Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument25 March 1802

Treaty of Amiens

25 March 1802

The 1802 peace treaty between France and Britain, negotiated under Napoleon's rule as First Consul, that briefly ended years of war.

Napoleon, as First Consul, directed the negotiations that produced this treaty, using the peace to pursue internal reforms.

Ask Napoleon Bonaparte about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Open book-style document with handwritten text in two columns on cream paper, red wax seals hanging on ribbons, and signatures near the bottom of each column. Dark background.
Treaty of Amiens, 1802. Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Madrid.

About this source

What it is

A definitive peace treaty signed at Amiens on 25-27 March 1802 between France, Spain, the Batavian Republic and Britain. It was signed for France by Joseph Bonaparte and for Britain by Lord Cornwallis. The document, with its wax seals and signatures, is held in archives including the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Why it matters

The treaty ended the War of the Second Coalition and gave Europe its only general peace between 1793 and 1814. Napoleon, as First Consul, used the pause to push through major reforms such as the Napoleonic Code and a new constitution. The peace proved short-lived, and its collapse in 1803 restarted the wars that would define Napoleon's reign.

Look closer

  • Why might both sides have wanted peace even though neither fully trusted the other?
  • What does the treaty's quick collapse suggest about the goals of Napoleon and Britain?
  • Whose names appear as signers, and what does that tell you about who held power?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Napoleon Bonaparte on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Napoleon Bonaparte sources

Meet the AI Napoleon Bonaparte →
A waist-up portrait of a young Napoleon Bonaparte in a dark military uniform with a red collar, looking intensely to his right while holding a flag staff.Painting

Primary source

Bonaparte au Pont d'Arcole

Antoine-Jean Gros · 1796

Engraved oval portrait of a man with curly dark hair in a high-collared embroidered uniform coat, looking to his left. Below the oval is the inscription 'N. Bonaparte Pr. Consul de la République Française' in script, with artist credits in the corners.Painting

Primary source

Napoleon Bonaparte, Stipple Portrait after Bacler d'Albe

Louis Albert Guislain Bacler d'Albe · c. 1800

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (Bonaparte franchissant le Grand-Saint-Bernard)Painting

Primary source

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (Bonaparte franchissant le Grand-Saint-Bernard)

Jacques-Louis David · 1801

Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken at JaffaPainting

Primary source

Bonaparte Visiting the Plague-Stricken at Jaffa

Antoine-Jean Gros · 1804

Open book on a black background showing the title page of the Code Civil des Francais, Tome Premier, with printed text on the facing left page. The book is bound in brown leather.Document

Primary source

Civil Code of the French

1804

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Napoleon Bonaparte now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions