What Austerlitz was for Napoleon on land, Trafalgar was for England on the sea. After a brief rest at home, Nelson had been ordered out to attack Villeneuve, who with the combined French and Spanish fleets sailed out of Cadiz and met Nelson off Cape Trafalgar. England's greatest sea-fighter won the greatest naval battle of the hut lost his life (October 21, 1805). After this the French were able to do nothing at sea, and the ports of both France and her allies were generally blockaded by the English fleets. England was undisputed mistress of the seas, while Napoleon began to remake the map of Europe as though he were the undisputed master of the Continent. The most important changes during the year 1S06 were the formation under his protection of the Confederation of the Rhine. the establishment of his brother Joseph as King of Naples, and of his brother Louis as King of Holland, and the creation of the Grand Duchy of Berg for his brother-in-law Murat. The death of Pitt (January 23, 1806) led to negotiations between Napoleon and Fox. the new Foreign Secretary. These negotiations, as well as those with Russia, came to naught. and to Napoleon's surprise this failure was coupled with the de vision on the part of Frederick William M. of Prussia to make war upon ldm. Single-handed Prussia undertook to meet Napoleon, who, as soon as he foresaw that war was inevitable, acted with the same vigor as in the previous year. The Prussian army under Prince flohen lobe-Ingeltingen and Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, was drawn out in a line eighty-live miles in length, extending from Gera westward to the borders of Hesse-Cassel with the bulk at Erfurt. Napoleon left Paris on Sep tember 25th and assumed charge of the campaign at Wtirzburg on October 2d. On the 10th Prince Louis Ferdinand was defeated and slain in a skirmish at Saalfeld; on the 14th Napoleon sur prised the Prussian army in its attempt to con centrate, and in person defeated llohenlohe at .Jena, while Davout defeated Brunswick at Auer stiidt. Murat and Lannes pursued Holtenlohe and forced him to surrender at Prenzlau (October 28th), while the other remnants of the Prussian army and the fortresses surrendered without a blow. Saxony, which had acted as the ally of Prussia, went over to Napoleon, and later re ceived as reward the Duchy of Warsaw. From the Prussian capital Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree, which, with the Milan Decree of 1807 and other decrees, was directed against English com merce. See CONTINENTAL SYSTEM.
Prussia, though vanquished, continued weakly the struggle in her eastern provinces, where Ben nigsen and the Russians were ready to join in the contest. Murat occupied Warsaw, then Prus sian territory, in November, 1806. In December Napoleon entered the ancient Polish capital and was greeted as the restorer of Polish liberties. The French having gone into winter quarters, Ben nigsen hoped to surprise them and destroy them before they could again take the field, and accord ingly attacked Ney and Bernadotte, but their successful resistance defeated the plan and Napo leon in person pursued Bennigsen, who retreated toward K6nigsberg and overtook hint at Eylau (q.v.). The ensuing battle (February 7-8, 18071 was a butchery. not a victory. Napoleon hurried up reenforcements to renew the struggle in the spring. Sebastiani, the French Ambassador at Constantinople, persuaded the Sultan to declare war against Russia. Gardane was sent to stir up Persia to like action. Mortier induced the Swedes to treat with France. The campaign for Kiinigsberg, began early in June and was marked by the indecisive action of lleilsberg (June 10) and the defeat, four days later, of the Russians under Bennigsen at Friedland (q.v.). On June 25th the Czar and Napoleon held their famous conference of Tilsit (q.v.) on a raft moored in the Niemen. By the Treaty of Tilsit, Prussia was humbled even more than Austria had been at Pressburg, while the Czar became the ally of Napoleon and began to plan with him the divi sion of the world between 'HAIL Though England, under the Ministry of All the Talents, had behaved very badly toward Prussia and Russia, she remained the one steadfast foe of the French Emperor. and pursued without wavering her policy of opposition to Napoleon. At Tilsit Napoleon bound the Czar to enforce the Continental System against England, and then began the task of compelling all the lesser Powers to adhere to the system. There were to be no neutrals. Portugal, the constant ally of Eng land, was the first victim. By the Treaty of Fontainebleau Napoleon joined with Spain to dismember that kingdom, and in November, 1807, a French army under Junot occupied the coun try with little trouble, the royal family having already started for the New World to establish a temporary capital at Rio de 'Janeiro. The
year 150S witnessed the unfolding of Napoleon's designs against Spain. Gradually, in spite of all treaties. French troops were sent across the Pyrenees, where they quietly took possession of various fortresses. Spain was suffering from the family troubles of the Bourbon monarch, and it suited Napoleon's purpose to make use of them and to order the advance of a French army under Murat toward Madrid. This move ment precipitated the fall of the Bourbons. Charles IV. was compelled by a popular uprising to abdicate in favor of his son. Ferdinand VII. (March), and a little later father and son, at a meeting with Napoleon at Bayonne, were forced to renounce the Spanish throne. On June 0, 1805, Joseph Bonaparte was proclaimed King of Spain. For an account of the struggle in Spain and Portugal, see PENINSULAR WAR.
