The Second Empire was the period in French history between
1852 and 1870 during
which Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, ruled as
Emperor. Although the Second Empire lasted for longer than the
first one and endured things like the Crimean War, it
was effectively ended by the Franco-Prussian War. When Napoleon III
was captured by the Prussians he was declared deposed on September 4 1870
by a bloodless revolution in Paris and France was again without an Emperor.