Generally, the Napoleonic Wars are seen as a seminal event in the emergence of nationalism in several European nations. This is partly because many different peoples around Europe chafed under the rule of the French Empire. Napoleon held much of Europe under his sway for a number of years, and many peoples that did not imagine themselves as unified previously began to see themselves that way in opposition to French rule. This was especially true in the Iberian peninsula. But the French Revolution contributed to the emergence of nationalism in more subtle ways. It essentially created the idea of a citizen (as opposed to a subject) and of a body politic united in a common struggle in France. It also popularized the idea of universal rights, lending the nationalism that emerged in Europe a decidedly liberal bent. Other events, especially the Industrial Revolution, contributed to the emergence of nationalism in the early nineteenth century, but the Napoleonic Wars were a major turning point.