Napoleon’s Empire Defeated
The nations that had been conquered by Napoleon resented being ruled by France. They did not like paying taxes to France, nor did they appreciate having to send their sons to fight as soldiers in the conquests that Napoleon was pursuing.
One by one, these nations rebelled, beginning with Spain. By March of 1814, Napoleon had been defeated, and forced to step down as the emperor of France. A member of the royal family, and brother of King Louis XVI was placed on the throne of France.
A year later in 1815 Napoleon returned to Paris, and called for his soldiers to return to him. He was still popular among the people who had enjoyed their quick rise to power under his rule. For 100 days, Napoleon again ruled France. Monarchs in other European nations feared that Napoleon would again seek to control them. In a decisive battle at Waterloo, France, Napoleon was defeated in June of 1815, and was forced into exile on the island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.
