The Napoleonic Wars - OverSimplified (Part 1)

a thick fog that obscured the center of Napoleon, while the allies took the bait and settled on the heights. From there, they saw Napoleon's right flank, which seemed very weak. And they came down from the Heights to go look for him. What they didn't know was that it was exactly what Napoleon expected them to do. The next thing they knew, a large French force was emerging from the fog and launching a massive central assault up the hill. They turned, crushing the allies. And as the men attempted to flee across the frozen lakes, Napoleon ordered his artillery to fire into the ice, causing an unknown number to drown.

But he told me he was just a little baby, what happened? He tricked you, sir. You mean I was the little baby the whole time? It was Napoleon's masterpiece. And Austria was once again forced to make peace with France. Then, with the French conquest of Naples in 1806, the War of the Third Coalition ended with another victory for Napoleon. This was the third time that Napoleon had to give the Austrian Emperor Francis a good beating. And so, with the peace treaty of 1805, Napoleon was determined to punish him. He was forced to give up territory, hand over significant compensation, and vowed never to fight Napoleon again.

For now, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom were still at war with France, but none were capable of posing much of a threat. And so Napoleon set to work to strengthen his control over Europe. He handed over the government of the captured territories to his family and friends. And most notably, he established a new Confederation in Germany of which he himself was its protector. Seeing his influence in Germany erased, Emperor Francis recognized the reality and officially dissolved the Holy Roman Empire. An entity that had existed for over a thousand years. But it was not all good news for Napoleon.

For one, Spain had previously allied itself with France in 1804, because the British simply could not avoid blowing up the Spanish ships. And Napoleon hoped that the combined Franco-Spanish fleet could eventually invade England. Unfortunately, he received word that British Admiral Nelson had engaged his fleet at Trafalgar. Normally naval battles looked like this, but in this case, did Nelson do this? Was it because he was an idiot? No, it's because he was a genius. He managed to break through the Franco-Spanish line and unleashed hell. His victory secured British control of the sea and his death during the battle made him a legend.

Napoleon's hopes for a future British invasion had disappeared. But not only that, Napoleon also hoped to ensure peace on the continent, but that did not seem likely because the king of Prussia was under pressure from his wife. Frederick, established a Confederation in our territory and told us he would give us Hanover but then offered it to the British. You have to declare war on him. What's up with you and war? What is it with you and being a cupcake? Go to war. Well. In October 1806, Prussia, with its famous military tradition, joined the Coalition and declared war, beginning the War of the Fourth Coalition.

Unfortunately, Prussian King Frederick William III was not the smartest tool in the shed. Look at it over there. Being all French makes me sick! Guys, this time we'll catch him. But here's the thing, this time we have to stick together. Under no circumstances do you face Napoleon alone. You all saw what happened to Austria. Hey, where did Fred go? Hey idiot, you think you're some kind of big shot, huh? Do you want to dance a tango with Fred? You don't have the drawers. We are screwed. Without consulting her allies, Prussia went ahead and sent an ultimatum to Napoleon, demanding that he withdraw all his forces from Germany.

Now, some of you watching this video probably can't even wipe your ass yet, but even you know this, you don't send Napoleon an ultimatum. Obviously, Napoleon went out to kill. The Prussian army was quite outdated. So when they met Napoleon at the twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt, they weren't even close. Even Marshal Davout's corps, greatly outnumbered at Auerstedt, put the Prussians to flight and Napoleon carried out a ruthless pursuit of his fleeing enemy, taking Berlin. And in a single month, he decimated the Prussian forces. Frederick William and the remains of his army moved east. By this time, Napoleon's forces were quite tired.

Winter had arrived and conditions were miserable. He anticipated that both sides would go into winter quarters, but Russia decided to try its hand at an unexpected winter attack. A series of brutal battles followed that took a heavy toll on both sides, including the cruel Battle of Eylau, which was fought in blizzard conditions. The men froze to death and many deserted. Russian artillery destroyed the French and Napoleon himself was momentarily at risk of capture. In the end, the French army was saved by a legendary cavalry charge carried out by Napoleon's flamboyant cavalry commander, Murat. After the horror inflicted on both sides, they decided it might be a good idea not to fight anymore until after winter.

Then, as winter came and fighting continued, the Russians were forced to return to Friedland, where Russian General Bennigsen made a small mistake by positioning himself with the Aloe River behind him. The French artillery was able to pin the Russians between the river and their concentrated fire. An important element in Napoleon's fighting style and many Russians drowned while trying to escape. War of the Fourth Coalition, victory, Napoleon. (dramatic music)