.
1:59
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Now, where were we?
3:01
Oh yeah, making peace with the Russians,
3:03
a Continental Blockade,
and blowing up Copenhagen.
3:06
Sick of being blown up
3:07
for doing almost nothing and
under significant pressure
3:10
from Napoleon, the Danish
officially sided with France.
3:14
But Napoleon's blockade
had the biggest effect
3:16
on continental Europe,
3:17
who were now cut off from
a major trading partner.
3:19
One that controlled the seas
3:21
and held a rich, growing empire.
3:23
And a lot of countries
didn't fully comply.
3:25
Portugal, a traditional British
ally, refused to take part.
3:28
No problem.
3:29
Napoleon sent an army and invaded.
3:31
But it wasn't just Portugal.
3:32
Many of Napoleon's
allies were also suspect.
3:35
Your Majesty, it seems that Spain
3:37
isn't properly enforcing your blockade.
3:39
Spain? Why not?
3:41
Well, it appears, they've
been trying to find a way out
3:43
of being your ally since they
lost their fleet at Trafalgar.
3:45
What is with these people?
3:47
It's almost like everyone's
only pretending to be my ally
3:49
because they know
otherwise I'd beat them up.
3:52
Do I even have any real friends?
3:54
Are you my friend, Pierre?
3:55
Say yes or I'll slap you.
3:56
Napoleon had come to mistrust
his ally to the south.
3:59
And in particular,
4:00
Napoleon thought the Spanish royal family
4:02
were an incompetent mess.
4:03
All right, Carlos, you've
got to get it together.
4:06
How can I trust you when
all you do is go hunting?
4:08
Meanwhile, you let this ambitious nobody
4:10
who dislikes me run the country.
4:12
And you seem to be the only person
4:13
in the universe who doesn't
realize he's boinking your wife.
4:16
And what's worse...
4:18
Who the heck are you?
4:19
I'm the king's son.
4:20
I just overthrew my dad,
4:21
so, actually, now I'm the king.
4:25
You people are the biggest cluster
4:27
of shameless, narcissistic idiots
4:29
and all around just the
worst people I've ever met.
4:32
Here, have a Kids' Choice Award.
4:33
French forces, many having
conveniently already
4:36
entered Spain to invade Portugal,
4:37
occupied Spanish forts
4:39
and Napoleon invited the Spanish royals
4:41
to France to help mediate
their differences.
4:43
(audience cheering)
4:46
All right, we're here with
the royal family of Spain.
4:49
So, Fernando, you've
been accused of plotting
4:52
against your father and
vying for the Spanish throne.
4:54
(audience gasps)
4:55
What do you have to say for yourself?
4:56
Well, Napoleon...
4:57
That's great.
4:58
Well, I've got the test
results right here.
5:00
- [Audience Member] All right!
5:01
- [Narrator] Fernando, in the
case of the Spanish throne,
5:04
you are not the king.
5:06
- Ha ha!
(audience laughing)
5:08
- [Narrator] And Carlos,
you are also not the king.
5:11
(audience laughing)
(air whooshes)
5:14
I'm the king.
5:15
(audience cheering)
5:19
Actually, Napoleon made
his brother the king,
5:21
but for all intents and purposes,
Spain was now his puppet.
5:25
He expected the Spanish
people to be over the moon
5:27
at the removal of their
unpopular royal family.
5:30
Imagine his surprise when it turned out
5:32
that people don't really
like to be subjugated
5:34
by a foreign power, least of all one
5:36
who had previously attacked
the Catholic church.
5:38
And so the people of Spain revolted.
5:41
Brutal fighting broke out as bands
5:44
of armed Spaniards ambushed French troops
5:46
across the kingdom and vicious
atrocities were committed
5:49
on both sides.
5:50
In addition to fighting
the regular Spanish
5:52
and Portuguese forces,
5:53
the French had to contend
with tens of thousands
5:55
of guerrilla fighters throughout
the Spanish countryside.
5:58
The British even took the opportunity
6:00
to land an army led by the
future Duke of Wellington.
6:03
And now British forces were
defeating French ones on land.
6:07
Napoleon briefly went to Spain in person,
6:09
and he did drive back the allied armies,
6:11
but before long, his attention
was needed elsewhere.
6:14
The whole thing became a
nightmare for the emperor.
6:17
He excelled at traditional warfare,
6:18
but this was something more
akin to Napoleon's Vietnam.
6:22
The whole conflict would
keep hundreds of thousands
6:24
of French soldiers and
resources bogged down for years.
