Why did Victor Hugo and Leo Tolstoy both believe that Napoleon was such an invincible badass that only God's will could have caused him to lose the war?
>>848508
it was the truth
>>848508
Because Napoleon was such an invincible badass that only God's will could have caused him to lose the war.
Tolstoy hated Napoleon
Napoleon was sent by God.
Napoleon didn't really give a damn about whether or not he had the "right" to do anything. He just did it.
Rule of the Strong and all that. Folks love it.
Who if anyone did Napoleon actually dethrone? I don't know much about the Napoleonic wars.
>>850546
The Spanish Bourbons to begin with, the king of the Netherlands, and many of the rulers of the states of the former >H>R>E, as well as those of Northern Italy and Venice.
His brothers actually did a pretty good job ruling Spain and the Netherlands, although 3 de mayo and post war propaganda made sure no one remembered that until recently.
>>850587
Thanks.
>>850587
Joseph was...not well loved in Spain. I don't think his authority extended beyond the immediate vicinity of the capital most of the time.
>>850796
Indeed he was not well loved, but that didn't make him a bad ruler. His progressive reforms would have been quite beneficial for Spain. Whether that could have prevented the fuck up which is Spain's modern history is another matter.
>>850837
Didn't the country side enter a revolt against him pretty quickly?
He should have stayed in Naples.
>>850846
He tried to compose with the liberals and the conservatives, but as expected that didn't go so well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrancesado
>>850861
Is it any legit to say that Napoleon's intervention in Spain was a big mistake?
>>850881
I honestly don't know. I don't think taking control of Spain the way he did (with very little fighting) was a bad thing (you don't want a potential turncoat country at your border), but the occupation of the country and the politics surrounding its government were very sloppy.
>>850796
Joseph wasn't well loved in Spain but that didn't have anything to do with his rule. It had more to do with Spanish feeling betrayed by Napoleon because they wanted Napoleon to invade Portugal and make Charles IV abdicate in favour of his son, Ferdinand who was well liked among Spaniards.
Napoleon did make Charles abdicate and put Ferdinand on the throne but shortly after, in a political manoeuvre he put Joseph to the throne instead. Joseph wanted to improve Spain but he was not well received from day one and were only in throne because Spain couldn't win against Napoleon's Grandee Armee, only his left over troops under control of Joseph.
>>850846
He wanted to stay in Naples, he was well loved there. Napoleon thought that Spain was more befitting on his family though.
>>850881
It was a huge resource sink. Napoleon justified it by saying that it kept the British occupied down there rather than sending troops to any of his other domains, but most look at it as a mistake.
The toppling of the Bourbon government was master work, but occupying that massive country and installing a frenchman as its ruler was a recipe for disaster.
>>848508
I suggest that you re-read your Tolstoy, my man.
