This Day in History: 1852-12-02
In 1852 following a successful coup d’état Napoleon Bonaparte’s Nephew, Louis Bonaparte, proclaimed himself Emperor of France and ruled for 18 years
On the 20th of March 1811 Napoleon’s son, Napoleon Francois Charles Joseph, was born. As Napoleon’s only heir, he was destined to take up the throne and rule the French Empire. Between the 30th and 31st of March 1814 the sixth coalition forces made up of Russia, Austria and Prussia defeated Napoleon in the Battle of Paris. On the 2nd of April, the French Senate passed an act declaring the deposition of Napoleon. Despite being deposed as emperor he abdicated himself on the 4th of April in favour of his three-year-old son. His young son ruled as emperor for seven days before Napoleon was forced to sign the Treaty of Fontainebleau which stated that Napoleon and his heirs must give up his sovereignty of France and other territories.
Napoleon’s son, Francois, fled to Austria to live with his grandfather, the Austrian emporer, Francis I. He feared returning home but thanks to his grandfather he led a privileged life in Vienna. In 1832 Francois fell ill with tuberculosis and died on the 22nd of June 1832.
Napoleon I’s brother Louis, whom he had placed on the Spanish throne, had a son also named Louis Bonaparte. Young Louis lived with his mother in Switzerland and from a young age he had delusions of grandeur believing, as Napoleon’s only living heir, it was his destiny to return to France and become the new emperor. He planned to march into Paris, as his uncle had in 1815, and rally the people behind him. He began his march in Strasbourg on the 29th of October 1836 but he was quickly stopped and exiled from France. He spent many years living in England and became very wealthy after the death of his mother. He never gave up the idea of becoming emperor and in 1840 he bought some weapons, men and a ship. On the 6th of August 1840, he and his crew set sail for Boulogne. They managed to land before being captured and Louis was imprisoned. His cell was a lavish room in the fortress of Ham and his visitors were allowed to come and go as they pleased. On the 25th of May 1846, he escaped from prison and returned to England.
On the 23rd of February 1848, a second French Revolution broke out and on the 23rd of June the revolution had reached Paris. Louis saw his chance and returned to France. He successfully became elected as the first president of the Second French Republic on the 20th of December 1848. As president, he led a campaign of repression of those who opposed his political views. According to the constitution, he was also not allowed to sit as president for a second term and he fought for many years to change this law but was unsuccessful. So on the 2nd of December 1851, he began a coup d’état to overthrow the government and change the constitution just as his uncle had. One year later on the 2nd of December 1852, he proclaimed himself Emperor of France and reigned until he was deposed on the 4th of September 1870.