6:27
Napoleon was never able to break the will
6:29
of the Spanish people.
6:30
And this problem weakened
his position in Europe.
6:33
(narrator humming)
6:35
Hey, Francis, wanna go to
war with Napoleon again?
6:38
Oh, I don't know Britain.
6:39
He's already whomped me three times.
6:41
I'll give you a bazillion pounds.
6:43
Well, okay.
6:44
Seeing that Napoleon was
now caught up in Spain,
6:46
and with some British funding,
Austria decided maybe,
6:49
just maybe this time they'd have a chance.
6:52
So did they?
6:53
No.
6:54
Napoleon defeated them
in just four months.
6:57
It was quick, but it wasn't exactly easy.
6:59
The Austrians had been watching Napoleon
7:01
and learning, and they
had made some reforms,
7:03
while Napoleon, after years of war,
7:05
was increasingly having to rely
7:06
on inexperienced conscripts.
7:08
So this time the Austrians
gave him a run for his money.
7:11
The Fifth Coalition saw some
of the bloodiest battles
7:14
to date, including Napoleon's
first major defeat.
7:16
And when he did finally
defeat the Austrians
7:18
at the Battle of Wagram, it
was a very costly victory.
7:21
Still, Napoleon had yet
again kicked Francis' butt,
7:24
and as part of the peace terms,
7:26
Austria lost a bunch more land.
7:28
Not long after, however,
7:29
Napoleon and Francis came
to another agreement.
7:31
It was decided that Napoleon
7:33
would marry Francis' young daughter.
7:35
But wait, doesn't Napoleon
already have a wife?
7:38
Well, yes, he did.
7:40
Josephine and Napoleon had
become quite fond of one another.
7:42
But now that Napoleon was
playing the monarch game,
7:45
he needed a male heir
7:46
and his aging wife wasn't giving him one.
7:48
So it was out with the
old and in with the new.
7:51
At least he didn't behead anyone.
7:52
For Austria, they felt
that if Napoleon was going
7:55
to keep on winning,
7:55
they may as well be on his side.
7:57
So through the marriage,
7:58
Napoleon got an alliance with Austria
8:00
and a beautiful baby potato.
8:02
Between them failing
blockade against Britain,
8:04
the ongoing war in Spain,
8:06
and now his recent struggles in Austria,
8:08
cracks in Napoleon's invincibility
were beginning to show.
8:11
But still, look at this map.
8:13
So blue, so beautiful.
8:15
Even Sweden, after being
pulverized by Russia,
8:18
overthrew their king,
8:19
and after an interesting chain of events,
8:21
ended up putting one of
Napoleon's own marshals in charge.
8:23
Marshall Bernadotte
took the name Karl Johan
8:26
and became crown prince of Sweden.
8:28
After agreeing to join
Napoleon's Continental System,
8:30
for now, Sweden was team France.
8:33
Napoleon was on top of the world.
8:35
He had won an endless string of victories.
8:38
All he had to do now was sit back
8:40
and not make any major miscalculations
8:42
that could completely
turn the tide of war.
8:44
So let's see what comes next.
8:47
(dramatic music)
(air whooshes)
8:50
France's alliance with Russia
was a terrifying prospect.
8:53
Together, the two
could've been unstoppable,
8:55
but unfortunately, the
alliance didn't last.
8:58
The Russians felt they
weren't getting a fair deal.
9:00
Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw right
9:01
on their doorstep was a bit of an insult.
9:03
And then their economy began to tank
9:05
because of Napoleon's British blockade.
9:07
And eventually, they
began to open up trade.
9:09
Your Majesty, it seems
Alexander is no longer abiding
9:12
by the Continental System
9:13
and has begun trading with the British.
9:15
Alexander? But he kissed me.
9:18
He kissed you?
9:19
You wouldn't get it, Pierre.
9:21
No one would ever kiss you.
9:23
(narrator bawling)
9:24
The security of Napoleon's empire depended
9:26
on removing the British threat
9:27
and he wasn't happy with
Russia's backdoor shenanigans.
9:30
And so in 1812, Napoleon
decided to go to war.
9:33
He gathered together the most massive army
9:35
Europe had ever seen, made up
of troops from every corner
9:38
of his empire, and he prepared to invade.
9:41
Okay, it looks like
Napoleon's coming for us.
9:43
Generals, I need ideas.
9:45
We could stand and fight.
9:46
No that's stupid.
9:47
You're stupid.
