Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was the unique president of the Second French Republic (1848-1852) and, later, emperor of the French between 1852 and 1870 under the name of Napoleon III, being the last monarch of France.
As for foreign policy, Napoleon III sought to reaffirm the French influence in the world, with special emphasis on Europe. He participated in the Crimean War being an ally of Great Britain, defeating the Russian Empire. He also participated in the Italian unification (in favor of unification), annexing Savoy and Nice to France; at the same time, their forces defended the Papal States against the annexation of Italy. During his reign France doubled its colonial domains; However, the intervention of his army in Mexico ended in total failure, thus failing his project to establish a protectorate. This defeat meant a great loss of confidence on the part of the French people.
From 1866, with the project of German unification by Otto von Bismarck, Napoleon III felt that France was threatened. Thus, in July 1870 France entered into war with Prussia without allies and with inferior military forces. The French army was defeated and Napoleon III was captured in the Battle of Sedan. The French Empire was coming to an end, as the Third French Republic was proclaimed. Napoleon III had to go into exile to England, where he died in 1873.
