Napoleonic Wars (1802–1815)

AbstractA series of conflicts fought between Napoleonic France and changing sets of coalitions of European powers. The starting point for the Napoleonic Wars is usually considered the signing of the Peace of Amiens between France and Britain in 1802, while the end point is set in the wake of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo and his exile from France in 1815. These wars were a continuation of the Revolutionary Wars that began in 1792 and produced profound political, economic, military, and ideological changes throughout the European continent. Ideological aspects of the Napoleonic Wars are often emphasized as a main source of the conflict, but Europe, in fact, was not divided along ideological lines. While ideology did matter, the conflict was largely driven by geopolitical considerations that were similar to those existing during the wars of Louis XIV. As in the early 1700s, the rise of a powerful French state in the early 1800s threatened the balance of power in Europe and led to the creation of broad coalitions to prevent France from achieving complete dominance on the continent. In addition, the Napoleonic Wars were influenced by a long‐standing colonial and commercial rivalry between France and Britain.