The map above shows Europe at the height of Napoleon Bonaparte’s power in 1812, just before his disastrous Russian campaign.
At this point, Napoleon controlled, either directly or through puppet states and allies, nearly the entire European continent from Portugal to Poland, and from Denmark to Sicily.
Napoleon’s conquest of Europe represents one of history’s most remarkable military achievements. In just over a decade, a young general from Corsica had redrawn the map of Europe more dramatically than anyone since Charlemagne a thousand years earlier.
The French Empire
The dark blue areas on the map show territories directly incorporated into the French Empire. These weren’t just occupied territories but were legally part of France itself, divided into départements just like metropolitan France.
By 1812, the French Empire had grown far beyond France’s traditional borders. It included Belgium, parts of Germany west of the Rhine, the Netherlands, parts of northern Italy, Catalonia, and the Illyrian Provinces along the Adriatic coast.
These annexed territories gave France control of Europe’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, critical ports, and industrial regions. Paris had become the capital of an empire spanning from Hamburg to Rome.
Satellite Kingdoms & Client States
The lighter blue areas show Napoleon’s satellite kingdoms and client states, often ruled by his relatives or loyal marshals:
- The Kingdom of Italy (ruled by Napoleon himself as King)
- The Kingdom of Naples (ruled by his brother-in-law Joachim Murat)
- The Kingdom of Spain (ruled by his brother Joseph Bonaparte)
- The Kingdom of Westphalia (ruled by his brother Jérôme Bonaparte)
- The Grand Duchy of Warsaw (nominally independent but a French client state)
- The Confederation of the Rhine (a collection of German states under French protection)
These states maintained nominal independence but followed French foreign policy, contributed troops to Napoleon’s campaigns, and implemented legal reforms based on the Napoleonic Code.
Allied States
The green areas represent Napoleon’s allies, most notably the Austrian Empire. Following several military defeats, Austria had reluctantly joined Napoleon’s system through a marriage alliance when Napoleon wed Marie-Louise, daughter of the Austrian Emperor, in 1810.
Denmark-Norway also allied with France, largely because of British naval aggression against Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807.
Opponents & Resistance
By 1812, only three significant European powers remained outside Napoleon’s control:
- The Russian Empire, technically an ally since the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807 but growing increasingly hostile
- The Ottoman Empire, which maintained an uneasy neutrality
- Great Britain, Napoleon’s most persistent enemy, protected by the English Channel and its naval supremacy
Sweden had recently shifted into the anti-French camp after Marshal Bernadotte (ironically a former French general) became Crown Prince and changed Sweden’s foreign policy.
Portugal, though occupied on the map, was actively being contested in the Peninsular War, with British forces under Wellington supporting Portuguese resistance.
The Continental System
A key element of Napoleon’s strategy against Britain was the Continental System, an embargo designed to cripple British trade by closing European ports to British goods. The vast territorial control shown on this map was crucial for implementing this economic blockade.
However, the Continental System ultimately backfired by damaging continental economies while failing to seriously harm British trade, which found new markets in the Americas and smuggled goods into Europe.
A Fragile Empire
Despite its impressive extent, Napoleon’s Europe in 1812 was fragile. His control relied heavily on military force rather than popular support. Nationalist resistance was growing, particularly in Spain and the German states.
The very size of the empire had become a liability, stretching French resources and creating long, vulnerable supply lines. Napoleon needed to maintain large garrisons throughout Europe just to maintain control.
The Beginning Of The End
The empire shown on this map would begin unraveling just months later.
In June 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia with over 600,000 troops—the largest European army assembled until that point. By December, fewer than 30,000 would return from the disastrous campaign.
This Russian catastrophe emboldened Napoleon’s enemies and former allies alike. By 1813, Prussia and Austria had joined Russia in the Sixth Coalition against France, and the empire that had dominated Europe would collapse entirely by 1814.
Napoleon’s European empire represents one of history’s most remarkable but short-lived imperial projects—assembled through brilliant military campaigns and diplomatic maneuvering, but ultimately unsustainable due to its size, the resistance it provoked, and the hubris of its creator.
The map captures Europe at precisely the moment when Napoleon stood at his zenith, before his dramatic fall began with the fateful decision to march on Moscow.