The new regime was Napoleonic through and through and renewed bygone military glory and ostentation in France, and was also a period of great economic prosperity. Mainz: Institute of European History.After a turbulent youth and several attempts to seize power during the July Monarchy, he was elected President of the French Second Republic in 1848. He turned his presidency into an imperial title thanks to a Coup on 2 December 1851, proclaiming himself Napoleon III, Emperor of the French. The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (1977) 'The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon'. Napoleon as a General (Hambledon Press, 2007) The Cassel Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars. 'Why Did Napoleon Invade Russia? A Study in Motivation and the Interrelations of Personality and Social Structure,' Journal of Military History (1990) 54#2 pp 131–46 in JSTOR. The End of Empire: Napoleon's 1814 Campaign (2014) The French Revolution and Napoleon (1917) online free The Napoleonic Wars 1803-1815 (NY: Random House, 2011) Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armee (1988) The Encyclopedia of Military History (2nd edition 1970) pp 730–770 The Campaigns of Napoleon (1973) 1172 pp a detailed guide to all major battles excerpt and text search Main article: Napoleonic Wars § Further reading He spent his remaining days in British custody on the remote volcanic tropical island of Saint Helena. He was finally defeated in 1815 at the Waterloo. Napoleon was defeated in 1814 and exiled to the island of Elba, before returning to France. The French dominion collapsed rapidly after the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812.

He fought more than 80 battles, losing only eleven, mostly towards the end when the French army was not as dominant. His wars and campaigns have been studied at military schools worldwide. Napoleon has since been regarded as a military genius and one of the finest commanders in history. Despite his rich war-winning record, Napoleon's military career ended in defeat. He led French armies in the French Revolutionary Wars and later, as emperor, in the Napoleonic Wars. The military career of Napoleon Bonaparte spanned over 20 years.

Grand Master of the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces Grand Master of the Order of the Iron Crown 'General Vendémiaire', 'The Little Corporal', 'Napoleon the Great' The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David, 1812

Napoleon the third