| Border: | imperial |
| Royal Title: | Emperor |
| Realm: | the French |
| Native Name: | Empereur des Français |
| Coatofarms: | Imperial Coat of Arms of France (1804-1815).svg |
| Coatofarmscaption: | Imperial coat of arms |
| First Monarch: | Napoleon I |
| Last Monarch: | Napoleon III |
| Style: | His Imperial Majesty |
| Residence: | Tuileries Palace, Elysée-Napoléon, Paris |
| Began: | 18 May 1804 2 December 1852 |
| Ended: | 22 June 1815 4 September 1870 --> |
| Pretender: | Jean-Christophe Napoléon |
Emperor of the French (French: Empereur des Français) was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First and the Second French Empires.
A title and office used by the House of Bonaparte starting when Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor on 18 May 1804 by the Senate and was crowned Emperor of the French on 2 December 1804 at the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, in Paris, with the Crown of Napoleon.[1]
The title of "Emperor of the French" was also supposed to demonstrate that Napoleon's coronation was not a restoration of the monarchy, but an introduction of a new political system: the French Empire. The title emphasized that the emperor governed over "the French people" (the nation) with their consent, did not rule over France (the state), and was an office under the French Republic similar to the previous office of First Consul. The old formula of "King of France" indicated that the king owned France as a personal possession. The new term indicated a constitutional monarchy.[2] The title was purposely created to preserve the appearance of the French Republic and to show that after the French Revolution, the feudal system was abandoned and a nation state was created, with equal citizens governed by their emperor. Emperor also harkened back to the Roman Republic title of Imperator, as a magistrate who exercised Imperium or command, esp. over an army. This emphasized Napoleon as Chief Magistrate and Commander-in-Chief elected by the citizens.
Taking the title "emperor" also emphasized that the will of the citizens of France was equal in sovereignty to anyone's, especially to what had been until this time the highest sovereignty in the Western world: the (Holy) Roman Emperor, who claimed continuity with the ancient Roman Emperors, and whose coronation by the Pope was used to claim authority by divine right.
It was only after 1 January 1809 that the state was officially referred to as the French Empire and not the French Republic.[3]
Emperor also harkened back to the Roman Republic title of Imperator, a magistrate who exercised Imperium or command, esp. over an army. After an especially great victory, an army's troops in the field would proclaim their commander imperator, an acclamation necessary for a general to apply to the Senate for a triumph.
Napoleon's reign lasted until 22 June 1815, when he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, exiled, and imprisoned on the island of Saint Helena, where he died on 5 May 1821. His reign was interrupted by the Bourbon Restoration of 1814 and his exile to Elba, from where he escaped less than a year later to reclaim the throne, reigning as Emperor for another 111 days before his final defeat and exile.
Less than a year after the 1851 French coup d'état by Napoleon's nephew Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, which ended in the successful dissolution of the French National Assembly, the French Second Republic was transformed into the Second French Empire, established by a referendum on 7 November 1852. President Bonaparte, elected by the French people, officially became Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, from the symbolic and historic date of 2 December 1852. His rule would de facto end on 28 July 1870 - the power of the head of state was transferred to his wife Eugenie de Montijo who would rule as empress regent of France while Napoleon III left with his army. His reign would nominally continue until 4 September 1870, as he was officially deposed after his defeat and capture at the Battle of Sedan during the Franco-Prussian War. In March 1871, he would be released from Prussian custody and exiled to the United Kingdom, where he died on 9 January 1873.
Since the death of Napoleon III's only son, Louis-Napoléon in 1879, the House of Bonaparte has had a number of claimants to the French throne. The current claimant is Charles, Prince Napoléon, who became head of the House of Bonaparte on 3 May 1997. His position is challenged by his son, Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon, who was named as heir in his late grandfather's testament.
Among the honours Napoleon I instituted or received were:
See main article: First French Empire.
See main article: Hundred Days. Regarded as a continuation of the First French Empire despite the brief exile of the Emperor Napoleon I
See main article: Second French Empire.