author
Emperor of the French Napoleon III
1808–1873
A nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, he rose from exile and failed coup attempts to become the first president of the French Republic and later the last monarch of France. His life combines political ambition, dramatic reversals, and a reign that helped reshape Paris and modern France.
2 Audiobooks
History of Julius Cæsar, Vol. 2 of 2
by Emperor of the French Napoleon III
History of Julius Cæsar, Vol. 1 of 2
by Emperor of the French Napoleon III
About the author
Born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte in Paris in 1808, Napoleon III spent much of his early life in exile after the fall of his famous uncle's empire. He made two unsuccessful bids for power and was imprisoned after the second, but he eventually returned to French politics during the upheavals of 1848 and won the presidency of the Second Republic.
In 1852, after consolidating power, he became Emperor of the French and ruled during the Second Empire. His reign was marked by economic growth and major public works, and it is closely associated with the transformation of Paris under Baron Haussmann. He also played an active role in European affairs, with foreign ventures that brought both prestige and serious setbacks.
His rule ended after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He spent his final years in England and died in 1873. Today he remains a complicated figure in French history: often remembered both for modernization at home and for the authoritarian turn and military failures that brought his empire down.