On This Day
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Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of the French at Notre Dame de Paris in a ceremony officiated by Pope Pius VII

Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar, commonly used at the time in France), at Notre-Dame de Paris in...

Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar, commonly used at the time in France), at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris. It marked "the instantiation of [the] modern empire" and was a "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda".

Napoleon wanted to establish the legitimacy of his imperial reign with its new dynasty and nobility. To this end, he designed a new coronation ceremony unlike that for the kings of France, which had emphasised the king's consecration (sacre) and anointment and was conferred by the archbishop of Reims in Reims Cathedral. Napoleon's was a sacred ceremony held in the great cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the presence of Pope Pius VII.

Historical Significance

Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar, commonly used at the time in France), at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris.

Key People

Napoleon Bonaparte

general and statesman

French general and statesman

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Pius VII

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Events Before

  1. Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy

    Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam

  2. John Hawkins and Richard French patent the reaping machine

    John Hawkins and Richard French patent the reaping machine

  3. The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people by President Thomas Jefferson

    The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803.

  4. The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London

    The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London

  5. US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase

    The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803.

Events After

  1. Lady Caroline Ponsonby (19) marries future Prime Minister William Lamb, Lord Melbourne (26) in London, until her death i

    Lady Caroline Ponsonby (19) marries future Prime Minister William Lamb, Lord Melbourne (26) in London, until her death in 1928

  2. Battle of Trafalgar: British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleet. Nelson is shot and ki

    Battle of Trafalgar: British Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleet. Nelson is shot and killed during the battle.

  3. Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reaches the Pacific Ocean, the first European Ame

    Lewis and Clark Expedition, led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, reaches the Pacific Ocean, the first European Americans to cross the West

  4. Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio", his only opera, premieres at Vienna's Theater an der Wien

    Fidelio, originally titled Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe (Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love), Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

  5. Harmony Society officially forms

    Harmony Society officially forms

More from the 1800s

The dissolution of the Dutch East India Company comes into effect

The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874.

Italian monk Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres

Giuseppe Piazzi was an Italian Catholic priest of the Theatine order, mathematician, and astronomer.

Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy

Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam

Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolut

Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolution; becoming the only state ever founded by formerly enslaved people and without slavery

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 2, 1804?
Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar, commonly used at the time in France), at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris. It marked "the instantiation of [the] modern empire" and was a "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda". Napoleon wanted to establish the legitimacy of his imperial reign with its new dynasty and nobility.
Why is Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of the French at Notre Dame de Paris in... significant?
Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French on December 2, 1804 (11 Frimaire, Year XIII according to the French Republican calendar, commonly used at the time in France), at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris.
Who was involved in Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of the French at Notre Dame de Paris in...?
Key figures include Napoleon Bonaparte (general and statesman), Pius VII.

Explore More

December 2 in HistoryYear 1804