Napoleon - biography
A magisterial biography of the Emperor, the fruit of exhaustive research.
€24.90
1804 — 1815
Empire Napoleon
The world reference on the First French Empire
Battles decoded, biographies of marshals and sovereigns, campaign maps, and chronology: everything to understand the Napoleonic epic.
70+
Battles commanded
60+
Victories
130
Departments at peak extent
11
Years of reign (1804–1815)
The Imperial Epic
Explore the many facets of this founding period.
01
Napoleon Bonaparte
From the Corsican child to master of Europe, discover the path of the man who reshaped the continent.
Explore 02Battles
Austerlitz, Jena, Wagram, Borodino... Every engagement deciphered with precision and context.
Explore 03Characters
Marshals, sovereigns, ministers: the figures who shaped the Empire and its destiny.
Explore 04Interactive maps
Visualize campaigns, army movements, and the evolution of imperial territory.
ExploreIconic Battles
The engagements that forged the Napoleonic legend.
2 December 1805
Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, known as the 'Battle of the Three Emperors', remains one of Napoleon's most brilliant strategic victories. In a few hours, the Grande …
Read the battle 18 June 1815
Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo brought the Napoleonic epic to a definitive end. Facing Wellington's and Blücher's coalition forces, the French army fought fiercely but …
Read the battle 14 October 1806
Jena
At Jena and Auerstedt on the same day, Napoleon and Davout crushed the Prussian army. Within weeks, Prussia was brought to its knees. The Grande Armée's reputat…
Read the battleKey Characters
Marshals, empresses, and the Emperor’s advisors.
Milestones of the Empire
The dates that marked the Napoleonic epic.
1769
Born in Ajaccio
Birth of Napoleone Buonaparte in Corsica, recently ceded by Genoa to France.
2 Dec. 1804Imperial coronation
Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French at Notre-Dame de Paris.
2 Dec. 1805Austerlitz
Victory of the Three Emperors, tactical zenith of the Grande Armée.
1812Russian campaign
The Beresina, Moscow in flames, and the Great Retreat.
18 June 1815Waterloo
End of the Hundred Days and the Napoleonic epic.
Iconic Places
From Corsica to Saint Helena, the sites of the epic.
Napoleon's birthplace
Ajaccio
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. The Bonaparte family home is now a national museum.…
Discover Palace and 1814 abdication
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau Palace was the scene of Napoleon's abdication on April 6, 1814. He signed the treaty granting him the island of Elba there.…
Discover Napoleon's final exile
Saint Helena
The British island of Saint Helena, lost in the South Atlantic, hosted Napoleon from October 15, 1815 until his death on May 5, 1821. Longwood House became his …
DiscoverArticles
In-depth analyses of the imperial period.
Institutions
The Civil Code, legal heritage of the Empire
How Napoleon codified French law and influenced European legislation for centuries.
8 min MilitaireThe organization of the Grande Armée
Army corps, marshals, strength: structure and evolution of Napoleonic forces.
12 min CampagnesThe 1812 Russian campaign
From the Berezina to the retreat: account and analysis of the greatest Napoleonic disaster.
15 minRecommended Books
To deepen your knowledge of the Napoleonic period.