House of Bonaparte
1804–1814, 1815, 1852–1870
The House of Bonaparte, or Imperial House of France, descended from a Corsican patrician family of Italian origin. It became a reigning dynasty when Napoleon Bonaparte, a general of the Revolution, had himself proclaimed Emperor of the French on 18 May 1804. His reign, marked by unprecedented territorial expansion across Europe, ended with two abdications (1814 and 1815) following defeats in the Russian campaign and at Waterloo. His nephew Napoleon III restored the dynasty in 1852 with the Second Empire, which in turn collapsed in 1870 after the defeat at Sedan against Prussia, permanently ending Bonaparte rule over France.
Key figures
Napoleon I1769–1821Founder of the dynasty, proclaimed Emperor of the French on 18 May 1804
Joséphine de Beauharnais1763–1814First Empress of the French, wife of Napoleon I until their divorce in 1809
Marie Louise of Austria1791–1847Second wife of Napoleon I, daughter of the Emperor of Austria, mother of Napoleon II
Napoleon II1811–1832Napoleon I's only son with Marie Louise, never actually reigned
Napoleon III1808–1873Nephew of Napoleon I, emperor of the Second Empire (1852–1870)
Eugénie de Montijo1826–1920Empress of the Second Empire, wife of Napoleon III
Jérôme Bonaparte1784–1860Younger brother of Napoleon I, King of Westphalia
Key events
1804Proclamation of the First Empire and coronation of Napoleon at Notre-Dame
1805Victory at Austerlitz, military peak of the First Empire
1812Russian campaign, decisive turning point in the Empire's decline
1814First abdication of Napoleon and exile to Elba
1815The Hundred Days and the defeat at Waterloo, definitive end of the First Empire
1821Death of Napoleon I in exile on Saint Helena
1852Proclamation of the Second Empire, Napoleon III becomes emperor
1870Defeat at Sedan and fall of the Second Empire, proclamation of the Third Republic