9:48
We could run away.
9:49
You, you're a star.
9:52
You remember Napoleon's tactics relied
9:54
on astonishing speed to
outmaneuver his enemy
9:56
and force a quick, decisive battle.
9:58
Well, I've got two words for you.
10:00
Scorched earth.
10:01
If his opponent retreated
while scorching the earth,
10:03
his men couldn't live off the land.
10:05
And if his men couldn't live off the land,
10:06
he needed his supply trains.
10:08
And if he needed his supply trains,
10:09
he couldn't move quickly.
10:10
And if he couldn't move quickly,
10:11
he couldn't outmaneuver his enemy.
10:12
And if he couldn't outmaneuver his enemy,
10:13
I think you get the point.
10:15
Napoleon launched his invasion
and hoped for a quick battle,
10:17
but all he could do was try to
catch the retreating Russians
10:20
while moving deeper and
deeper into hostile territory.
10:23
As he went, the horribly hot
summer devastated his army.
10:26
His men died of heat,
exhaustion, and disease.
10:29
Supplies began to run out
and his men began to starve.
10:33
Many deserted, and still the
Russians continued to retreat.
10:36
Numerous times, Napoleon
considered turning back.
10:39
But that little voice in his
head kept on telling him,
10:41
"Keep going, just a little further,
10:44
and don't worry.
10:45
You're definitely average
height for the time."
10:48
He nearly caught the Russians at Smolensk,
10:50
but it was his birthday
so he had a party instead.
10:52
When he finally reached Moscow,
10:54
he predicted the Russians
wouldn't be willing
10:55
to give up such a historic
and holy city without a fight.
10:58
And he was right.
11:00
The Russians finally turned to face him
11:02
for the single deadliest
day of the Napoleonic Wars,
11:06
the Battle of Borodino.
11:08
The Russians fought valiantly.
11:09
And as he got older, Napoleon's
battle tactics seemed
11:12
to become a little less refined
11:13
and a little more run straight
at the enemy, try not to die.
11:16
He launched a full frontal
assault at the Russian defenses.
11:19
And as a result, the
death toll was colossal.
11:22
The Russians eventually
decided to retreat,
11:24
leaving Moscow to fall
into Napoleon's hands.
11:27
Quick, the French are taking the city.
11:28
Release all these prisoners immediately
11:30
and tell them to burn it to the ground.
11:32
Well, well, Jimmy the arsonist,
11:34
you are not gonna believe your luck.
11:36
Moscow went up in flames,
11:37
and as Napoleon entered,
11:39
it became very clear his
army wouldn't be able
11:40
to stay there very long.
11:42
But he had just defeated the Russian army
11:44
and taken their most beloved city.
11:47
In his mind, he had won,
11:49
so he sent Tsar Alexander
in St. Petersburg a letter.
11:52
Your Imperial Majesty, Napoleon
requests your surrender.
11:55
How shall I respond?
11:56
You shan't, Dimitri.
11:58
Ever?
11:59
Ever.
11:59
But your majesty, it will be winter soon.
12:02
The French forces are stuck 500 miles
12:04
into Russian territory
with dwindling supplies.
12:06
If we don't say anything,
well, then they'll all die.
12:10
Oh!
12:11
After waiting for a
response for about a month,
12:13
the first snow of winter began to fall,
12:15
and Napoleon sensed the catastrophe
12:17
that was about to unfold.
12:19
He decided their only
choice now was to get out.
12:22
And that's when it happened.
12:24
It got cold, stupid cold.
12:27
His glorious invasion had just
become a race for survival.
12:30
As the Russians realized
the French were fleeing
12:32
for their lives, they began to close in
12:34
on their supply line.
12:35
Men froze to death, their horses as well.
12:38
There was starvation and disease.
12:40
The injured and dying could only be left
12:42
by the side of the road,
12:43
as it was too slow to try to carry them.
12:45
And all along the way,
12:46
the dreaded Russian Cossacks stalked
12:48
the bleeding French army,
12:50
and every now and then
swept in for a quick attack.
12:52
Napoleon, fearing capture,
12:54
kept a vial of poison around his neck.
12:56
At one point, the Russian
armies nearly trapped him
12:58
against the Berezina River,
13:00
but a little Napoleon cleverness gave him
13:01
the old Jeffrey juke, tricking them
13:03
into thinking he was going south,
13:04
and then escaping across
rapidly-built pontoon bridges
13:07
to the north.
