Since England and France were ancient enemies, the recent British defeat by the French-American Alliance in 1781 spurred anger towards Napoleon who successfully led the new republic in France.
Knowing France was tired of war, Napoleon sent a Christmas message to King George III, proposing peace. ‘Why should the two most enlightened nations of Europe…go on sacrificing their trade, their prosperity, and their domestic happiness to false ideas of grandeur?’ – Napoleon Bonaparte, Vincent Cronin, p225
Despite recently losing a costly war in America, Britain persisted.
…by bringing order and justice to France, Napoleon had rendered the Revolution attractive to people outside France; if Napoleon were also to give peace to Europe [through Code Napoleon], where might Revolutionary doctrines not spread? As Burke had written to Greenville: ‘It is not the enmity but the friendship of France that is truly terrible. Her intercourse, her example, the spread of her doctrines are the most dreadful of her arms.’
Having received a rebuff from England, Napoleon set about making peace with France’s other enemies. One by one he brought Russia, Turkey, the United States and Austria to the peace table.
The war, never popular with the English people, grew increasingly unpopular as Europe mad peace…- Napoleon Bonaparte, Vincent Cronin, p226
And thus begins the saga of peace then war, war then peace…a seemingly endless cycle through the Cronin book, analyzed with a fresh perspective of Napoleon’s attempt at peace, then trying to defend his people.
For more of the story, I highly recommend this book for the gripping saga of war and peace, told by Vincent Cronin in Napoleon Bonaparte, which we are using for our rhetoric homeschool history studies.
We have been learning from this book that the oft told message is only one side of the story, the side the Coalition against France wanted us to know.