In Austria Francis I. had called to Alec as his chief minister ('oust Philip Stadion. who, with the aid of Archduke Charles, devoted himself to the task of preparing Austria for another strug gle with Napoleon. The misfortunes of Napoleon in Spain and the urgency of England. which offered liberal subsidies and active poi1peratbai, determined the Austrians to try their fortunes once more in the spring of 1800. in April Arch duke Charles opened the war by invading Bavaria. while another force under Archduke John invaded Italy. Napoleon reached the scene promptly and in the five days' lighting (April 190-23d) around Hatisbon completely defeated the Austrian plan of campaign and forced Archduke Charles to retreat toward Vienna, which the vietorious Emperor entered on May 1:31.11. He then crossed the Danube and attacked the Archduke, who had taken up strong positions in the villages of Aspern and Essling. Two days of hard light ing (May 21st-221) failed to give Napoleon any decided and he found him-elf and his army practically prisoners on the island of Loban in the Danube. With his accustomed vigor he ordered up and reorganized the troops under him. On .1111y 5th Napoleon left the island of Lobar and on the 0th defeated Archduke Charles in a great battle at Wagram. On October 14th was the Treaty of Sehrin brunn (q.v.), by which Austria was forced to make large cessions of territory to the overbear ing conqueror. From 1500 to 1512 the main strength of the French Empire was devoted to continuing the struggle in the Peninsula. A number of isolated events in other harts of Eu rope, however,. made the period important. in pursuance of the Treaty of Tilsit, the Czar robbed Sweden of Finland 1505), and in the same year the seized Swedish flue next ear the Swedish Kin7dom was the seem of a revolution. Gustavus IV. was deposed and his Mick placed nn the throne as Charles N111. Marshal Bernadotte. the brother-in-law of Joseph Bonaparte. was elected heir to the childless mon arehy and intrusted with the government of the kingdom. 1See CuAni i s XIV.) Denmark had likewise been Marked to suffer behalf of Napo if‘”11'S Continental System: lint in this instauee lie was forestalled by England. which seized the Dan ish fleet in September, 1507. After the Treaty of Tilsit a kingdom of Westphalia was earved out for Jerome Bonaparte in Germany, and numerous changes made in the Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon enlarged his ov.ii empire by the an nexation of Tuscany (18'07). the Papal States ( I509), Holland (1S10). Valais, and the German coastline to Liibeck (1510). Ile also kept the Illyrian provinces, which had been wrested from Austria, for himself. Naples was transferred to Murat after the choice of Joseph as King of Spain. Pope Pius Vii., the saute pontiff who had consecrated Napoleon as Emperor in IS04, was carried away as a prisoner and kept in confine ment. The new Ciesar must have an heir to his empire, and accordingly -Josephine. to whom the Emperor was greatly attached. was divorced and a marriage arranged in 1S10 with the Arch duchess Maria Louisa of Austria. daughter of the Emperor Francis, who bore Napoleon one son, the King of Home (181I ). From Napoleon's policy England profited as much as did France, for the whole commerce of the seas was under her con trol and she had seized the colonies of France and all those of the countries under French con trol or influence that she saw lit. During the years from 1509 to 1515 England furnished the inspiration and the sinews of war for every campaign against Napoleon. but it was only in the Peninsula that she was directly responsible for the conduct of the campaign, which was car ried on with desperation on both sides till the French were driven beyond the Pyrenees in LS14.