Napoleon's military might in Europe is without question. Austria, Italy, etc. fell to the military strategist. England was spared.
The self-appointed emperor had a monumental loss in the most profitable colony of France. Actually, the Caribbean island of Saint-Domingue was more profitable than all the British colonies put together.
Napoleon is given credit for creating a national governance, the lycée educational system, and the penal code. Oddly, the Code Noir isn't mentioned.
After the French Revolution, some of the colonies were inspired by the ideals of equality and liberty. Notably, the half million enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue. They waged a war. After a decade, they defeated Napoleon's army. The definitive battle was in November 1803 in Vertieres.
Napoleon's troops were defeated by "barefoot slaves", as described by Frenchmen themselves. The colony declared its independence on January 1 1804.
The calamity was the first domino of a series of aftershocks that rippled through Europe and the Americas. By losing the colonial money maker, now renamed to its original indigenous name, Ayiti or Haiti, Napoleon was hard up for money to fund his next war.
The sale of Louisiana, making up one third of today's United States territory, is directly linked to the military loss in Haiti.
I will not mention all the details about the architect of Napoleon's first major defeat: Toussaint Louverture. A former slave turned revolutionary who planted the seeds of freedom for all men, including slaves, for all the Americas. Napoleon failed to negotiate with this leader who, at first, offered a peaceful 'commonwealth type' arrangement. Napoleon's failure to turn a slave into an ally was part of his downfall.
Another error in the film: The ideals of "liberty, equality" were indeed entrenched in the French Revolution. The "fraternity" part came later, in part due to Haiti's appeal for emancipation.
It is unfortunate that someone could, in the year 2000, tell the story of Napoleon's military story without mentioning this momentous occurrence. Colonialism, it seems, hasn't yet ended. They are still retelling the story to foster white supremacy.
The self-appointed emperor had a monumental loss in the most profitable colony of France. Actually, the Caribbean island of Saint-Domingue was more profitable than all the British colonies put together.
Napoleon is given credit for creating a national governance, the lycée educational system, and the penal code. Oddly, the Code Noir isn't mentioned.
After the French Revolution, some of the colonies were inspired by the ideals of equality and liberty. Notably, the half million enslaved Africans in Saint-Domingue. They waged a war. After a decade, they defeated Napoleon's army. The definitive battle was in November 1803 in Vertieres.
Napoleon's troops were defeated by "barefoot slaves", as described by Frenchmen themselves. The colony declared its independence on January 1 1804.
The calamity was the first domino of a series of aftershocks that rippled through Europe and the Americas. By losing the colonial money maker, now renamed to its original indigenous name, Ayiti or Haiti, Napoleon was hard up for money to fund his next war.
The sale of Louisiana, making up one third of today's United States territory, is directly linked to the military loss in Haiti.
I will not mention all the details about the architect of Napoleon's first major defeat: Toussaint Louverture. A former slave turned revolutionary who planted the seeds of freedom for all men, including slaves, for all the Americas. Napoleon failed to negotiate with this leader who, at first, offered a peaceful 'commonwealth type' arrangement. Napoleon's failure to turn a slave into an ally was part of his downfall.
Another error in the film: The ideals of "liberty, equality" were indeed entrenched in the French Revolution. The "fraternity" part came later, in part due to Haiti's appeal for emancipation.
It is unfortunate that someone could, in the year 2000, tell the story of Napoleon's military story without mentioning this momentous occurrence. Colonialism, it seems, hasn't yet ended. They are still retelling the story to foster white supremacy.