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What did Napoleon have to do with the Louisiana Purchase?

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Napoleon sold France's Louisiana territory because he needed money to fund his wars of conquest in Europe — one of the terms of the Louisiana purchase was that the U.S. had to pay the whole price up front in gold. read more

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) was a French military officer who rose through the chaos of the French Revolution to become Emperor of France. In the first two decades of the 19th century, Napoleon was the most powerful and fearsome individual in Europe, leading French armies to conquer much of the continent. read more

Napoleon sold France’s Louisiana territory because he needed money to fund his wars of conquest in Europe — one of the terms of the Louisiana purchase was that the U.S. had to pay the whole price up front in gold. The Napoleonic Wars were fought from 1803 to 1815, pitting the French against an assortment of European powers. read more

When the American ambassador, Robert R. Livingston, approached Napoleon's foreign minister, Charles Tallyrand, his purpose was to negotiate the purchase of New Orleans. Contrary to the response above, Tallyrand did not refuse the offer, he rather countered with an offer to sell all of the Louisiana territory to America. read more

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