Napoleon and Napoleon III
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
It was badly damaged during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and on the fall of the Empire was demolished by the Communards in 1871.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Napoleon and Napoleon III” mean?
It was badly damaged during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and on the fall of the Empire was demolished by the Communards in 1871.
Is “Napoleon and Napoleon III” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.