Who Was Napoleon III?
The other Bonaparte.
When people hear the name Napoleon, they most probably instantly think of Napoleon Bonaparte, and with good reason.
In a previously unprecedented career, Napoleon Bonaparte rose from a lowly artillery officer to absolute ruler of France in less than a decade.
Europe, or the world itself, had rarely seen such a dramatic ascent, which continued in the first half of his reign where, thanks to the Emperor’s military genius, France conquered more or less all of Europe that was worth to be had.
The fall of Bonaparte was just as swift as his rise, as following a disastrous invasion of Russia where he lost 3/4 of his field army, his former enemies united against him and sent him into exile. A year later, he returned to reclaim his throne but was again defeated and sent into exile, this time for good.
The historical legacy of Napoleon is still controversial, with historians and laics divided, but like him or loath him, Napoleon is remembered even today.
That’s a lot more than his nephew Louis Napoleon could boast, who, though ruled France for a longer period than his famous uncle, is a largely forgotten figure, not remembered in the same ballpark as his uncle or Louis XIV in either France, and most definitely in the wider world.
