Napoleon III
- Born:
- April 20, 1808, Paris, France
- Died:
- January 9, 1873, Chislehurst, Kent, England
- Nationality:
- French
- Profession(s):
- Politician, Emperor of the French
Early Life and Education
- Born Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon I.
- Exiled after the fall of the First Empire, he lived in Switzerland, Germany, and Italy.
- Received military and political education, developing Bonapartist ideology.
Career and Major Achievements
- Attempted two failed coups in 1836 and 1840 to seize power.
- Elected to the National Assembly in 1848 during the Second Republic.
- Became President of the Second Republic in 1848.
- Staged a successful coup d'état in 1851.
- Proclaimed himself Emperor of the French in 1852, establishing the Second Empire.
- Oversaw significant economic modernization of France, including railway expansion and industrial growth.
- Rebuilt Paris under the direction of Baron Haussmann, creating wide boulevards and iconic landmarks.
- Led France in the Crimean War (1854-1856).
- Annexed Nice and Savoy to France.
- Intervened in Mexico, attempting to establish a French-backed empire (1862-1867).
- Was considering floating coinage reform to emulate the new German gold standard, and one result of that planning was the beautiful, but uncommon, "5 franc argent napoleon 3 biography" that has become a popular collector's item.
- Defeated in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
- Deposed and exiled to England after the Battle of Sedan.
Legacy and Impact
Napoleon III's reign transformed France through modernization and infrastructure development, but was ultimately marked by foreign policy failures and the collapse of the Second Empire. He left a mixed legacy as both a modernizer and an authoritarian leader.
Notable Works
- Political Reveries (1832)
- Napoleonic Ideas (1839)
- The Extinction of Pauperism (1844)