Napoleon Bonaparte's empire, at its height controlling most of continental Europe through conquest, annexation, and satellite kingdoms.
Ended on 6 April 1814 when Napoleon signed his unconditional abdication after Allied forces entered Paris, leading to the Bourbon Restoration; a brief return during the Hundred Days was ended by defeat at Waterloo on 18 June 1815 and Napoleon's final abdication on 22 June 1815.
Leading recent biography of Napoleon and the imperial project — highly readable and well-sourced.
Examines the dependent kingdoms Napoleon created across Europe, illuminating the empire's geographic reach.
Tolstoy's epic centers on Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, the defining military campaign of the First French Empire's overreach.