CHAPTER XXVI NAPOLEON, FIRST CONSUL AND EMPEROR Napoleon at once began to make peace-overtures to Great Britain and Austria, but the governments refused to regard them l. The as genuine ; so in the year after his coup d'etat First Consul, (which was confirmed by a plebiscite or popular vote) he flung himself into Italy, where Massena was holding out stubbornly in Genoa for France. He let Genoa fall, for the sake of inflicting a crushing defeat on the Austrians at Marengo, a victory which was owed to the for- tunate audacity of a subordinate. But though this gave him the upper hand in North Italy, Austria was not yet beaten to her knees. This, however, was brought about in the winter, when Moreau, advancing on Vienna, won the decisive victory of Hohenlinden. Austria was compelled to accept the peace of Luneville, and Britain was left to fight alone. Her naval power was again threatened by what was called the Armed Neutrality, a league of the northern naval powers to resist the rights at sea which had hitherto always been claimed by the strongest navies and protested against by the rest. Now, however, there was good reason to British think that the Armed Neutrality was only prepara- Successes. t orv to placing these fleets at the service of France ; so, although Britain was at peace with Denmark, she sent a fleet to Copenhagen, and by the ' Battle of the Baltic ' enforced Danish submission. French prospects were further damaged by the assassination of the Tsar Paul, who had come to regard Napoleon as the destroyer of Jacobinism. His successor, Alex- 358
