The ''Entry of Napoleon into Berlin'' is an 1810 painting by the French artist Charles Meynier. It depicts the entry of the

French Emperor Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire. The emperor of France was an absolute monarch. Details After rising to power by ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

into the Prussian capital

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

on 27 October 1806, following his victory at the

Battle of Jena A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. The Fall of Berlin marked a high point in the success of Napoleon and he issued the

Berlin Decree The Berlin Decree was issued in Berlin by Napoleon on November 21, 1806, after the French success against Prussia at the Battle of Jena, which led to the Fall of Berlin. The decree was issued in response to the British Order-in-Council of 16 M ...

from the city, implementing the

Continental System The Continental System or Continental Blockade () was a large-scale embargo by French emperor Napoleon I against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree on 21 No ...

aimed at strangling European trade with the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Meynier was a contemporary of

Jacques-Louis David Jacques-Louis David (; 30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) was a French painter in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era. In the 1780s, his cerebral brand of history painting marked a change in ...

, and painted a number of French patriot scenes. It depicts Napoleon riding into the city with the

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate ( ) is an 18th-century Neoclassical architecture, neoclassical monument in Berlin. One of the best-known landmarks of Germany, it was erected on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin t ...

in the background. Today the painting is part of the collection of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

just outside

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

.Edwards p.67

References

Bibliography

* Edwards, Catharine. ''Roman Presences: Receptions of Rome in European Culture, 1789-1945''. Cambridge University Press, 1999. * Tulard, Jean. ''L'histoire de Napoléon par la peinture''. Archipel, 2005. * Schurr, Gérald. ''1820-1920, les petits maîtres de la peinture: valeur de demain, Volume 3''. Editions de l'Amateur, 1975. Paintings by Charles Meynier 1810 paintings Paintings in the Palace of Versailles Berlin in art Paintings of Napoleon Oil on canvas paintings Napoleonic Wars in art 19th century in Berlin Artworks exhibited at the Salon of 1810 {{1810s-painting-stub