During the Napoleonic Wars, all-consuming warfare determined European history’s course. The history of Europe’s naval warfare was forever changed when British navy commander Horatio Nelson’s innovative battle strategies made old tactics ineffective. During the battle of Cape St. Vincent, Nelson showed the value of self ingenuity and confidence. Later in the battle of the Nile, Nelson proved a mobile fleet was key to victory. Lastly during the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson’s new tactics made archaic tactics of rigid lines useless.
The Napoleonic Wars were fought in Europe from 1803 to 1815 between France and various coalitions formed by other European countries. The Napoleonic Wars began when Napoleon rose to power by the ending of the French Revolutionary Wars. This marked the downfall of the French monarchy and the rise of Napoleon. Other European countries, suspicious of their non-monarchical neighbor ruled by Napoleon, declared war against him. Napoleon at first seemed unstoppable when he defeated 6 coalitions that were formed against him. Soon after, however, he faced a series of key defeats that led to his downfall. The Spanish, whom had previously been his allies, revolted against him by using guerrilla warfare when he switched their monarch Ferdinand VII Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte. Napoleon’s naval power was stifled by the British navy, and he was finally beat June 18 1815 by the 7th coalition at the Battle of Waterloo. While he did not die, he never returned to power and died a few years after his ultimate defeat. Napoleon’s death did not end his influence however, since his wars forever changed history. Naval war was altered during the war when British navy commander Horatio Nelson’s clever strategies. Nelson playe...
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...ptured while Nelson’s squadron suffered about 1500 (Kennedy Hickman, n.d). Nelson’s new strategy was so effective against old tactics, that he lost a fourth of of what the enemy lost. The old tactics meant that the enemy was not given a large opportunity to attack Nelson as he approached, and could barely return fire when Nelson started attacking. Nelson made old tactics of rigid battle lines useless with his new strategy.
Horatio Nelson’s maverick leadership and innovative strategies gave Europe a new perspective about Naval warfare. During the battle of Cape St. Vincent Nelson’s victory helped change the notion that soldiers should listen to commands at all costs. During the battle of the Nile Nelson showed that mobile forces were far superior to static ones. Lastly, during the battle of Trafalgar Nelson’s new tactic rendered old line of battle strategies useless.
Napoleon Bonaparte ruled in France from 1789 to 1815. Napoleon came to power in 1789 and immediately became a powerful figure in the French government. However, some thought Napoleon was such a great leader. The Napoleonic Empire started to grow France’s territories. Some might have believed that Napoleon was too eager with his rule, while losing and failing to succeed against the power of England, in an attempt to blockade their trade, and of Russia, where he led his army to a defeat and retreat back to France. Even in his success over Spain, the battle still costed Napoleon and his army in men and resources. Napoleon was mostly viewed as a powerful and militaristic leader in some aspects, but others saw him as a coward and terrible leader in other ways.
General Lee knows that we have inexperienced men and aims at improving the quality of the troops. He upgrades the quality by tightening command and discipline, improving morale, and convincing the soldiers that the confederacy was in full command of the situation. Lee knew that we are lacking, and devised initiatives to nullify the Union’s superiority in manpower, armaments, and supply by destroying their prearranged plans.
marked an important turning point, not only in naval warfare, but in the political scene of the world. On October 21, 1805, 27 British ships of the line under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson defeated Napoleon’s 41-ship French and Spanish fleet. Their victory played a significant role in the development of the Napoleonic wars and the American War of 1812. Not only did the victory affirm Britain’s role as the world’s foremost seapower, the destruction caused to the French fleet was key in the...
In this essay I will explain the battle between Germany and Britain, discuss how important winning this battle was, what Britain had that the Germans did not have, and what could have happened if Britain would have lost. It is known cleverly as “the Battle of Britain”.
Tactical changes within both main armies fighting on the Western Front would eventually lead to battlefield success for both sides while leading to an impending victory by the Allies. The Germans on one hand developed the use of combined arms, Stormtroopers. These soldiers while extremely successful also led to a destruction of the German moral and reserves due to high casualty rates. On the other side, the Allies stymied their original failures in tactics by maintaining moral and developing their own tactics. These new tactics included the creeping barrage, difeme en profondeur, and bite and hold. By combing these with a genuine strategy the allies overcame the weakened German Army.
There were many factors in the war which contributed to the Allied victory in 1918, one of these being the war at sea. It is important to compare the effectiveness of the war at sea with the other factors affecting the victory of the Allies in the First World War; these factors being the American entry into the war, the war on land, the war in the air and the development of weapons. I will be trying to evaluate the extent to which the war at sea was the most important reason for the Allied victory, because I believe that it was the most significant factor that aided the Allies in winning the war in 1918.
Napoleon’s military career is what eventually led to his prominence. Napoleon began his military career above most of the other men his age. He rapidly made his way through the ranks eventually gaining a great support system. As the directory leaned more and more heavily upon the military, a coup d’état developed. Because of his military expertise, he immediately became first consul of France. The empire of France was soon to grow once Napoleon was in reign. In the 1790s the French army was near one million men, an advantage in the Austrian wars as well as future ventures. Wars raged with other European countries in the early 1800s. Napoleon was able to beat the continental coalition, thus gaining territory for France. France annexed some of Italy but also controlled states such as Spain, Holland ...