13:08
When the Russians realized where he was
13:10
and began to close in,
13:11
the French burned the bridges
before everyone could cross.
13:14
Hundreds drowned and
thousands were captured.
13:17
At this point, Napoleon got wind of plots
13:19
against him forming in Paris,
13:20
so he abandoned his men
and went back to France.
13:23
The remaining French stragglers
made it across the border.
13:26
It's been estimated over
600,000 men went into Russia.
13:30
Less than 100,000 returned.
13:32
Napoleon was now in a
very precarious situation.
13:35
His army had just been obliterated,
13:37
and the other European
leaders smelled blood.
13:40
Here was an opportunity to take advantage
13:42
of a weakened Napoleon, regain
territory and influence,
13:45
and liberate Europe from
his dirty French paws.
13:47
And so they began to turn.
13:49
Prussia soon broke their
Alliance and switched sides,
13:52
while Austria declared neutrality.
13:54
Even Sweden, led by one of
Napoleon's old marshals,
13:56
joined the allies, partly due
to Napoleon's earlier invasion
14:00
of Swedish Pomerania.
14:01
The War of the Sixth Coalition had begun.
14:04
The Coalition forces had
been reforming their armies
14:07
and they were now much better.
14:08
And the UK had also significantly amped
14:11
up its financial aid to
its continental allies.
14:13
Their armies quickly
advanced through Poland
14:16
and into Germany.
14:17
In Paris, Napoleon was
understandably freaking out.
14:20
He needed to put together a new army fast,
14:22
and he called up over
100,000 new conscripts,
14:24
mostly teenagers.
14:26
He also put his factories into overdrive,
14:28
and he was like, "You, make more rifles!
14:30
You, build new cannons!
14:32
You, make more horses!"
14:33
I don't make horses.
14:34
Then who makes horses?
14:35
Horses make horses.
14:36
Explain how.
14:37
Well, when a daddy horse
14:39
and a mommy horse love
each other very much...
14:41
Yes. Go on.
14:42
Well, then the daddy horse...
14:45
I'm sorry, Napoleon, you're 43,
14:47
I thought you'd know this stuff.
14:48
Don't touch me.
14:49
I'm gonna be sick.
14:49
As it turned out,
Napoleon's lack of horses
14:51
would take the biggest toll on his army
14:53
since his tactics relied on speed,
14:55
maneuverability, and destruction.
14:57
When he took the fight
to the allies in 1813,
14:59
he did defeat them and sent them running,
15:01
but lacking cavalry,
15:03
he was unable to effectively
pursue and destroy.
15:05
He needed horses.
15:07
For the allies, being defeated in battle
15:09
by a man whose army was now full
15:10
of an experienced
conscripts was concerning,
15:13
so both we're like, "Hold up, time out."
15:16
The allies were somewhat cornered,
15:17
and had Napoleon kept going,
15:19
it's possible he could've won.
15:20
But instead he agreed to a brief truce
15:22
with the Austrians mediating
between the two sides.
15:25
When Austria demanded Napoleon
make major concessions,
15:27
Napoleon told them to shove it.
15:30
Having had their terms rejected,
15:31
Austria felt now they
were justified in saying,
15:33
"Well, we tried." and
they joined the Coalition.
15:36
Okay everyone, look at us.
15:38
The boys are back together,
15:39
but Napoleon is still dangerous,
15:41
so we need a plan.
15:43
Any ideas?
15:44
Hmm.
15:46
Oh, I know! Ah, no forget it.
15:48
That's stupid.
15:50
Ah! Ah no, no, no, no.
15:54
I've got it!
15:55
When he approaches, we run away!
16:00
Genius. He's a genius.
16:01
The plan was as follows:
16:03
wherever Napoleon advanced,
16:04
whoever he advanced on would avoid battle,
16:07
allowing the others to
sweep in from the sides
16:09
and attack the French
marshals guarding his flanks.
16:12
Essentially, the plan was
don't try to fight Napoleon.
16:15
And this plan worked tremendously.
16:17
The allies scored a number of victories
16:19
that saw Napoleon move back
to the city of Leipzig,
16:22
where he would make one last major stand
16:24
as the allied armies converged
in on him from all sides.
16:27
The stage was set for the biggest
16:30
and bloodiest battle
of the Napoleonic Wars,
16:33
the Battle of Leipzig.
16:35
Almost half a million troops
16:36
from over a dozen nations
stretched across the battlefield.
16:39
The French found themselves fighting
16:41
on all sides for four days
16:42
against the Austrians,
Prussians, Swedes, and Russians.
