With the imperial coronation of Napoleon, the Republic became history. Yet the Empire did not mean a return to the old monarchy. Napoleon saw himself as the culmination of the French Revolution—as a Caesar who brought order to the chaos of the years since 1789. He preserved the key achievements of the upheaval: equality before the law, the abolition of privileges, and a centrally organized state. At the same time, he retained much of the personnel of the Revolution. But his pursuit of power drove France into ever new wars—and ultimately led to his downfall. After the defeat at Waterloo, the victorious powers exiled him to the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. There Napoleon died in 1821, far from France.
May 18, 1804 · The Constitution of the Year XII comes into force. Napoleon becomes Emperor of the French. End of the Republic, beginning of the Empire.
December 2, 1804 · Napoleon’s imperial coronation at Notre-Dame in Paris.
April 6, 1814 · Napoleon’s first abdication.
March 20, 1815 · Napoleon returns from Elba to Paris. Beginning of the Hundred Days.
June 22, 1815 · Second abdication. He is exiled to Saint Helena, where Napoleon Bonaparte dies on 5 May 1821.
Quotes
I am the French Revolution. Napoleon
Alexander the Great, Caesar, and I, we founded great empires through force, and after our deaths, we have no friends. Christ founded his kingdom on love, and even today, millions would willingly die for him. Napoleon
France, the army, head of the army, Joséphine. Napoleon's last words
With the imperial coronation of Napoleon, the Republic became history. Yet the Empire did not mean a return to the old monarchy. Napoleon saw himself as the culmination of the French Revolution—as a Caesar who brought order to the chaos of the years since 1789. He preserved the key achievements of the upheaval: equality before the law, the abolition of privileges, and a centrally organized state. At the same time, he retained much of the personnel of the Revolution. But his pursuit of power drove France into ever new wars—and ultimately led to his downfall. After the defeat at Waterloo, the victorious powers exiled him to the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. There Napoleon died in 1821, far from France.
