The People's Emperor

Rigorously researched, endlessly illuminating. The Peoples Emperor is a real page-turner
ED CONWAY

This is a book written to be enjoyed: its a gripping, fascinating biography
SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE

Bold, brilliant and often bonkers, The Peoples Emperor is a thunderously good read
JUSTIN MAROZZI

Born into imperial splendour, Louis-Napoléon - the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte - grew up far from power after the defeat at Waterloo. In exile, he repeatedly plotted, unsuccessfully, to restore his uncles empire. Few took him seriously.

But what followed is one of the most astonishing, impossible stories in history. Aged 40, Louis-Napoléon would be elected president of France. Three years later, he seized power to become emperor.

Napoleon IIIs 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 Frances most tumultuous decades.