12. Redesigning Paris Out of Spite for Rome
Napoleon’s ambitions weren’t limited to military conquest—he wanted Paris to surpass Rome itself. He launched grand urban projects, including triumphal arches and sweeping boulevards, all meant to signal that his empire was the true heir to ancient greatness. Driven by a desire to outshine the legacy of Caesar and Augustus, these transformations were as much about pettiness as pride. Every stone laid in Paris’s new monuments was a subtle jab at the world’s former imperial capital.
