Life of Napoleon (Episode 14) - The Code Napoleon and the Treaty of Lunéville

In between dodging assassins and mending fences, Napoleon rebuilds brick by brick...

This episode covers events from June 1800 to February 1801 (mostly)

Sources/References:
- A Social History of France (2004) - Peter McPhee
- The Campaigns of Napoleon (1966) - David Chandler
- The French Revolution (1980) - Christopher Hibbert
- In the Words of Napoleon (2002)- Philip Haythornwaithe & R.M. Johnston
- Napoleon (2015) - Andrew Roberts
- Naploleon's Wars (2006) - Charles Esdaile

[AnJbroskies]

I live in Seoul, South Korea. I am south korean . I love to listen to your excelent series in my way to work . Thank you for it

[AshHanks-nlbn]

I take my infatuation with Napoleon very seriously, how many of you out there watching this brilliantly produced series have read multi, multiple biographies of Napoleon, studied his campaigns & tactics, his life etc & yet still learn something new almost every minute this top quality jam packed with amazing information documentry type series is watched?
I love it, its great!

[philipsalama]

One of the things I love about this series is that you don't just hyperfocus on the military affairs, but also the civil.

It's something I really respected about your coverage of the Revolution, as well. So much about this era focuses on battles and guillotinings, but ignores the political and social aspects that all this stuff was actually "about".

[JonniePolyester]

This is a fantastic exposition of the code civil / Napoleon something you rarely find in more general histories / bio’s of the big man, but it is perhaps his greatest legacy given it swept away much of the arcane legal ‘systems’, not just in France but across Europe and arguably laid the foundations for what is now the European Union, for example, and judicial systems across the globe.

[gigachad]

I'll be honest, I have watched all the content on Napoleon available online, and have read many many books, to the point of obsession. The only place I return to is this channel. I am so involved with this series, it's probably the best of all. I was anticipating this video for this whole week. You are doing a really really good job brother. A regular viewer here.

Do you have a discord server or something where Napoleon admirers can us can join and discuss things?

[Silent_Speaker]

Thank you for your work you are the best youtuber at the moment

[CMY]

I’ve been binging all the Life Of Napoleon videos.
In my opinion this is the most important and significant episode of the series so far.
The Code Napoleon has been cited by the Corsican himself as his greatest accomplishment.

[LadyFan]

16:10 - Has any documentary about Napoleon ever included that moment? 'Cause that would be hilarious to watch, especially since I've come close to falling asleep in many a meeting before so that would've definitely worked on me! 🤣

[MountainGorillaTribe]

Keep it up! Most informed and insightful napoleon history on yt!

[gabrielkryger]

Anyways, thanks for your content, it chears up my days.

[jamagnus]

Thank you again, my friend, and congratulations on yet another job well done. I' generally not one to ponder the "what might have been" of history. As a Napoleon fan, I wish the wars would have ended here and with Amiens. Napoleon had so much to offer as a civil leader. But in the end, Napoleon is immortal only because of what he achieved on the battlefield. Please keep your wonderful series coming as I welcome and anticipate every new installment...😎

[shashvatsharma]

This is just amazing! Really appreciate the effort you've put into this series.

[Conorp]

This series is amazing dude. Brimming with information and packed full of detail. You deserve every sub you have and will surely have thousands more by the time this series ends. Well done.

[EchoSeeker]

Another installment of the life of Napoleon let's hope it doesn't end badly for him

[MirceaPanait]

just wanted to say that your channel is bloody excellent. I still have many other vids to watch, but I'm sure it's top notch material like the Napoleon series. ❤

[omarbradley]