16:46
It's no wonder this battle
is also sometimes referred
16:48
to as the Battle of the Nations.
16:50
The French fought ferociously,
16:52
but ultimately, were no match
for the coordinated efforts
16:55
of the Coalition.
16:56
At one point in the midst of battle,
16:57
Saxon troops allied with the
French had a team huddle,
17:00
and we're like, "Hey guys.
17:01
I'm pretty sure the French are losing.
17:03
Let's switch sides."
17:04
And so they did.
17:05
When it became clear that
Napoleon couldn't win,
17:07
he ordered a retreat across
the only bridge over the river.
17:09
The allies swarmed into the city
17:11
and desperate fighting
raged in the streets.
17:14
Okay corporal, after everyone
has crossed the river,
17:16
I need you to blow up the bridge.
17:18
Okay? Not before everyone's crossed.
17:21
After. You got that?
17:22
Yes, Colonel. I'm not five,
I can comprehend time.
17:25
Good.
17:27
Wait, did he say before or after?
17:31
Well, fortune favors the bold.
17:33
(bridge explodes)
17:34
The bridge was blown early
17:35
and 30,000 French troops
were stranded and captured.
17:38
A disaster.
17:40
And with that, the dominoes were beginning
17:42
to come crashing down on Napoleon.
17:44
In the south, an army
17:45
under the British Duke of
Wellington had been pushing
17:47
the French out of Spain
for the past few years
17:49
and were now crossing into France.
17:51
Austrian armies had pushed into Italy,
17:53
while Napoleon's old,
flamboyant cavalry commander,
17:56
Murat, who Napoleon had
made King of Naples,
17:58
decided to switch sides.
18:00
German states, many resentful after years
18:02
under Napoleon's thumb, turned against him
18:04
and the Confederation
of the Rhine collapsed.
18:06
Bernadotte invaded Denmark
18:08
and they were forced
to join the Coalition,
18:09
while the Netherlands were liberated.
18:11
You'd think Napoleon might've
seen the writing on the wall,
18:14
but he was Napoleon.
18:16
And so instead, he
prepared to keep fighting.
18:19
As attitudes in Paris
were already beginning
18:21
to turn against him,
18:21
he called up more conscripts
to defend the exhausted nation.
18:25
As for the allies,
18:26
they weren't sure exactly what
they were aiming for here.
18:28
A few peace offers were floated
18:30
that may have let Napoleon
keep his position,
18:32
but the British kept throwing
around even more money.
18:34
And eventually, they all agreed
18:35
that the ultimate aim was the deposition
18:37
of Napoleon entirely.
18:39
And so Napoleon embarked on one
of his most famous campaigns
18:43
to defend the homeland.
18:44
He was completely outnumbered,
18:46
but the allied armies had
split up and spread out.
18:49
His army was so small that he
could move at lightning speed.
18:52
And he used this to his advantage.
18:54
In the famous Six Days' Campaign
18:55
against Prussian General Blucher,
18:57
he attacked from all directions
18:59
and defeated Blucher's forces four times,
19:01
only suffering a tenth of
the casualties he inflicted.
19:04
Even with his back completely to the wall,
19:07
Napoleon was still Napoleon.
19:09
Then he turned south to take
19:10
on Schwarzenberg's Army of Bohemia
19:12
and enjoyed even more victories.
19:14
However, Napoleon's problem was
19:16
that he couldn't be everywhere at once.
19:17
And wherever he wasn't,
19:18
the allies continued
to push towards Paris.
19:21
He made one last ditch
attempt at moving in
19:23
behind the enemy lines and
cutting off their communications,
19:26
but Paris was in disarray
19:28
and the people were sick of war.
19:30
One ambitious and slightly
treacherous politician sent
19:33
the allied armies a
letter basically saying,
19:35
"Hey guys, come on in."
19:37
And so they did.
19:39
The city's defenders surrendered,
19:40
and as the allied leaders entered Paris,
19:42
the people cheered them
as bringers of peace.
19:46
Paris had fallen.
19:48
Quick, marshals, gather your men.
19:50
We're gonna launch an assault on Paris.
19:53
Where are my marshals?
19:54
They all left and told
me to give you this note.
19:58
Napoleon's marshals had
realized what he hadn't.
20:01
It was over.
20:02
And they insisted all that was left now,
20:04
for the good of France,
was for him to abdicate.
20:08
And without the support of his
army, Napoleon had no choice.
