Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French, becoming Napoleon I.
Years after his downfall, on December 2, 1852, his nephew Louis Napoleon reinstated the Empire, styling himself as Napoleon III.
So … the 1st, followed by the 3rd … you may have noticed something is missing here.
The great Corsican general had a son who theoretically ruled as emperor for a handful of days. This young man later led most of his short life trapped in a gilded cage by his father’s enemies. This tragic figure was feared by European rulers, and yet is largely overlooked by history.
This is the story of the boy who would be known as the King of Rome, the Duke of Reichstadt, and “Franz”, but who would be buried as Napoleon II.
→ Subscribe for new videos at least twice a week!
youtube.com/c/biographics?sub_confirmation=1
Love content? Check out our other YouTube Channels:
Geographics: youtube.com/channel/UCHKRfxkMTqiiv4pF99qGKIw
TopTenz: youtube.com/user/toptenznet
Karl's Socials:
Fact Fiend: youtube.com @FactFiend
Wiki Weekends: youtube.com @wikiweekends
Untitled Side Channel: youtube.com @untitledsidechannel
Twitter: twitter.com/KarlSmallwood
Further Reading:
napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/c_eaglet.html#_ftn3
madamegilflurt.com/2013/07/on-this-day-death-of-napoleon-ii.html
unofficialroyalty.com/napoleon-francois-charles-joseph-bonaparte-napoleon-ii
napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/napoleon-ii
https://betapress.it/il-destino-dellaquilotto-romano-napoleone-ii/
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French, becoming Napoleon I.
Years after his downfall, on December 2, 1852, his nephew Louis Napoleon reinstated the Empire, styling himself as Napoleon III.
So … the 1st, followed by the 3rd … you may have noticed something is missing here.
The great Corsican general had a son who theoretically ruled as emperor for a handful of days. This young man later led most of his short life trapped in a gilded cage by his father’s enemies. This tragic figure was feared by European rulers, and yet is largely overlooked by history.
This is the story of the boy who would be known as the King of Rome, the Duke of Reichstadt, and “Franz”, but who would be buried as Napoleon II.
→ Subscribe for new videos at least twice a week!
youtube.com/c/biographics?sub_confirmation=1
Love content? Check out our other YouTube Channels:
Geographics: youtube.com/channel/UCHKRfxkMTqiiv4pF99qGKIw
TopTenz: youtube.com/user/toptenznet
Karl's Socials:
Fact Fiend: youtube.com @FactFiend
Wiki Weekends: youtube.com @wikiweekends
Untitled Side Channel: youtube.com @untitledsidechannel
Twitter: twitter.com/KarlSmallwood
Further Reading:
napoleon-series.org/research/biographies/c_eaglet.html#_ftn3
madamegilflurt.com/2013/07/on-this-day-death-of-napoleon-ii.html
unofficialroyalty.com/napoleon-francois-charles-joseph-bonaparte-napoleon-ii
napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/biographies/napoleon-ii
https://betapress.it/il-destino-dellaquilotto-romano-napoleone-ii/
