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.

Key figuresHugh Capet of FranceLouis XIV of France