Editing Napoleon III (section)

===Failed coup, exile in London (1836–1840)===
[[File:Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte 1836.JPG|thumb|upright|Etching portrait of Louis Napoleon at the time of his failed coup in 1836]]
"I believe", wrote Louis Napoleon, "that from time to time, men are created whom I call volunteers of providence, in whose hands are placed the destiny of their countries. I believe I am one of those men. If I am wrong, I can perish uselessly. If I am right, then providence will put me into a position to fulfill my mission."{{Sfn|Séguin|1990|p=68}} He had seen the popular enthusiasm for Napoleon Bonaparte when he was in Paris, and he was convinced that, if he marched to Paris, as Napoleon Bonaparte had done in 1815 during the [[Hundred Days]], France would rise up and join him. He began to plan a coup against King [[Louis-Philippe]].{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:Soulèvement Strasbourg Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte 1836.jpg|thumb|upright|Louis Napoleon launching his failed coup in [[Strasbourg]] in 1836]]
He planned for his uprising to begin in [[Strasbourg]]. The colonel of a regiment was brought over to the cause. On 29 October 1836, Louis Napoleon arrived in Strasbourg, in the uniform of an artillery officer; he rallied the regiment to his side. The [[prefecture]] was seized, and the [[Prefect (France)|prefect]] arrested. Unfortunately for Louis-Napoleon, the general commanding the garrison escaped and called in a loyal regiment, which surrounded the mutineers. The mutineers surrendered and Louis-Napoleon fled back to Switzerland.{{Sfn|Milza|2006|pp=97–100}}

Louis Napoleon was widely popular in exile and his popularity in France continuously grew after his failed coup in 1836 as it established him as heir to the Bonaparte legend and increased his publicity.<ref name=":0" />

King Louis Philippe had demanded that the Swiss government return Louis Napoleon to France, but the Swiss pointed out that he was a Swiss soldier and citizen and refused to hand him over. The King responded by sending an army to the Swiss border. Louis Napoleon thanked his Swiss hosts, and voluntarily left the country. The other mutineers were put on trial in [[Alsace]], and were all acquitted.

Louis Napoleon traveled first to London, then to [[Empire of Brazil|Brazil]], and then to New York City. He met the elite of New York society and the writer [[Washington Irving]]. While he was traveling to see more of the United States, he received word that his mother was very ill. He hurried as quickly as he could back to Switzerland. He reached Arenenberg in time to be with his mother on 5 August 1837, when she died. She was finally buried in [[Rueil]], in France, next to her mother, on 11 January 1838, but Louis Napoleon could not attend, because he was not allowed into France.{{Sfn|Milza|2006|pp=107–108}}

Louis Napoleon returned to London for a new period of exile in October 1838. He had inherited a large fortune from his mother and took a house with 17 servants and several of his old friends and fellow conspirators. He was received by London society and met the political and scientific leaders of the day, including [[Benjamin Disraeli]] and [[Michael Faraday]]. He also did considerable research into the economy of Britain. He strolled in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]], which he later used as a model when he created the [[Bois de Boulogne]] in Paris.{{Sfn|Séguin|1990|pp=74–75}} He spent the winter of 1838-39 in [[Royal Leamington Spa]] in [[Warwickshire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Napoleon III |url=https://leamingtonhistory.co.uk/napoleon-iii |access-date=1 June 2023 |publisher=Leamington History Group}}</ref>