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Napoleon Bonaparte

Despite ruling France for only 16 years, Napoleon (1769–1821) had a greater influence on the political and legal structures of the country than any other person. He made peace with the Catholic Church and allowed many exiled aristocrats to return, although with limited powers. In 1804, he declared himself Emperor of France and started a series of military campaigns which saw the French briefly gain control of much of western and central Europe. Feeling threatened by French aggression, Britain went to war with France. A legacy from this period can be found all along the south-east coast of England (classic route, Stage 3 and Avenue Verte, Stage 3) in the form of Martello towers, small defensive forts built to defend against French invasion. Napoleon was defeated in 1815 by the combined forces of Britain and Prussia, this being the last war between the British and French.

Napoleon is buried under the dome of Les Invalides in Paris (classic route, Stage 11)

Agricultural and industrial revolutions