20:12
He hoped his son could take his place,
20:14
but it was decided instead
20:15
to restore the old Bourbon monarchy.
20:17
Old King Louis XVI's brother
20:19
would become the King of France.
20:21
It was almost like the French Revolution
20:23
had never even happened.
20:24
But what will we do with Napoleon?
20:26
We can't have a hyperactive,
44-year-old menace running
20:28
around reigniting revolutionary ideals
20:30
and plotting his return.
20:31
Well, why don't we send him,
mm, I don't know, there.
20:35
The location chosen for Napoleon's exile
20:37
was the small island of Elba,
20:39
just off the coast of Italy.
20:40
Napoleon was to rule over the island
20:43
and even got to keep the
title Emperor of Elba.
20:46
The allies must have been in stitches
20:47
when they came up with that.
20:49
When he learned what his fate was to be,
20:50
he drank the poison he'd
been keeping around his neck,
20:53
but it had gone out of date.
20:55
So instead of a quick and painless death,
20:57
he got a painful stummy wummy instead.
20:59
Before he left France,
21:00
he addressed his oldest and
closest guard one last time,
21:04
making an emotional speech
21:05
that ended with him kissing their flag,
21:07
and off he went to exile.
21:09
The deal that was given to him
was actually quite generous.
21:12
His family were given titles,
21:14
he was to receive a state
pension from France,
21:16
and he was able to receive
many distinguished visitors,
21:19
all eager to come and
meet the famed emperor.
21:21
And he ruled over Elba well,
21:22
improving infrastructure
and introducing many legal
21:25
and social reforms aimed at
improving life on the island.
21:28
Hey, Napoleon, just coming in
21:29
to check on how it's all going.
21:30
Holy smokes.
21:32
But it wasn't all good.
21:33
For one thing, he learned of the death
21:35
of his first wife Josephine
and was deeply saddened.
21:38
He was forbidden from seeing his son
21:39
and current wife, and in Austria,
21:41
Emperor Francis had ordered
a local count to seduce her
21:44
so she would forget about Napoleon.
21:46
Then, the new King Louis XVIII refused
21:48
to give Napoleon his agreed pension.
21:50
He was under constant
threat of assassination
21:52
and there were even rumors
that the allies were thinking
21:54
of relocating him
somewhere even more remote.
21:57
But the biggest problem was
21:59
that Napoleon was once
the master of Europe.
22:01
He had lived at three
really life of adventure,
22:04
fame, and glory.
22:06
Now, he found himself on a tiny island
22:08
in the Mediterranean and he was bored.
22:12
Wouldn't it be nice if
he could somehow return
22:14
to France and reclaim his throne?
22:16
Hey, Napoleon, wanna go back
22:18
to France and reclaim your throne?
22:19
I would, Pierre, but how?
22:21
Well, I was thinking we
could just take this boat.
22:24
Will that work?
22:26
Surprisingly, yes.
22:27
Pierre, remember when I told
you no one would ever kiss you?
22:30
Yes, sire.
22:31
Well, pucker up, boyo!
22:34
Yay!
22:35
When Napoleon left Elba,
22:36
it wasn't really the daring
escape you might think.
22:38
He basically had kind
of a leaving ceremony,
22:41
hopped on a ship, and
sailed back to France.
22:43
He brought with him an
army of about 1,000 men
22:45
and he began his journey to Paris.
22:47
However, in Paris, there
was now a new king.
22:50
And at first, the people
largely accepted him
22:52
because the last few years of war
22:54
under Napoleon had brought immense death
22:56
and economic suffering.
22:57
That's right!
22:58
The king is back, baby!
23:00
Divine right to rule!
23:02
Don't worry, everyone.
23:03
I know the economy is caput,
23:04
but I and my courtiers will
withdraw into this palace
23:08
and we will definitely work as hard
23:10
as we can to fix everything.
23:12
(air whooshes)
(crowd cheering)
23:13
(energetic music)
- [Crowd] Huh?
23:18
(glass shatters)
23:19
(partiers laughing)
- Oh yeah,
23:20
that's why we got rid of the king.
23:22
As the Bourbon monarchy began to look more
23:24
and more like a return to the past,
23:25
and the returning
nobility seemed hell-bent
23:27
on regaining their lost privileges,
23:29
the people weren't too happy.
23:31
And so Napoleon hoped
23:32
that his glorious return
would be met with jubilation.
23:35
In the end, the reaction
was a little mixed,
23:37
but many were happy to
see their old emperor.