Just to point a few little things, the Consulate was mainly a kind of lukewarm government, with easing the revolution and foreign policy Napoleon give peace a chance, however there was an obious issue here, who was for how long? while the Consulate will continue for another 2 years before it begun to turn away from the "moderation", here as we saw it was more a topic issue than chronological.
About the church, while we may know what will happen next, it is important to know who Napoleon basically give up nothing but a recognition of power of the church, while it was actually taken away power from the church and secularizing with the time. The thing was no one knew where Napoleon was going on with his plans. Maybe he was conceding to the church, maybe he was tricking them, maybe he was being moderate, a lot of Coulda Woulda who didn't play well with the Radicals, but he nevertheless had an objective. It's true who Napoleon was not being genuine here and thus will cost him support, but also it remains true who he didn't roll back any revolutionary thing but simply played for time.
About the workers, needesly to say who at the time there wasn't serious protections on workers, however an intresting issue was the minum wage and protected wages, something who benefited the proletariate class, as well as the regulations. Something who previosly to Napoleon they didn't enjoy.
About the Women, while much had been said and claim the truth in the first place was who women's right in France were poor during the revolution and non existent before it. The women's organizations wanted protection from being abandon and left in poverty, so in all of this Napoleon took their advice on a pragmatic solution who was to bound the Men to the responsabilities by arguing who they are the head of family. However it didn't stop there as women could in fact own property, earn money and inherit property, something who was never allowed before, for example if a woman was the sole heir a lawyer must intervene to it and normally would suffer from the costs, while if there was a woman to had a property there alawys must be a male guardian. Napoleon (at least during the Empire) have it solved easy, every woman who was not bound by marriage was free to inherit property buy and have employes under her, (that was a massive step fowards for the time, and it's not unsurprising who his popularity with the women skyrocketed besides the other traditional factors like economy and order) also women could own weapons wherever that will bring benefits, however if the woman was the owner of the house or main income earner the family led was represented by her, thus she could vote and be involved while her husband was relegated as was a cencitary system the one who was used to vote. Last but not less a woman had the right to represent herself without the interfer of a male guaranter, who was well ahead of the time.
About the support and oposition, while Napoleon first time in government apear to be a girondin and feuilliant conciliatory with the monarchist the reality was who he will eventually go towards a leftist direction, intrestingly during the imperial years. The "irreconciliable Jacobins" were actually far from Enrages or Montagnards, but normally Thermidorians who disliked the seizure of power, those who had anulated the Montagnard victories of 1798 and 1799 in coups before Napoleon couped them (with support from the Montagne) an intresting case is the only "jacobin conspiracy" against him, who was a stabing plan, this was carried by a few members of the Directory, including fellow Corsican Arena, who had tried to kill him during Brummaire, a personal issue with political conections to the Thermidorians. One of the main issues with calling them "Jacobins", was who the party didn't exist and they were normally used to portray radical revolutionaries (who would kill to get in) rather than radical revolutionaries in their thinking. All the others attempts against him came from the Monarchists, Chouans specially. The "Liberals" were actually a group of thinkers and politicians who follow a doctrine of constitutionalism, who would even support a constitutional monarchy, rather than being on the left, they were centre-left eventually going to the centre-right.
Fouche was probably the worst kind of all, he was a Jacobin but then he become a Thermidorian, then a Royalist, then went with Napoleon, then with the Royalist then Napoleon then the Royalist again. While he was in Lyon he was engaged to Charlotte Robespierre, she would later denounce him as a person only intrested in himself and broke up. (then Fouche become a pain for Robespierre).
Napoleon supporters would be mainly Montagnards and Maraisards (both Jacobins) Enrages and Girondins.
Edit, some of Napoleon supporters names from the Montagne Maraisards Comite de Salut Publique etc: Merlin de Douai, Cambon, Courtois, Saint-Andre, David, Chernier, Debry, Robert, Laclos, Cambaceres, Lebrun, Sieyes, Ducos, Barére, Thuriot, Carnot (altought in the oposition to the Empire, he would support him even after Waterloo), Mournier, Du Pont Du Nemurs, Neufchateau, Breard, Quinette, Merlin de Thionville, Isnard, Saint-André, de Morveau, Milhaud, Matthieu etc

[abrahamoyevaar]

Always a pleasure to listen to. Huzzah!!!

[eldritchwulfe]

16:20 If he'd called uber eats for red bull and kebab they could have gone on even longer

[mechaboy]

How long does it take to make these videos I’m curious

[jamesdonaghy]

a very interesting and informative episode as always entertaining and well told I0/10 i would recommend the excellent book the dark business by Tim Clayton For information on the opposition to Napoleon and the part played by the British government