How Napoleon Governed His European Empire

Napoleon's imperial system (1804–1814/15) rested on three pillars:

1. Centralized administration – Empire divided into départements, each run by a prefet appointed by Paris. Prefets enforced laws, collected taxes, conscripted soldiers, suppressed dissent. Uniformity replaced feudal patchwork.
2. Military conquest & integration – Conquered lands (Italy, Germany, Low Countries, Spain, Illyria) were reorganized into satellite kingdoms (for brothers/marshals) or directly annexed. French law, currency, weights/measures imposed.
3. The Napoleonic Code (1804) – Civil code guaranteeing legal equality, property rights, religious freedom, secular marriage, abolition of feudal privileges. Exported across empire; basis for many modern codes.

Local elites co-opted via Legion of Honour, imperial nobility. Police state (Fouché) monitored opposition. The system worked while armies won; collapsed when they didn't.