Napoleon III
Nickname/Alias: Napoleon III
Achievements: Modern Paris
Born: April 20, 1808, Paris, France
Died: January 9, 1873, Chiselhurst, England. Aged 64
Field & Discipline: Royalty; Emperor
Language: French
Father: Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother)
Mother: Hortense de Beauharnais
Siblings: Louis
Spouse: Eugenie de Montijo
Children: Eugene Louis Jean Joseph (the Imperial Prince)
Education: Augsburg Gymnasium
Life & Times:
By the time he was 23, in 1831, Louis Napoleon (nephew of [nephew of] Napoleon*) was the leader of the Napoleonic cause and believed the cause still had strong support in Republican France. In 1836, having been made an honorary Swiss citizen and an officer in the Bern regiment, he attempted a coup at Strasbourg, France. It failed and he was arrested and exiled in America. He returned to Switzerland in 1838, but when he realized his presence was causing conflict between France and Switzerland, he moved to England.
Louis Napoleon attempted another coup at Boulogne, France, in August, but this too failed and he was jailed. After the Paris Revolution of 1848, he was elected to the National Assembly by four constituencies, but the law that had exiled him (and his uncle Napoleon) was strict -- he needed at least one more constituency behind him. A month later he was elected by five constituencies and was allowed to take his seat.
In the presidential elections of December, 1848, Louis Napoleon's name was the only one that meant anything to the vast rural populace and he was elected President of the Second Republic with more than 74 per cent of the vote. He intended to establish a government of authoritarian democracy, but the process was not as easy as he had expected. Elections in May, 1849, returned a strong majority of conservative monarchists, who formed a powerful opposition. To win them to his side, Louis Napoleon agreed to intervene in the Roman Republic question.
Revolutionary republican powers in Rome had overthrown Pope Pius IX, and although he was sympathetic to the overthrow, Louis Napoleon did not want to alienate the French Catholic conservatives by expressing his support. A task force, led by General Oudinet, was sent to mediate between the Papal and Republican sides in Rome. The Roman Republic resented the French intrusion and attacked the task force. Louis Napoleon increased the French presence, and after a siege of one month, Rome was recaptured and the Pope reinstated.
Determined to retain power beyond the single presidential term dictated by law, Louis Napoleon asked the National Assembly to change the constitution. Meanwhile, he secretly organized a coup that overthrew the National Assembly in late 1851. The insurgents, in accordance with the plan, asked for President Louis Napoleon's blessing. The event provoked widespread disorder, particularly in rural areas, and much of the country was put under martial law. Finally, a referendum gave Louis Napoleon a clear endorsement of 7.5 million votes to 640,000, with 1.5 million abstentions.
Louis Napoleon's 10-year presidency and his new powers to command the armed forces, declare war, and make laws, made it relatively easy for him to establish an imperial throne. A new constitution embracing this notion was quickly drawn up, and Louis Napoleon became Napoleon III. In 1852, he married Eugenia (Empress [married] Eugenie*) de Montijo, a beautiful Spanish noblewoman, by whom he had one son, the Imperial Prince. The royal couple established a court that was stunning in its splendor and extravagance. The French economy began to boom. The French railroad system was greatly expanded. The prestigious Universal Expositions of 1855 and 1867 focused the eyes of the world on France and its advances in trade and industry. French civic official [commissioned] Haussmann* was given the task of rebuilding the center of Paris.
Louis Napoleon joined England in the [joined in] Crimean War* (1854-1856.) His longstanding sympathy for Italy blossomed in July, 1858, when he secretly met [plotted with] Cavour,* the chief minister of Piedmont, in Northern Italy, to conspire over the expulsion of Austria from the area. Napoleon personally led his forces against the Austrians in June, 1859, and he scored swift victories at the bloody battles of Magenta and Solferino, where suffering was so appalling that it moved [met] Dunant* to found the Red Cross. In July, 1859, Louis Napoleon abruptly called a truce, to forestall Prussian intervention on the Austrian side. The Austrians left Lombardy, and widespread political change occurred elsewhere in Italy. Cavour reluctantly agreed to give France possession of Savoy and Nice.
To further spread French prestige, Louis Napoleon considered supporting an anti-Austrian revolt in Hungary (with the help of Hungarian nationalist [plotted with] Kossuth*), liberating Serbia from the Turks, and enlarging Greece. But a diplomatic dispute in 1870 prompted France to declare war on Prussia and these ideas were abandoned. Louis Napoleon joined his army on the warfront and, after five weeks, the French were defeated at the battle of Sedan. Louis Napoleon offered his surrender, and it was the end of his Empire. Napoleon was held as a prisoner of war from September, 1870, to March, 1871. After his release, he joined his Empress at Camden Place, Chislehurst, England (the house was designed by [exile home by] Dance*)
Extra Connections: He was instrumental in the work and lives of [influenced] Meges Mourries*, [influenced] Maury*, [influenced] Carnot*, [influenced] Jomini*, [influenced] Ludwig II*, [influenced] Flaubert*, [influenced] Franz Josef*, [influenced] Corot*.
Met [met] De Musset* Dickens, Faraday, Disraeli, Washington Irving.
Made [honored] JBA Dumas* and [honored] Merimee* Senators
Ordered a command performance by Sarah [performed for by] Bernhardt*.
[opposed by] Hugo* led an uprising against him.
Gave ship-builder [honored] Robert Napier* the Legion d’Honneur
Impressed by [impressed by] Krupp* big-gun demo
He ordered one of the first [ordered an early] bicycle*
Visited by [visited by] Burdett-Coutts*
He turned down an offer of an iron-clad (Monitor) submarine from John [refused submarine by]Ericsson*
An assassination attempt on him affected an opera by [his near assassination affected]Verdi*
He was visited by steelman [visited by] Bessemer*
Negotiated with Lincoln for the release of Charles Heidsieck "Champagne Charlie."
Assessment: Historians disagree on Napoleon III's leadership and military qualities
Oneliner: Napoleon III, Emperor of France
Bibliography:
- James F. McMillan. Napoleon III. Longman; London and New York, 1991.