 In a series of conflicts from 1803 @-@ 15 known as the Napoleonic Wars , various European powers formed five coalitions against the First French Empire . Like the wars sparked by the French Revolution ( 1789 ) , these further revolutionized the formation , organization and training of European armies and led to an unprecedented militarization , mainly due to mass conscription . Under the leadership of Napoleon , French power rose quickly as the Grande Armée conquered most of Europe , and collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 . Napoleon 's empire ultimately suffered complete military defeat in the 1813 – 14 campaigns , resulting in the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in France . Although Napoleon made a spectacular return in 1815 , known as the Hundred Days , his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo , the pursuit of his army and himself , his abdication and banishment to the Island of Saint Helena concluded the Napoleonic Wars . 
