There were two empires in the history of France. The first existed in 1804-1814 and 1815. It was created by the famous commander Napoleon Bonaparte. After his overthrow and exile in France, the monarchist system constantly alternated with the republican one. The period 1852-1870 It is considered the period of the Second Empire when Napoleon I Napoleon III ruled.
Emperor of the French
The creator of the First Empire, Napoleon Bonaparte, established a new state on May 18, 1804. According to the revolutionary calendar, it was 28 floreal. On that day, the Senate adopted a new Constitution, according to which Napoleon was officially proclaimed emperor. Some attributes of the old monarchy were restored (for example, the rank of marshal in the army).
The French empire was governed not only by the first person of the state, but also by the imperial council, which included several senior dignitaries (these were the archchancellor, supreme elector, arch treasurer, great admiral and great connetable). As before, Napoleon tried to make his sole decisions legitimate by popular vote. At the first plebiscite in the empire, for example, it was decided to return the rite of coronation. She was returned, despite the resistance of the Council of State.
Third coalition
Created by Napoleon, the First French Empire from the very beginning of its existence opposed the whole Old World. Conservative European powers opposed the ideas that Bonaparte carried. For the monarchs, he was the heir to the revolution and a man who posed a danger to their existence. In 1805, according to the St. Petersburg Union Treaty, the Third Anti-French Coalition was formed. It included Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Sweden and the Kingdom of Naples.
This agreement rallied almost all European nations. A powerful conglomerate of opponents came out against the French Empire. At the same time, Paris managed to persuade Prussia to maintain such a desired neutrality. Then the next large-scale war began. Napoleon was the first to punish the Kingdom of Naples, the monarch of which he made his brother Joseph.
New successes of the empire
In 1806, the First French Empire succeeded in creating the Rhine Union. The German states vassal from Bonaparte entered: kingdoms, duchies and principalities. On their territory, Napoleon initiated reforms. He dreamed of establishing a new order throughout Europe according to his famous Codex.
So, after the victory over the Third Coalition, the French Empire began to systematically strengthen its influence in divided Germany. Prussia did not like this turn of events, which naturally considered its native country a zone of its own responsibility. In Berlin, Bonaparte put forward an ultimatum, according to which Paris was required to withdraw its army beyond the Rhine. Napoleon ignored this attack.
A new war has begun. And the French Empire won again. In the very first battle near Saalfeld, the Prussians suffered a terrible defeat. As a result of the campaign, Napoleon triumphantly entered Berlin and achieved the payment of a huge indemnity. The French empire did not stop even after intervention in the Russian conflict. Soon the second most important city of Prussia was taken - Koenigsberg. Bonaparte achieved the creation in Germany of the Kingdom of Westphalia dependent on him. In addition, Prussia lost its territories between the Elbe and the Rhine. So the French Empire under Napoleon experienced the heyday of its territorial expansion in Europe.
The triumph and defeat of the Corsican
By 1812, the flag of the French Empire fluttered over many European cities. Prussia and Austria were catastrophically weakened, Great Britain was in blockade. Under these conditions, Napoleon began his eastern campaign by attacking Russia.
As a route for the advance of the Great Army, the emperor considered three options: St. Petersburg, Moscow or Kiev. Ultimately, Napoleon chose the Mother See. After the bloody battle of Borodino with an uncertain outcome, the French army entered Moscow. However, the capture of the city gave nothing to the interventionists. The weakened army of the French and their allies had to retreat to their homeland.
Following the failure of the Eastern campaign, the European powers united into a new coalition. This time, luck turned its back on Napoleon. He suffered several serious defeats and was eventually deprived of power. First he was sent to exile in Elba. However, after some time, in 1815, the restless Bonaparte returned to his homeland. After another 100 days of reign and attempts to take revenge, his star finally went down. The great commander spent the rest of his days on the island of St. Helena. The First Empire was replaced by the Bourbon Restoration.
