Modern France is the result of the combined work of a series of leaders (emperors or presidents) which began at the end of the 18th century with the French Revolution and especially, Napoleon I and it ended in the 1960s with President Charles de Gaulle. Yet, there is one among them, namely Napoleon III, whom the French history has forgotten or is trying to forget. The last emperor of France fell into oblivion and was disregarded for his faulty foreign policy (which culminated with the Franco – Prussian war and the loss of Alsace – Lorraine), although he had real merits in the development of the French state. The Last Heir of the Great Napoleon Born in 1808, Napoleon III was known under the name Louis – Napoleon before becoming emperor. He was the son of Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon I’s brother. His father had been the King of the Netherlands for some years, before the country was annexed by France. Louis – Napoleon was raised in Switzerland and Germany and for some time, he lived in Northern Italy. Here he took part in the actions of the Carbonari, a group which was fighting against the Austrian domination over Northern Italy. Louis-Napoleon’s relation to the Italian independence movement would influence his subsequent foreign policy: he would support the Italian war against Austria. A Bonapartist movement was formed during the July Monarchy (Louis-Philippe’s reign between 1830 and 1848) which aimed at the restoration of a Bonaparte on the French throne. According to the law of succession, Napoleon I’s son known as Napoleon II was the legitimate heir, however, he was held prisoner at the Austrian Court. Thus, Bonapartists would aid Napoleon’s nephew, Louis-Napoleon, to organize several (failed) coups d’etat. The New Empire The Second French Republic was formed after the 1848 ousting of the king Louis-Philippe. Louis-Napoleon won the December election by an impressi