23:40
Your Majesty, it seems
that Napoleon is back
23:43
and marching this way with 1,000 men.
23:45
That guy? No problem.
23:47
I have hundreds of thousands of men.
23:48
Send them to arrest him.
23:51
Ugh, Your Majesty,
23:52
it seems the thousands of men we sent
23:54
to arrest Napoleon have
all joined his side.
23:57
Well, I'm off to Belgium.
23:59
If you ever need a king
again, be sure to let me know.
24:02
As Napoleon continued his journey,
24:04
the king had sent battalions
of men to stop him,
24:06
but they largely comprised
of Napoleon's old soldiers,
24:08
many unhappy with King
Louis' military reforms.
24:11
And so when ordered to arrest him,
24:13
they simply couldn't do it.
24:15
In one famous incident, the
troops began to cry out,
24:18
"Long live the emperor!"
24:20
When Napoleon reached Paris,
24:21
with King Louis having
fled, he entered unopposed
24:24
to reclaim his throne.
24:25
Napoleon was back from the dead.
24:28
Okay, everyone.
24:28
Now that we've finally
gotten rid of that guy,
24:30
let's try to make sure something
24:31
like this can never happen again.
24:33
(air whooshes)
24:35
What's that doing there?
24:36
Hey, fellow monarchs.
24:37
(all screaming)
24:40
I pooed my pants again! Ah!
24:44
This time Napoleon promised he would be
24:46
a mucho, mucho good boy
and not start any wars,
24:48
but the allied leaders
were having none of it.
24:51
They declared Napoleon an outlaw
24:52
and the illegitimate ruler of France.
24:54
Then, they declared war, not on France,
24:57
but on Napoleon himself.
24:59
And when you have multiple
empires declaring war
25:01
on you as an individual,
25:02
that's how you know
you're a very naughty boy.
25:05
The allied powers began making plans
25:06
to combine their forces and
once again invade France.
25:10
The most immediate threat
25:11
to Napoleon were the British
and Prussians hanging
25:13
out in nearby Belgium.
25:14
If Napoleon could knock them out quickly,
25:16
maybe he could force
the allies to negotiate
25:18
and maybe he could hold on to his power.
25:21
Together, the two armies to
the north outnumbered him,
25:23
so he made a plan to divide them
25:25
and take them on separately.
25:27
Historians debate how much of
a chance Napoleon had here,
25:30
but this same strategy of dividing
25:32
and conquering had worked
for him multiple times.
25:35
He marched north with 125,000
men and took on the allies
25:38
in a number of initial engagements,
25:40
defeating the Prussians
25:41
before turning to take on the British.
25:43
But to Napoleon's dismay,
miscommunication and hesitation
25:47
among his marshals
allowed both enemy armies
25:49
to retreat and crucially,
rather than fleeing east,
25:52
the Prussians moved north
where they could remain
25:54
in contact with the British.
25:56
Napoleon sent a force to
hold off the Prussians
25:58
as he moved in on the British,
25:59
now holding a defensive
position at Waterloo.
26:02
Prussian General Blucher sent word
26:04
that he would come to Wellington's aid
26:05
if he could just hold off
the French for long enough.
26:08
Napoleon had to defeat Wellington
26:09
before the Prussian Army
could arrive in force.
26:12
And it was close.
26:14
The British held the high ground
26:15
and a number of key defensive buildings
26:16
across the battlefield.
26:18
After waiting some hours he didn't have
26:19
for the ground to dry,
26:21
Napoleon sent men to
assault the Hougoumont farm.
26:23
But the British-German
garrison there held up.
26:26
French Marshall Ney launched a number
26:27
of miscalculated cavalry
charges at the British lines.
26:30
The British formed
defensive square formations,
26:33
and they tore the French
cavalry to shreds,
26:35
while one guy chose
the absolute worst time
26:37
to go on a bender.
26:38
The French did manage to
capture a farmhouse directly
26:40
in front of the British line.
26:42
And from there, they
unleashed artillery hellfire
26:44
on the British square formations.
26:46
And as Napoleon sent his Imperial Guard in
26:48
to finish the British off,
26:49
a nervous Wellington knew his
lines were at breaking point.
26:53
But the Prussians had
earlier begun to arrive,
26:55
and now they were
arriving in large numbers.
26:58
And after the British held out
26:59
and sent the French
Imperial Guard running,
27:01
the French lines panicked,
27:02
fearing they had been encircled,
and they began to flee.
27:05
The Battle of Waterloo
was an allied victory.
