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 monarchical system constantly alternated with the republican. Period 1852-1870 considered the period of the Second Empire, when Napoleon I's nephew 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 have been restored (such as the rank of marshal in the army).
The French Empire was ruled not only by the first person of the state, but also by the imperial council, which included several senior dignitaries (these were the archchancellor, the supreme elector, the archtreasurer, the grand admiral and the grand constable). As before, Napoleon tried to legitimize his one-man decisions by popular vote. At the first plebiscite in the empire, for example, it was decided to return the coronation rite. She was returned despite the opposition of the State Council.
Third Coalition
The First French Empire created by Napoleon from the very beginning of its existence opposed the entire Old World. The conservative European powers opposed the ideas that Bonaparte carried. For the monarchs, he was the heir to the revolution and a person who posed a danger to their existence. In 1805, according to the St. Petersburg Union Treaty, the Third Anti-French Coalition was formed. It includes 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 succeeded in persuading Prussia to maintain its much-desired neutrality. Then another large-scale war began. Napoleon was the first to punish the Kingdom of Naples, of which he made his brother Joseph the monarch.
New empire gains
In 1806, the First French Empire achieved the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine. It included the German states vassal from Bonaparte: kingdoms, duchies and principalities. On their territory, Napoleon initiated reforms. He dreamed of establishing a new order throughout Europe according to his famous Code.
So, after the victory over the Third Coalition, the French Empire began to systematically increase 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 was given 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 secured the payment of a huge indemnity. The French empire did not stop even after Russia intervened in the conflict. Soon the second most important city of Prussia, Koenigsberg, was taken. 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.
Triumph and defeat of the Corsican
By 1812, the flag of the French Empire was flying 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.
The emperor considered three options as an offensive route for the Great Army: St. Petersburg, Moscow or Kyiv. 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 in a new coalition. Luck this timeturned away from Napoleon. He suffered several serious defeats and was eventually stripped of power. First he was sent into exile on the Elbe. However, after some time, in 1815, the restless Bonaparte returned to his homeland. After another 100 days of reign and an attempt to take revenge, his star finally set. 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. It appeared almost 40 years after the fall of its predecessor. The continuity of the two state systems was evident. The Second French Empire received a monarch in the person of Louis Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon I, who took the name of Napoleon III.
Like his uncle, the new monarch initially used democratic institutions as his backbone. 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 his reign as a monarch, Napoleon III was actually an absolute autocrat. He determined the composition of the Senate and the Council of State, appointed ministers and officials up to the mayors. Only the Legislative Corps was elected, but the elections were full of contradictions and obstacles for candidates independent of the government. In addition, in 1858year for all deputies became a mandatory oath of allegiance to the emperor. All this erased 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 order. Under Napoleon, the former influence of the feudal lords was destroyed and the petty bourgeoisie flourished. His nephew also 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 Stock Exchange reached an unprecedented economic peak.
Exacerbation of relations with Prussia
By the end of the reign of Napoleon III, the French colonial empire was in political decline, caused by the inconsistent policy of the first person. Many sectors of society were dissatisfied with the monarch, although these contradictions for the time being could be nullified. However, the last nail in the coffin of the empire was the foreign policy of Napoleon III.
The Emperor, contrary to all the persuasion of his advisers, went to aggravate relations with Prussia. This kingdom has gained unprecedented economic and military potential. The neighborhood of the two countries was complicated by disputes over the border Alsace and Lorraine. Each state considered them their own. The conflict grew against the backdrop of the unresolved problem of German unification. Until recently, Austria and Prussia equally claimed the role of the leading force in this country, but the Prussians won this face-to-face struggle and were now preparing for the proclamationown empire.
Empire's End
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 have retreated, he did not stop, hoping to demonstrate his power both to his own citizens and to the rest of the world. But contrary to his expectations, from the first days of the war, which began on July 19, 1870, the French suffered defeat after defeat. The initiative passed to the Germans, and they launched an offensive towards Paris.
The Battle of Sedan ended in a fatal crash. After the defeat, Napoleon III had to surrender along with his army. The war continued, but the government in Paris decided not to wait for the return of the monarch 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 Great Britain. There he died on January 9, 1873, becoming the last French monarch in history.
Interesting facts
Napoleon Bonaparte was constantly on his feet. He lived according to an inhuman schedule. From this lifestyle, the commander got into 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. In the midst of the battle, Napoleon ordered the bear's skin to be spread beside him. The emperor slept on it for 20 minutes, after which, as if nothing had happened, he continued to leadbattle.
Napoleon I and Adolf Hitler came to power at 44. In addition, both declared war on Russia at 52 and were completely defeated at 56.
The common term "Latin America" was coined by Emperor Napoleon III. The monarch believed that his country had legal rights to the region. The epithet "Latin" was supposed to emphasize the fact that the majority of the local population speaks Romance languages, to which French belongs.
When he was 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, having already become emperor. The crowned couple loved skating (it was Napoleon and Evgenia who popularized ice dancing).
