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The People's Emperor
The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III
Brief Description
Born into imperial splendour, Louis-Napoleon - the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte - grew up far from power after the defeat at Waterloo. In exile, he repeatedly plotted, unsuccessfully, to restore his uncle's empire. Few took him seriously. But what followed is one of the most astonishing,...
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See moreA riotously entertaining biography of 'the other Napoleon'
A riotously entertaining biography of 'the other Napoleon'
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Description
Born into imperial splendour, Louis-Napoleon - the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte - grew up far from power after the defeat at Waterloo. In exile, he repeatedly plotted, unsuccessfully, to restore his uncle's empire. Few took him seriously.
But what followed is one of the most astonishing, impossible stories in history. Aged 40, Louis-Napoleon would be elected president of France. Three years later, he seized power to become emperor.
Napoleon III's story is one of self-belief, political skill and radical innovation - the first person to master mass democratic politics and populism. Yet, despite being one of the most important trailblazers of the nineteenth century, he is largely misunderstood today, if not totally forgotten.
His strange rise and catastrophic fall is a story of both tragedy and farce, set during some of France's most tumultuous decades.
'An entertaining account of the picaresque trajectory of an epic rabble-rousing political fantasist and chancer. Appropriate reading for the age of populist charlatans we live in' - Adam Zamoyski
The People's Emperor by Edward Shawcross is a gripping exploration of Napoleon III's extraordinary journey, capturing the essence of one of history's most intriguing figures.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571361304
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 02 July 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 234.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 528
About the Author
Edward Shawcross is the author of The Last Emperor of Mexico. After graduating from the University of Oxford, he lived and worked in France, then South Korea and finally Colombia before returning to London where he completed a PhD at UCL. His research specialised on nineteenth-century France.
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