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Born into imperial splendour, Louis-Napoleon - the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte - grew up far from power after the defeat at Waterloo. In exile, he plotted to restore his uncle''s empire. Few took him seriously. What followed is one of the most astonishing, impossible stories in history. Aged 40, Louis- Napoleon was elected president of France. Three years later, he seized power and became 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 forgotten today. The strange rise and catastrophic fall of Napoleon Bonaparte''s nephew is a story of both tragedy and farce, set during France''s most tumultuous decades.
About the author
After graduating from the University of Oxford, Edward Shawcross 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 French imperialism in Latin America and the Mexican intellectual thought that underpinned the Second Mexican Empire.
