Napoleon III

Hello! My name is Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, but you can call me Napoleon III. I was born in a palace in Paris, France, on April 20th, 1808. My uncle was the famous emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte! Because our family was so well-known, I spent most of my childhood living in other countries. But I always dreamed of returning to France and helping its people, just like my uncle did.

When I was a grown-up, my dream came true! I returned to France, and in 1848, the French people chose me to be their president. I was so proud. A few years later, on December 2nd, 1852, I became the Emperor, Napoleon III. My biggest goal was to make France a modern and wonderful place for everyone to live. I wanted to build new things and make life better for all the families in my country.

At the time, the city of Paris had many narrow, dark, and crowded streets. I had a big idea to change it! I wanted to create a beautiful, bright city with wide-open roads, which we called boulevards. I imagined lovely green parks where children could play and families could take walks. I asked a very clever man named Baron Haussmann to help me with this giant project. Together, we built the beautiful Paris that people still visit and love today, with its famous wide streets and amazing buildings.

My time as emperor ended after a war in 1870, and I moved to England to live a quiet life. I lived to be 64 years old. Today, people remember me most for helping turn Paris into one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Every time someone enjoys a walk along a wide boulevard or plays in a Parisian park, they are enjoying the dream I had for France.