French Napoleon III 50 Franc Gold Coin

French Napoleon III 50 franc gold coin

Minted 1855 - 1868
Fineness: .900
Actual Gold Content: .4667 troy ounce

Napoleon III (1808-1873) was the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte and Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. Napoleon III strove to restore the glory of France to the lofty stature attained under his famous uncle, but his rule was undermined by a succession of political blunders including rifts with the Vatican over papal lands and French industry over his free trade policy with England. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, in part due to the disunity at home, he met defeat at the hands of the Prussians near Sedan. Within days, the weakened Napoleon III was unseated by a new revolution and he left France for England where he died, failing to restore the glory of Napoleonic France.