Paris under Napoleon Each of the twelve arrondissements had its own mayor, but their power was limited to enforcing the decrees of Napoleon's ministers. After he crowned himself Emperor on December 2, 1804, Napoleon began a series of projects to make Paris into an imperial capital to rival ancient Rome. He built monuments to French military glory, including the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the column in Place Vendôme, and the future church of the Madeleine, intended as a temple to military heroes; and began the Arc de Triomphe. To improve the circulation of traffic in central Paris, he built a wide new
Napoleon I as Emperor the original - in the copy the figure's pose is modelled on that of Michaelangelo's David, standing with the sceptre of Charles V of France in one hand and a gold laurel wreath on his head. To his left is a cushion bearing the hand of justice and an orb, whilst there is a throne in the background. The work's celebratory tone is reinforced by a French-made frame surmounted by emblems of Napoleon. Napoleon I as Emperor Napoleon I as Emperor, also known as Napoleon I in his Coronation Robes (French: "Portrait de l’empereur Napoléon Ier en robe de sacre")