New empire
On December 2, 1852, the Second French Empire was formed. She appeared almost 40 years after the fall of her predecessor. The continuity of the two state systems was evident. The second French empire received the monarch in the person of Louis Napoleon - the nephew of Napoleon I, who took the name of Napoleon III.
Like uncle, the new monarch initially used democratic institutions as his pillar. In 1852, a constitutional monarchy appeared according to the results of a popular plebiscite. At the same time, Louis Napoleon before becoming emperor, in 1848-1852. served as president of the Second Republic.
Controversial monarch
At the first stage of government as a monarch, Napoleon III was in fact an absolute autocrat. He determined the composition of the Senate and the Council of State, appointed ministers and officials up to mayors. Only the Legislative Corps was elected, but the elections were full of contradictions and barriers for candidates independent from the government. In addition, in 1858, an oath of allegiance to the emperor became mandatory for all deputies. All this deleted the legal opposition from political life.
The style of government of the two Napoleons was somewhat different. The first came to power in the wake of the Great Revolution. He defended the then established new orders. Under Napoleon, the former influence of the feudal lords was destroyed and the flourishing of the petty bourgeoisie began. His nephew defended the interests of big business. At the same time, Napoleon III was a supporter of the principle of free trade. Under him, the Paris Exchange reached an unprecedented economic peak.
Aggravation of relations with Prussia
Towards the end of Napoleon III’s reign, the French colonial empire was experiencing a political decline caused by inconsistent first-person politics. Many sections of society were dissatisfied with the monarch, although for the time being these contradictions could be reduced to nothing. However, the last nail in the lid of the tomb of the empire was the foreign policy of Napoleon III.
The Emperor, contrary to all the persuasion of his advisers, went on to aggravate relations with Prussia. This kingdom has gained unprecedented economic and military potential. The neighborhood of the two countries was complicated by disputes around the border of Alsace and Lorraine. Each state considered them to be its own. The conflict grew amid the unresolved problem of German unification. Until recently, Austria and Prussia equally claimed the leading power in this country, but the Prussians won this full-time struggle and were now preparing to proclaim their own empire.
End of empire
The reason for the war between neighbors was not all of the above true historical reasons. It turned out to be a dispute over the Spanish heir to the throne. Although Napoleon III could turn back, he did not stop, hoping to demonstrate his power to both his own citizens and the rest of the world. But contrary to his expectations, from the first days of the war that began on July 19, 1870, the French suffered defeat after defeat. The initiative passed to the Germans, and they launched an offensive in the direction of Paris.
The fatal crash ended the battle of Sedan. After the defeat, Napoleon III had to surrender with his army. The war continued, but the government in Paris decided not to wait for the monarch to return and announced his deposition. On September 4, 1870, a republic was proclaimed in France. She ended the war with the Germans. Released from captivity, but deprived of power, Napoleon III emigrated to Britain. There he died on January 9, 1873, turning out to be the last French monarch in history.
Interesting Facts
Napoleon Bonaparte was constantly on his feet. He lived according to a non-human schedule. From this way of life, the commander had the habit of sleeping in fits and starts, for 1-2 hours, between times. The story that happened at the Battle of Austerlitz became anecdotal . At the height of the battle, Napoleon ordered to spread a bear skin beside him. The emperor slept on it for 20 minutes, after which, as if nothing had happened, he continued to lead the battle.
Napoleon I and Adolf Hitler gained power at the age of 44. In addition, both declared war on Russia at age 52 and were completely defeated at age 56.
The widespread term "Latin America" was coined precisely by Emperor Napoleon III. The monarch believed that his country has legal rights to this region. The epithet “Latin” should have been emphasized by the fact that the majority of the local population speaks Romance languages, to which French also belongs.
When President of the Second Republic, Louis Napoleon was the only bachelor in this post in the history of the country. He married his wife Eugenia, already becoming emperor. The crowned couple loved to skate (it was Napoleon and Eugene who popularized dancing on ice).