Hundred Days

The Hundred Days was a short time in history from March 20, 1815, to July 8, 1815. It started when Napoleon Bonaparte came back from being sent away on the island of Elba to Paris. He had lost many battles and was sent away, but he escaped and returned to rule again.

Many countries were worried about Napoleon coming back. Leaders from Austria, Prussia, Russia, and the United Kingdom met and decided to stop him. They formed a group called the Seventh Coalition and promised to send soldiers to fight him.

This led to the last big battles of the Napoleonic Wars. The most famous battle was the Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon was defeated there. After that, King Louis XVIII was put back in charge of France. Napoleon was then sent to live on the island of Saint Helena for the rest of his life. The Hundred Days showed that even a great leader like Napoleon could not change the decision of many strong nations working together.

Background

Napoleon's rise and fall

The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars were long and hard fights between France and many other European countries, starting in 1792. The French people removed their king, Louis XVI, and this worried other leaders in Europe. But France grew stronger under Napoleon Bonaparte, who became a famous leader and later emperor.

Napoleon's rule made other countries nervous. Even though they formed groups to fight him, he kept winning. But things changed after a terrible French invasion of Russia in 1812, where many of his soldiers died. The next year, other countries beat Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig. They kept pushing until they reached Paris in March 1814. Soon after, Napoleon gave up his power, and King Louis XVIII took over. Napoleon was sent away to live on the small island of Elba.

Exile in Elba

Napoleon lived on Elba for about 10 months. He watched what happened in France and thought many people there were unhappy with the new rulers. He believed that if he returned, people would support him again. Some leaders even talked about sending him far away or treating him very badly.

Congress of Vienna

While Napoleon was on Elba, leaders from many countries met at the Congress of Vienna to decide how Europe should be arranged after the wars. They had many different ideas and almost fought over them. Russia wanted control of Poland, Prussia wanted Saxony, and Austria wanted northern Italy. The discussions were very tense, but they managed to avoid a big fight among themselves.

Return to France

"Napoleon's Return from Elba" redirects here. For the related 1818 painting, see Napoleon's Return from Elba (painting).

While other countries were busy, Napoleon found a way to return to France. On February 26, 1815, when the ships watching him were gone, he left the island of Elba with about 1,000 men. They arrived at Golfe-Juan, between Cannes and Antibes, on March 1, 1815. People welcomed him warmly, except in the area of Provence.

Napoleon marched toward Paris, and his group grew bigger until it became a full army. On March 5, soldiers in Grenoble joined him. Even a commander who had been loyal to King Louis XVIII, Marshal Ney, decided to support Napoleon and brought more soldiers to his side.

Main article: Charter of 1815

At Lyon on March 13, 1815, Napoleon announced plans to change the government. He wanted to create a new constitution that would allow more people to vote and guarantee freedom to speak and write. The new rules were put to a vote by the people of France. Napoleon told his followers not to wait too long to act.

Military mobilisation

Main article: Military mobilisation during the Hundred Days

During the Hundred Days, both Napoleon and the Coalition nations got their armies ready for war. Napoleon had very few soldiers when he came back to the throne. But by the end of May, he had gathered 198,000 troops. He made an army called L'Armée du Nord, and he led it himself in the Waterloo Campaign.

Napoleon also sent his remaining soldiers to different parts of France to guard against attacks. His troops were placed in places such as near Strasbourg and Lyon.

The Coalition nations, including Austria, Prussia, Britain, and Russia, also collected large armies. These forces were put near France's borders, ready to stop Napoleon's plans to take back control.

War begins

In March 1815, Napoleon went back to Paris. Big countries in Europe like Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia wanted to stop him. They made a declaration on March 13, 1815, and started the War of the Seventh Coalition. Peace could not be reached.

These countries made a treaty on March 25, 1815, to send soldiers to fight Napoleon. Britain could not send as many soldiers as the others because its army was smaller and busy, especially in Canada after the War of 1812. Britain helped pay other countries to join the fight.

