The People's Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon III - Hardcover

Shawcross, Edward

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571361307 ISBN 13: 9780571361304

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 2026

Synopsis

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

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

'Bold, brilliant and often bonkers, The People's 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 uncle's 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 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.

About this title

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.

From the Back Cover

A riotously entertaining biography of 'the other Napoleon'

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0571361307
• ISBN 13: 9780571361304
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 528