The People’s Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoléon III out July 2026

Born into imperial splendour in 1808, Louis-Napoléon – the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte – grew up far from power after his uncle’s defeat at Waterloo.

As a young man in exile, he repeatedly plotted, unsuccessfully, to restore the Napoleonic empire. Few took him seriously. But what followed is one of the most astonishing, improbable stories in history. Aged 40, Louis-Napoléon was elected president of France in 1848. Three years later, he seized power and then became emperor. He ruled until 1870, but led the country into a disastrous war with Prussia, which cost him his throne.

Napoléon III’s tale 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.

The People’s Emperor will be published by Faber & Faber in July 2026

PRAISE FOR THE PEOPLE’S EMPEROR:

Rigorously researched, endlessly illuminating. The People’s Emperor is a real page-turner – an absorbing portrait of Europe on the edge. Edward Shawcross makes Napoleon III’s rise and fall bracingly, shockingly modern – with lessons aplenty for anyone seeking to understand today’s politics and statecraft. — Ed Conway, author of Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future

Bold, brilliant and often bonkers, The People’s Emperor is a thunderously good read. — Justin Marozzi, author of Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World

An entertaining account of the picaresque trajectory of an epic rabble-rousing political fantasist and chancer. Appropriate reading for the age of populist charlatans we live in — Adam Zamoyski, author of Napoleon, The Man Behind the Myth

‘I am much through my name, nothing through myself,’ wrote the young Louis-Napoleon. But defying expectations, Louis-Napoleon became in 1848 the first directly-elected head of state in history and subsequently Emperor Napoleon III of the French for almost two decades. In this splendid new biography, Edward Shawcross shows us how the emperor made France great again and why, despite the military defeat which ended his reign, he should still be taken seriously. — Martyn Rady, author of The Habsburgs