Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial
| Louis-Napoléon | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Imperial of France | |||||
Louis-Napoléon in 1878 | |||||
| Head of the House of Bonaparte | |||||
| Period | 9 January 1873 – 1 June 1879 | ||||
| Predecessor | Napoleon III | ||||
| Successor | Napoléon-Jérôme or Napoléon Victor | ||||
| Born | 16 March 1856 Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire | ||||
| Died | 1 June 1879 (aged 23) Sobhuza's kraal near Ulundi, Zulu Kingdom | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| |||||
| House | Bonaparte | ||||
| Father | Napoleon III | ||||
| Mother | Eugénie de Montijo | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
| Signature | |||||
| Military career | |||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||
| Branch | British Army | ||||
| Years of service | 1870–1879 | ||||
| Rank | Lieutenant | ||||
| Unit | Royal Engineers Royal Artillery | ||||
| Battles / wars | Anglo-Zulu War † | ||||
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Napoléon, Prince Imperial (Napoléon Eugène Louis Jean Joseph Bonaparte; 16 March 1856 – 1 June 1879), also known as Louis-Napoléon, was the only child of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, and Empress Eugénie. After his father was dethroned in 1870, he moved to England with his family. On his father's death in January 1873, he was proclaimed by the Bonapartist faction as Napoléon IV.
In England, he trained as a British Army officer. Keen to see action, he persuaded the British to allow him to participate in the Anglo-Zulu War. In 1879, serving with British forces, he was killed in a skirmish with a group of Zulus. His early death caused an international sensation and sent shockwaves throughout Europe, as he was the last serious dynastic hope for the restoration of the House of Bonaparte to the throne of France.