Napoleon’s Coronation as Emperor

"If only father could see us now!". This is what Napoleon whispered on 2 December 1804 to his brother as he was taking the crown on the pillow Joseph was holding. Napoleon laid the crown on his own head before repeating the gesture on his wife Josephine, making himself Emperor and she, the Empress of France.

When he had first laid foot in France at the age of nine some twenty five years before, Napoleon did not speak a word of French. And now he ruled over what used to be the Kingdom that once bought the tiny island of Corsica where he was born.

What were the odds? One in a billion chance? On my tour I will help you decipher the beautiful painting of Jacques-Louis David that hangs at the Louvre museum (you may also see a copy at Versailles).

On my tour, I also break down the dishonnest way Napoleon has been depicted in foreign history and bad movies... Vive l'Empereur!