Spain, who was an ally of France, disobeyed Napoleon's decree. Then in 1808 Napoleon overthrew the Spanish royal family and made his brother Joseph king of Spain. However, everything that Napoleon did such as put in a foreign ruler, take away noble privileges offended Spanish pride and created nationalistic feelings. The people of Spain revolted in 1808. The French troops stopped the riots, but the nationalistic spirit was not lost. For the next five years, there was warfare in Spain. British troops came to aid Spain. This led to the defeat of Joseph, death of thousands of French troops and it inspired patriots and nationalists of other lands to resist Napoleon. This war between 1808 and 1813 is called The Peninsular War.
Hannibal, a Carthaginian general and one of the greatest generals that ever lived was renown for his strategies and courageousness, such as crossing the Alps and using the "bottleneck strategy" at Lake Trasemene. He used strategies that a lot of generals at this time, especially Roman generals, would never think of and in doing this he almost destroyed the Roman republic.
Napoleon was a great soldier that graduated from military school at the age of sixteen and quickly worked his way through the ranks. Napoleon was a brilliant leader in battle and consistently defeated armies larger than his own; including when he forced the Austrians to make peace after defeating four of their generals. In 1799 Napoleon and his colleagues overtook the French government and established power. He revised the constitution in 1802 to make himself consul for life, and then again in 1804 to make himself Emperor of France. Soon after Napoleon came to power he restructured the administration, simplified the court system, and began monitoring the schooling system; French law was also put in the Napoleon Code which guaranteed the rights and liberties that were gained through the revolution. Napoleons violent behavior caused war with Britain to break out, who allied with Russia and Austria. Prussia later allied themselves with Russia; creating a huge alliances against France and Napoleon. Napoleon successfully extended his reign over large parts of Europe and put each state under the Napoleon Code, which gave citizens new rights and privileges. In 1812 all of Europe turned against Napoleon, which lead to his exile in 1814. He regained power in 1815 just to loose it later that year. He died in exile in Saint Helena in 1821.
...hip failures on the part of Mark Antony. These decisions allowed an outnumbered and outclassed fleet to win an extremely decisive victory. It is truly a lesson in the power of good strong leadership.
This statement begins to expose the fear felt by Britain of the imposing German fleet. Due to the militaristic views of Europe, many countries desired to have more power and control, by any means possible. This hunger initiated the Naval Arms Race, in which nations believed as one country increased its naval powers, they too were obliged to increase their armed forces, to maintain a balance of power. The British had dominated the seas and many far off colonies because of their naval fleet, granting them immense power. As the Germans began to propose a new and vast naval fleet, and France and Russia formed a new alliance sparking suspicion in Britain, Germany quickly became a threat to British supremacy. This created a chain reaction of stressed importance upon naval arme...
Europe as a continent includes many nations and yet the structure and boundaries of European countries have morphed multiple times creating and dissolving governments through war and conflict. The Napoleonic wars were from around 1803 to 1815, though this may not be exact since the wars’ start date is a matter of opinion due to earlier conflicts with Europe during the entire French revolution. They were a geographical and political restructuring of Europe that lead to the creation and organization of the Europe nations that eventually became the primary combatants and effected territories of World War 1. The nations of France, England, and kingdoms of Germany experienced sweeping changes in their positions in the world due to Napoleon’s actions and the French’s influences across Europe. The spread of new ideas of nationalism, society, and government that spread across Europe as a consequence of the Napoleonic wars and French Revolution impacted each of these countries to varying degrees and set their position in the world until the start of the first World War.
The battle at Isandlwana stunned the world and is historically acknowledged as a demoralizing defeat for the British against a less technologically advanced indigenous force. Prior to this battle, it was unfathomable that a Zulu Army primarily equipped with then low-tech weapons, could defeat a conventional fighting force. Not only did the Zulus defeat the British troops (that were fully armed with modern rifles and artillery); they completely destroyed an Infantry Battalion in only 11 days. The complete loss of a battalion of British Army troops challenged the British to fully understand the capability of the Zulu Warriors to defend their land which forced the British Military to adjust their strategy accordingly.
They resisted the continental system ? the system Napoleon set up ? based on Roman government, because it was cutting off their supply?s as it was aimed as destroying the British economy. Conflict broke out and Portugal violated the blockade against the British trade and Spain revolted against Napoleon?s brother?s rule. These small revolts resulted in guerrilla warfare ? small bands of troops that attack in short bursts. Napoleons worst battle was in Russia and it led to his downfall. Napoleon amassed a huge army when Czar Alexander I refused to suppress British trade, and marched on Russia in 1812. Napoleon wanted to fight the Russians in one big battle but the Russians, seeing that they were vastly outnumbered, withdrew and went back to Russia to build a better army. As they went back to Russia the instituted a ?scorched earth policy?, meaning, that they burned everythi...