In December 1851, Louis-Napoléon overthrew the Second Republic and made himself Emperor Napoléon III. Liberal democracy was replaced by populist authoritarianism.

France's new emperor, Napoleon III, wanted France to re-stamp her authority on the international stage, and saw the gradual weakening of the Ottoman Empire as an opportunity for France to flex her ...

Napoleon III was the emperor of the French from 1852–70. He gave his country two decades of prosperity under a stable, authoritarian government but finally led it to defeat in the Franco-German ...

Later, as emperor, Napoleon nominated about 48,000 people for the order. During the Restoration the award lost prominence, ranking below military and religious orders.

NAPOLEON III.; THE HISTORY OF NAPOLEON III., EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH, BY JOHN S. C. Abbott Boston: B. U. RUSSELL & Co. [SECOND ARTICLE.] Share full article March 27, 1869 The New York Times Archives ...