Final answer:
The question regarding Napoleon's cunning plan with the timber is not addressed in the provided references, but the texts do cover the failures of Napoleon's Continental System and his abdication following the defeat at the Battle of Leipzig.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cunning plan with the timber that Napoleon devised does not appear in the provided references. However, these texts discuss the broader strategic and economic policies undertaken by Napoleon during his reign. Notably, Napoleon's attempt to undermine the British through the Continental System, an economic blockade, ended in failure as Britain grew wealthier by smuggling goods into Europe and seizing French territories in the Caribbean. Napoleon's military strategies, including his elaborate logistic planning and coordination, ultimately fell short when facing a coalition of forces at the Battle of Leipzig and during his attempted invasion of Britain post-Trafalgar.
As a result of the collapse of Napoleon's strategies, culminating in the defeat at Leipzig and the subsequent loss of French support, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne in 1814. He was later exiled to Elba, which marked the end of his reign and the start of a new political era in Europe.