The plan was to invade France on July 1, 1815, which was later than some leaders wanted. This gave all the countries time to get ready together. But it also gave Napoleon more time to make his defenses and army stronger. Napoleon decided to attack first in Belgium, hoping to defeat the British and Prussian armies before they could join together. He thought this might lead to peace talks or make his enemies agree to his terms.

Waterloo campaign

Main article: Waterloo campaign

See also: List of battles of the Hundred Days

The Waterloo Campaign happened from June 15 to July 8, 1815. It was a big fight between the French Army, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, and two other armies: one from Britain and its friends, and one from Prussia.

Napoleon began the fighting on June 15 by moving his army into places where the Prussian and British armies were camped. Over the next few days, there were several important battles. On June 18, the big Battle of Waterloo happened. The British and Prussian armies worked together to stop Napoleon's army. After this loss, Napoleon had to leave, and the French army was chased to Paris. Soon after, Napoleon gave up his power, and the leaders of France agreed to let the other armies come into Paris. By July 7, the armies from Britain and Prussia entered Paris, ending the fight.

Restoration of Louis XVIII (8 July)

On 8 July, King Louis XVIII came back to Paris. The people welcomed him. He became the ruler of France again. Count Chabrol, who was in charge of Paris, spoke to the king and said, "One hundred days have passed since you left Paris..."

Surrender of Napoleon (15 July)

Napoleon could no longer stay in France or leave it, so he gave himself up to Captain Frederick Maitland of HMS Bellerophon on the morning of 15 July 1815. He was then taken to the island of Saint Helena, where he lived the rest of his life.

Other campaigns and wars

Main article: Minor campaigns of 1815

See also: List of battles of the Hundred Days

Napoleon thought the biggest danger was from the Coalition forces near Brussels, but he still had to protect France from other threats. Even though some armies moved slowly, Napoleon had to spread his troops to defend against attacks from many directions.

Neapolitan War

The Neapolitan War was between the Kingdom of Naples and the Austrian Empire. It started on 15 March 1815 when Joachim Murat declared war on Austria and ended on 20 May 1815 with a treaty. Murat, who was made King of Naples by Napoleon, wanted to keep his rule safe from European powers who wanted to give Naples back to its old rulers. He fought the Austrians but lost, and the old king returned to power.

Civil war

Though most places stayed calm, there was fighting in La Vendée. The royalist forces won some battles but were later defeated and had to make peace.

Austrian campaign

Rhine frontier

General Rapp led French troops to stop the Austrian advance but had to retreat after hearing about Napoleon’s defeat. He fought one last battle before moving back to Strasbourg. Another Austrian force entered France and captured Nancy but did not go further.

Italian frontier

Marshal Suchet invaded Savoy but, after hearing of Napoleon’s defeat, made peace and pulled back. The city of Toulon was defended until the end of July.

Russian campaign

The large Russian Army entered France after Napoleon stepped down for the second time and reached Paris by mid-July.

Treaty of Paris

Main article: Treaty of Paris (1815)

The last battle of the Hundred Days happened at Issy. After that, there was a campaign against fortresses led by Bonapartist leaders. This ended when Longwy surrendered on September 13, 1815. The Treaty of Paris was signed on November 20, 1815, ending the Napoleonic Wars.

The 1815 Treaty of Paris made sure France went back to its 1790 borders and gave up lands gained during the revolution. France also had to pay a large amount of money and host soldiers from other countries for up to five years. This was to help keep peace in Europe.

On the same day, Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia renewed the Quadruple Alliance. Other leaders were invited to join this agreement, which helped create a balanced and peaceful system of power in Europe, except for the Ottoman Empire.

Timeline of French constitutions

The timeline of French constitutions shows how France changed its rules for leadership over time. Each constitution was a new way for the country to be led. These changes happened because of big events like revolutions and wars. The constitutions helped make the rules that guided France through its history.