When was Napoleon Bonaparte crowned emperor of the French?

The story behind the answer

December 2, 1804 is correct: Napoleon was crowned Emperor of the French in a grand ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, with Pope Pius VII present—but Napoleon famously placed the crown on his own head, signaling that his authority came from the nation and himself, not the Church. The title “Emperor of the French” emphasized rule over the people rather than territory, a legacy of the Revolution.

Memory tip: December 2 became Napoleon’s “lucky day”—exactly one year later, on December 2, 1805, he won the Battle of Austerlitz. Think 12/2: two great triumphs, two years in a row.