Napoleonic Wars and the Law of unintended consequences
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The Napoleonic Wars had several unintended consequences: 1. Nelson's victory over the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 ended Napoleon's plans to invade England and buried French naval ambitions for good. 2. French scholars studying the Rosetta Stone in Egypt helped pioneer the translation of hieroglyphics, an discovery that allowed for greater understanding of ancient Egyptian history. 3. The wars contributed to the decline of Spanish and French colonial power, enabling independence movements in Latin America in the early 1800s.
Napoleonic Wars and the Law of unintended consequences
- 1. The Napoleonic Wars And The Law of Unintended Consequences
- 2. Overview Historical background Major battles Definition Ripple effects ie unintended consequences
- 3. Napoleonic Wars and French Revolutionary Wars 1794 onwards Multiple coalitions arrayed against French armies Lazare Carnot and Napoleon Bonaparte On return from Egypt, late 1799 Napoleon seized power War went on till his comprehensive defeat at Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815
- 4. Battle of the Nile France wanted colonies in the Levant Supplement income and gain territory Napoleon departed in late 1790s with this objective British fleet of the Mediterranean, under Lord Nelson, blockaded Alexandria and destroyed the French fleet Army plus a large number of scholars stranded in Egypt
- 5. Battle of Copenhagen Lord Nelson led a group of 14 ships of the line Objective: Attack and scare Denmark Prevent them from signing a treaty Used his blindness as an excuse to press on with attack when his over-cautious commander ordered cessation of fire Knocked Russia out of immediate war
- 6. Battle of Trafalgar Napoleon planned invasion of England – Armee d'Angleterre Instructed Admiral Villeneuve to lead the English on a wild-goose chase before doubling back Nelson cornered Villeneuve at Cape Trafalgar 22 English ships versus 33 Spanish and French ships Crushing victory for Nelson; French naval ambitions buried forever
- 8. HMS Victory
- 9. Law of Unintended Consequences Any intervention in a complex system may or may not have the intended result, but will inevitably create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes Mainly used as caution against a hubristic approach to life
- 10. Unintended Consequences Decoding of hieroglyphics Spain's demise as a colonial power Independence for Latin America France's demise as a continental power Idea of a united Europe ie modern EU zone
- 11. Rosetta Stone Stranded French scholars studied Rosetta stone Sylvestre de Sacy pioneered the translation of the Demotic script Followed by Thomas Young and J-F Champollion, the true breakers of the code of hieroglyphics
- 12. South American independence Venezuela: 1811-21 Argentina: 1816 Bolivia: 1822 Chile: 1810-11 Ecuador: 1809-22 Colombia: 1819 Brazil: 1822 Paraguay: 1811 Peru: 1821 Uruguay: 1825
- 13. Thank you! Suggested Reading: 1. Aubrey Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian 2.Admiral Bolitho series by Alexander Kent 3.Hornblower series by C.S.Forester