27:09
And with that, Napoleon's hopes
27:10
of returning to glory were vanquished.
27:13
He knew he was defeated.
27:14
He went to the British and said,
27:16
"Can I please have a house near London?"
27:18
And the British replied, "No."
27:20
Instead, to make sure
Napoleon was put away once
27:23
and for all, they sent him
to one of the most isolated
27:25
and remote places they could think of.
27:27
A tiny island in the
Atlantic Ocean, Saint Helena.
27:31
Here, a deeply isolated
27:33
and depressed Emperor Napoleon
27:34
would live the remaining
years of his life.
27:36
His house was a wooden bungalow,
27:38
not exactly on par with
the Tuileries Palace.
27:40
Much to his frustration,
27:42
his captains referred to him as general,
27:44
rather than calling him emperor.
27:45
His mail was censored.
27:47
His visitors were vetted.
27:48
There was almost no way
he could escape such
27:50
an isolated island, but just to be sure,
27:52
he was guarded by 2,000 British soldiers
27:54
and two ships that circled
the island 24 hours a day.
27:58
He had once been the
most powerful man alive,
28:00
and images of the
victorious Napoleon depict
28:03
a strong leader, hand firmly in jacket.
28:06
Depictions of Napoleon
on Saint Helena show
28:08
a disheveled, old man,
hand firmly in pants.
28:11
He had lost everything.
28:13
And by the way, he was only 46.
28:15
So maybe it's about time you...
28:18
You know what?
28:19
You're doing all right kid.
28:21
Napoleon fought one last
battle while on the island.
28:23
The battle for his reputation.
28:26
He spent hours writing his memoirs,
28:27
espousing his achievements,
recording his greatness,
28:30
and turning himself and his
story into a phenomenal legend.
28:34
And in this battle, he
certainly succeeded.
28:37
His mark on history can not be denied.
28:40
After his defeat, the
European monarchs had got
28:42
to work restoring Europe
to its traditional balance
28:44
and reasserting their dominance.
28:46
But after Napoleon had
spread the influence
28:48
of the French Revolution,
28:49
these returning monarchs would have
28:51
a difficult time regaining
their absolute control.
28:54
France returned to the
rule of the Bourbons,
28:56
but it would go on to
stage another revolution,
28:58
and then another one.
28:59
Reaction to Napoleon's rule in places
29:01
like Germany and Italy
propelled forward the ideas
29:04
and feelings of modern
unity and nationalism,
29:07
and his "Napoleonic Code"
still remains the basis
29:09
of law in various modern countries.
29:12
The modern world owes a
lot to Napoleon's legacy.
29:15
He remains, statistically,
29:16
possibly the greatest
military general in history
29:19
and his revolutionary military tactics
29:21
changed the face of warfare.
29:23
He was the last truly great
leader to both lead his armies
29:26
in battle while retaining
total political control
29:29
over a vast empire.
29:31
There's still hope for Joe Biden.
29:32
But the man remained
somewhat of an enigma,
29:34
and we still aren't sure exactly what
29:36
to make of him in some regards.
29:38
Was he the champion of
the French Revolution,
29:40
spreading equality wherever he went
29:42
or did betray it by making
himself an absolute Monarch
29:45
and restricting certain liberties?
29:47
Was he an ambitious and
aggressive conqueror hell-bent
29:50
on bringing Europe to its knees
29:52
or was he simply defending himself
29:53
against an aggressive Europe hell-bent
29:55
on reducing his power?
29:57
Some things will continue to be debated.
29:59
Napoleon died at the age of 51,
30:02
officially of stomach cancer,
30:03
but some believe he
may have been poisoned.
30:05
The British buried him in a tin coffin
30:07
inside a mahogany coffin
inside a lead coffin
30:10
inside another mahogany coffin.
30:12
I guess this time they wanted
30:13
to make sure he stayed where they put him.
30:15
In 1840, his remains were moved to Paris
30:18
where they now rest under
the Dome of Les Invalides.
30:21
The man from humble
origins, with huge ambition,
30:24
ruthless determination, immaculate
skill on the battlefield,
30:28
and a hefty dose of luck who
was determined to make his mark
30:31
on history did just that.
30:34
"There is no immortality," he said,
30:36
"but the memory that is
left in the minds of men."
30:39
And in that sense, Napoleon
knew he would live on forever.
30:44
Oh, and to reiterate,
30:46
he was definitely average
height for the time.
30:49
(upbeat music)
— end of transcript —
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