YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE NAPOLEONIC WARS NAPOLEONIC WARS Q&A
Q: What were the Napoleonic Wars?
A: The Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts that occurred between 1803 and 1815. The wars were centred around Napoleon and Napoleonic France, but their impact was much wider than just Europe, with repercussions felt around the world. The coalitions that were raised against Napoleonic France between 1803 and 1815 are usually used to number the wars, with the Napoleonic Wars being considered the wars of the third to the seventh coalitions, following the first two coalitions that were formed during the French Revolution in the 1790s. It can be a little confusing, but overall, the Napoleonic Wars were a significant period of conflict that had far-reaching consequences.
Q: What started them?
The reasons for the start of the Napoleonic Wars are complex and there are many different explanations. One view is that it represented a collapse of the international system that had shaped European international relations since the 17th century, based on the balance of power. This collapse was primarily due to the unleashingthe wars resumed because the peace agreement of 1802 – the Treaty of Amiens – was not really honoured by either side. So it was a combination of factors, really.
