French Empire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Empire Français | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Anthem "Veillons au salut de l'Empire"' "Chant du départ" (de facto) (English: "Song of the Departure") "Marche consulaire" (English: "March of the Consulate") |
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A map of the First French Empire in 1812.
Directly administered
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Capital | Paris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Languages |
French (official) Breton, Basque, Occitan, Picard, Polish, Franco-Provençal, Dutch, Croatian, Catalan, German, Italian |
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Religion |
Roman Catholicism Calvinism Lutheranism Judaism |
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Government | Absolute Monarchy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Emperor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1804–1814/1815 | Napoleon I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1815 | Napoleon II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Upper house | Senate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Lower house | Corps législatif | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Napoleonic Wars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Constitution adopted | 18 May 1804 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Coronation of Napoleon I | 2 December 1804 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Treaty of Tilsit | 7 July 1807 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Invasion of Russia | 24 June 1812 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Treaty of Fontainebleau | 11 April 1814 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | Hundred Days | 20 March – 7 July 1815 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1813 | 2,100,000 km2 (810,000 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Population | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• | 1812 est. | 44,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Currency | French franc | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The First French Empire (French: Empire Français), was the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte of France and the dominant power in much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Although France had already established an overseas colonial empire beginning in the 17th century, historians refer to Napoleon's regime as the First Empire because he was the first ruler of France since the days of the Franks to take an imperial title.
On 18 May 1804, Napoleon was granted the title Emperor of the French (L'Empereur des Français, pronounced [lɑ̃.pʁœʁ dɛ fʁɑ̃.sɛ]) by the French Sénat and was crowned on 2 December 1804, ending the period of the French Consulate and of the French First Republic. The French Empire won early military victories in the War of the Third Coalition against Austria, Prussia, Russia, Portugal, and allied nations, notably at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805 and, during the War of the Fourth Coalition, at the Battle of Friedland in 1807.